FEATURED: Rwanda, UNDP kick off review process for Rwanda’s 4th National Human Development Report

The Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN), in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Rwanda and stakeholders, has initiated the process for the 4th National Human Development Report (NHDR). A “Kick-off” meeting was held in Kigali on March 28 to assess and analyze the state of human development in Rwanda. The process is a joint process led by the government of Rwanda through MINECOFIN, with coordination and technical support from UNDP. Representatives from MINECOFIN, the UNDP Rwanda officials, and other government institutions like Ministry of Emergency Management, National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda, Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Education attended the “Kick-off” meeting. ALSO READ: FEATURED: Experts convene in Kigali for UNDP conference on tackling Africa's governance challenges Rwanda has produced three NHDRs in the past since 2007, and the last was launched in 2021, which focused on “Development Policy Innovations and Human Development in Rwanda: The Case of Rwanda’s Home-Grown Solutions.” After that successful launch, the then Honourable Minister Dr Uzziel Ndagijimana requested that MINECOFIN and UNDP collaborate to publish a National Human Development Report every two years. Kevin Sebineza, MINECOFIN’s Director General of National Research, commended UNDP for its efforts and the NHDR initiative, emphasizing the government's recognition of its value. “We will be here to provide the support, be it in technical terms and also getting the necessary resources required in obtaining some data, discussing some methodologies with others to see if we can push forward this initiative,” he added. Fatmata Lovetta Sesay, the Resident Representative of UNDP in Rwanda, described the meeting as the beginning of an important journey, a collaborative effort to delve into and analyse the progress of human development in Rwanda. According to Sesay, while the country’s progress is sometimes measured based on gender and gross domestic products, these only represent figures, and do not comprehensively tell the behind story. She emphasized that growth is only important for development if it makes a difference for the people where it takes place. The UNDP Rwanda’s presentation highlighted that “Human Development is about the freedom people have in choosing who to be, what to do, and how to do it. It relates to enhancing human capabilities and creating conditions that enhance and sustain such capabilities.” Sesay pointed out that the measurement of development is not by the streets, high-stylised buildings, or beautiful hospitals and machines. She noted that there would be no development if people could not access services, urging that putting people at the centre of development is key. “For Rwanda, where over the years we've had high GDP growth rates, and we've seen in 30 years a drastic reduction in poverty. We have to show and tell that story in numbers and detail,” she said, emphasizing that human development is key. “The NHDR is a flagship publication that actually comes out after a process of monitoring and reporting on human development.” The report is expected to be launched in September this year. According to Sesay, the NHDR helps in reflecting on achievements, understanding challenges, and charting a course for a more prosperous and equitable future. The 2025 NHDR report will focus on the use of “ecosystem services, the role that they play in fostering inclusive and green growth for human development,” Sesay said. “It is crucial that we analyze and understand the contribution of ecosystem services to the livelihoods of our people, particularly the most vulnerable, and how ecosystem services can be the basis to help us eradicate poverty,” she said, indicating that sharing expertise to ensure that NHDR report is comprehensive, inclusive, and impactful is key. A technical committee was also launched during the meeting to provide technical guidance, ensure quality assurance, and contribute to the report’s methodology and analysis. Sesay noted that with the participation and commitment of government institutions, the report will not only reflect Rwanda’s human development status but also provide valuable insights and recommendations for policies and programs that promote a more sustainable and prosperous future. The Human Development Index(HDI) has different dimensions and indicators that inform the report, including long and healthy life, knowledge, and a decent standard of living. Additionally, the six corporate principles for an effective and successful NHDR include national ownership, participatory and inclusive preparation, independence of analysis, quality of analysis, flexibility and creativity in presentation, and sustained follow-up. Osten Chulu, the UNDP Senior Economic Advisor, said the basis of Human Development centers around examining the issues of health, education, and economic growth affecting livelihood at the household level. “So human development is a combination and an amalgamation of the various aspects that are very important for human dignity, human survival, and they include life expectancy, they include health of the family, levels of education and educational attainment, and household incomes,” he said. Reflecting on the last report, he noted that it focused on examining the impacts of homegrown solutions like Girinka, Mituelle de Sante(public health insurance), Vision Umurenge Program(VUP), and Umuganda on people’s livelihoods. “When you come to the growth in human development, Rwanda has still registered the highest growth in the index itself. From 1994 to 2021, the index rose by 119%,” he said. “So there was a huge improvement in life expectancy, incomes, education indicators, and that is reflected in the growth of that index. We are still not where we want to be. We want to be higher in terms of education, health, economic activities, and economic gain attainments.”

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FEATURED: Rwanda, UNDP kick off review process for Rwanda’s 4th National Human Development Report