ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Since the start of the activities of its permanent Executive Secretariat in July 2003, the Forum structured its activities in three (3) strategic focuses for the fulfillment of its missions:

• Coordination and strengthening of political consultation and dialogue among Political Organizations ;
• Strengthening institutional and organizational capacities of Political Organizations (party and leadership development)
• Political mediation and promotion of the culture of political tolerance and solidarity, monitoring and evaluation of the application of the Code of political conduct and the principles of power sharing.

It is on the basis of these 3 strategic focuses that the Forum has structured its Action Plan in 3 permanent programmes which may, at the same time, include cross-cutting actions or actions that highlight other emergency actions, if necessary:

• Consultation and Political Contribution to Good Governance of the Country / CPC
• Party and Leadership Development / PLD
• Information, Evaluation and Political Mediation / IEM

Among the achievements in the field of political consultation, mention can be made of the organization of at least one theme of debate per term, identified on the basis of its timeliness and relevance in relation to national priorities and focuses of interest expressed by Political Organizations constituting the Forum. The most frequently requested themes concern mainly bills relating to the on-going political and administrative reforms, unity and national reconciliation policies, the work of Gacaca courts and the Ombudsman, and election monitoring.

With regard to capacity building, the continuous training programme in “party and leadership development” has been commended by Political Organizations members of the Forum. From end 2004, almost 140 officials/in-charge of training and sensitization within their respective Political Organizations have been trained, representing about 15 to 16 participants per Political Organization. Advanced courses in accounting and management are also organized regularly for finance officers, and training courses in ICT are organized for communication officers.

Achievements under IEM programme are at several levels:

• Monitoring and evaluation of the activities and behaviour of Political Organizations and their members by the Ethics Commission, based on the Code of conduct and its instruments and implementation benchmarks
• Development of a Political Documentation Centre (PDC) for politicians as well as the general public. Its aim is to facilitate access to political information for all, and the litterature that is made available consists of specialized works in science and political ideologies, newspapers and internet services.

The Forum publishes also a small newsletter “Makuru ki mu Ihuriro ry’Imitwe ya Politiki mu Rwanda” which appears monthly and is posted on the website. It reports on the activities of the Forum and those activities which the Forum undertakes in collaboration with Political Organizations.