Ministerial Conference Organized to Build Leadership Capacity for Decentralized Governance and Poverty Reduction in Eastern and Southern Africa

21 April 2005: In collaboration with the United Nations Department of economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), the Municipal Development Partnership Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (MDP), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) of the Rwanda Country office, UNCDF is organizing a ministerial conference on "Leadership Capacity Building for Decentralized Governance and Poverty Reduction in Eastern and Southern Africa". The Conference, which will take place in Kigali, Rwanda, from Monday 6th to Wednesday 8th June 2005, will be hosted by the Ministry of Local Governement, Good Governance, Community Development and Social Affairs of the Republic of Rwanda.

The principal objective of the Conference is to give opportunity to Ministers in charge of local governance, high level managers of public institutions and/or programmes related to decentralized governance, as well as to national, continental and international associations of local authorities, to review and echange experiences of leadership in Africa, with respect to capacity-building for decentralized governance, poverty reduction, and the achievements of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

UNCDF contributes to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in Least Developed Countries through a variety of innovative approaches in both local development and microfinance.