During their meetings, Sixte Vigny Nimuraba, president of Burundi's CNIDH (Independent National Human Rights Commission), indicated that the exchange carried out aims to establish an ultimate partnership for the consolidation of Status A to which both institutions are accredited. Burundi's CNIDH is pleased with the accreditation of Mali's CNIDH to Status A, to which they have contributed from beginning to end of the process through advice and guidance whenever needed. According to him, this visit is part of the implementation of the Paris Principle, which guides national human rights institutions throughout the world.

This trip to Burundi also aligns with a provision of Article 6 of Law No. 1/04 of January 5, 2011 establishing Burundi's independent national human rights commission.

It stipulates that the CNIDH has as one of its missions to maintain cooperative relations with national human rights organizations of countries, networks of national human rights institutions at the regional and international level, national and international organizations interested in the promotion and protection of human rights.

It is in this way that Burundi's CNIDH has committed to helping other human rights institutions improve their performance. It should be noted that it has already carried out a mission of experience-sharing in Gabon where human rights commissions seeking to improve their level of performance were brought together. It has also conducted a similar mission in Cameroon to share with them new work strategies. Other missions have been carried out in Togo, Mauritania, and elsewhere. And it is in the accomplishment of its three missions that the CNIDH, namely the protection of human rights, the promotion of human rights, and providing in an advisory capacity opinions and recommendations as well as proposals on matters of human rights.

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Challenges are Not Lacking

The president of Burundi's CNIDH indicated that the independent national human rights commission faces challenges, particularly citizens who do not know and do not understand the activities of this commission as well as the lack of sufficient personnel to carry out its missions. And he added that only the provinces of Ngozi, Gitega, Makamba, Bubanza, and Bujumbura have provincial representatives. To address these challenges, the CNIDH is actively seeking funds and continuing to raise awareness among citizens to better understand the activities of this institution.

Aguibou Bouare, president of Mali's national human rights commission, thanked the Burundi government for the reception extended and all the teams of Burundi's CNIDH. The choice of Burundi was not by chance. It is the good relationship that exists between the two countries and the two national human rights commission institutions. This Malian human rights official is pleased with the return of Burundi's CNIDH to Status A. We appreciate the quality of cooperation and partnership between the two countries as well as Burundi's visibility in the protection of human rights. This is why we decided to travel to Burundi for a study visit to Burundi's CNIDH.

This delegation arrived in Bujumbura on August 16, 2022. During the visit, the delegation was received by the permanent secretary of the minister of justice, Mr. Gervais Hajayandi.

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