UNITED NATIONS WELCOMES ESTABLISHMENT OF INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR RWANDA

NEW YORK, 4 April (UN Fund for International Partnerships) -- The United Nations welcomes the initiative to establish the “International Fund for Rwanda” to support the people of Rwanda in their recovery from the 1994 genocide.  “This is a very timely initiative in light of UN General Assembly resolution 59/137 ‘Assistance to survivors of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, particularly orphans, widows and victims of sexual violence’ adopted last December”, stated Amir A. Dossal, Executive Director of the United Nations Fund for International Partnerships (UNFIP).

Specifically, the Fund will support genocide survivors and returning refugees; capacity-building for doctors and nurses; a gender-sensitive, HIV/AIDS income-generating project; assistance to genocide orphans; and support to a Kigali-based film school.

This Fund was made possible thanks to the commitment of the producers of the critically acclaimed film “Hotel Rwanda”, working in partnership with the United Nations Foundation, to mobilize people at the grass-roots level to get involved in rebuilding Rwanda.

Senator Timothy E. Wirth, President of the United Nations Foundation and the Better World Fund, said “It is not too late to help those who survived the Rwandan genocide and will create the country’s future.  This project shows the value and the power of private-public partnerships to transform countries devastated by conflict.”

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UNFIP have been supportive of the Fund which has been established by the United Nations Foundation on 18 January 2005.  Contributions to the Fund can be provided by going to www.unfoundation.org.

For more information, please contact:  Ulrike Joras, Programme Officer, UNFIP at tel: 917-367-2180, e-mail: joras@un.org; or Rebecca Martin, UN Foundation, at tel: 202.887.9040, e-mail: rmartin@unfoundation.org.

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