{"id":4394,"date":"2015-09-25T09:29:51","date_gmt":"2015-09-25T09:29:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paulkagame.com\/_test_&web\/?p=4394"},"modified":"2017-07-16T15:05:21","modified_gmt":"2017-07-16T15:05:21","slug":"president-kagame-addresses-the-international-conference-on-sustainable-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paulkagame.rw\/2025\/?p=4394","title":{"rendered":"President Kagame addresses the International Conference on Sustainable Development"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

New York 24 September 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

Today, President Kagame spoke to over 800 students and faculty at the International Conference for Sustainable Development held at Columbia University. Themed \u201cImplementing the SDGs: Getting Started,\u201d the conference brought together various stakeholders to discuss the sustainable development goals.<\/p>\n

Speaking on three factors forming the triangle of development, President Kagame emphasized the importance of citizen involvement:<\/p>\n

\u201cSustainable development is not about what \u201cwe\u201d, all of us here, do for them, but about the choices they make each day, over and over.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDevelopment is what happens when citizens are convinced about the logic and pace of change. When citizens are on board, they do the work themselves, unaffected by the many generalisations made about them out there,\u201d President Kagame added.<\/p>\n

Sharing the approach chosen by Rwanda to achieve development, President Kagame pointed to citizens as key to any achievement to date:<\/p>\n

\u201cFor Rwanda, there is nothing casual about the term \u201clessons learned\u201d. We have been changed by real learning from our experiences and circumstances. Therefore we have had to do things differently, earning us different results. At the core of our political mobilisation work, are the\u00a0principles of inclusiveness, taking responsibility and building consensus.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

With the upcoming SDGs, President Kagame called on a less theoretical and more citizen centred approach to development:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe SDGs are the next chapter in global collaboration on development and hopefully, a new opportunity to move away from the business as usual mode. Let\u2019s work to complement the new SDG framework, with a genuine effort, to objectively assess the degree of citizen buy-in and involvement, in decision-making and accountability. It is up to us, to make the most of this new opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two day International Conference on Sustainable Development brought together leaders in various fields to identify and share practical, evidence-based solutions that can support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will be agreed upon at the United Nations immediately following the conference.<\/p>\n

Introducing President Kagame, Professor Jeffrey Sachs described him as the MDGS President and defined Rwanda as having made more progress in MDGs than any other country in the last 15 years.<\/p>\n

Concluding the conference, Professor Jeffrey Sachs announced Rwanda as the location for the Sustainable Development Centre for the African continent.<\/p>\n

To view more photos;<\/p>\n

President Kagame speaking to over 800 students and facultry at the International Conference on Sustainable Development at Columbia University- New York, 24 September 2015<\/a>