How CIVICUS/ CRD are changing the Rwandan Civic Society.

Citizen Rights and Democracy (CRD) and CIVICUS partnered in 2020, in bid to expand the country’s civic space and to break down the Universal Peer Review (UPR) process to Rwandan citizens.

Their work was centred around three main areas: Human Rights awareness and education, promoting fundamental freedoms, and the popularisation of the UPR recommendations that were adopted by

Rwanda under the UPR outcome report 2021.

Four years later, the teams celebrate the fruits of the union, including the formation of a national coalition on UPR process, execution of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Rwanda Ministry of Justice (MINIJUST), a strong partnership with the National Human Rights Commission and an opportunity for every citizen to enjoy their rights.

Among the achievements is the coalitions’ ability to use mass media to create awareness of the UPR process. The coalition, which is composed of journalists and CSOS, have a perfect barter: media

houses provide free airtime for the coalition members while the CSOs provide expertise through their platforms to educate the masses.

The coalition has also provided inputs on the UPR roadmap to MINIJUST thereby enhancing the voice of CSOs in Rwanda governance structure. This not only gives legitimacy to their work as a civil society, but has enabled them to speak as one voice when it comes to issues pertaining to the UPR process. Mr Musiimwe points out that having this formal network (MOU) also backs up their work and it protects them against interference by State agencies. Another big advantage is the provision of a mechanism of appeal in case anything goes wrong with the CSOs operations.

Another significant win is the partnership with The National Commission of Human Rights (NCHR), an independent institution that promotes human rights awareness and education. Through the Commission, CRD has tabled reports in the Rwandan parliament which document abuses in different spaces in the country, including prisons.

CRD has also supported the Commissions’ mandate on upholding the rights of the minorities, historically marginalised persons, and the LGBTQ+ community. He points out that speaking as a collective voice has enabled them to get a listening ear from the government. Hence, whenever they are submitting any policy brief, their voice is now viewed as credible.