• Country/entity

  Burundi
  

• Region

  Africa (excl MENA)
  

• Agreement name

  Resolution Atelier Gitega

• Date

  11 Oct 2016

• Agreement status

  Multiparty signed/agreed

• Interim arrangement

  Yes

• Agreement/conflict level

  Intrastate/intrastate conflict ( Burundian Civil War (1993-2005) )

• Stage

  Pre-negotiation/process

• Conflict nature

  Government

• Peace process

  Burundi: 2015 onwards process

• Parties

  Leaders of Burundian political parties

• Third parties

  -

• Description

  Burundian political parties met to discuss the role of political leaders in building peace, and agreed on a set of actions to foster peace, primarily related to political parties, constitutional reform.

• Agreement document

  BI_161011_Resolution Atelier Gitega_EN.pdf | Download PDF

• Agreement document (original language)

  BI_161011_Resolution Atelier Gitega_FR.pdf | Download PDF

Groups

Gender

State definition

Governance

Power sharing

Human rights and equality

Rights related issues

Rights institutions

Justice sector reform

Socio-economic reconstruction

Land, property and environment

Security sector

Transitional justice

Implementation

RESOLUTION OF THE MEETING ORGANIZED FOR LEADERS OF AND THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR BURUNDIAN POLITICAL PARTIES, GITEGA 11 OCTOBER 2016

Given the democratic culture of Burundi in general, and in order to create a peaceful environment for the 2020 (and future) elections, whilst taking into account the past and ongoing inter-Burundian dialogues, the Ministry of the Interior and Patriotic Education arranged a meeting with political leaders and parties on the following theme:

The Role of Political Leaders in Building Peace Through Dialogue, in Gitega on 11/10/2016.

At the end of this meeting, participants agreed on the following:

1. They acknowledge and congratulate the Government of Burundi for its unprecedented efforts to bring peace and safety to the whole country, despite the disturbances that affected us all during the 2015 democratic elections;

2. They pay tribute to the Burundian government for organizing the inter-Burundian dialogue that is taking place throughout the country and for having accepted any dialogue with Burundians who are outside the country;

3. The leaders of the political parties will prepare for the democratic elections of 2020 by releasing in the following days an agreement for these elections;

4. The government of the Republic of Burundi must apply the laws governing both political parties and the civil society for everyone, without any bias;

5. The Ministry of the Interior and Patriotic Education, as well as the leaders of the political parties each commit themselves to respecting the law governing political parties in Burundi;

6. Evaluation of the events and plan of action leading up to the 2015 elections;

7. Effort should be made to return any external inter-Burundian dialogue to the country, with a view to enhancing synergy between the Facilitator and the CNDI;

8. Revision of the Constitution of the Republic, taking into account the outcome of the ongoing inter-Burundian dialogue;

9. The Ministry of the Interior and Patriotic Education is requested to strictly enforce the law governing political parties.

Political parties undertake to scrupulously respect their statutes;

10. In accordance with UN resolutions 2248 and 2279, persons found to be in jail for their involvement in the failed coup on 13 May 2015 and for violence during the insurrectional movement that occurred on 26 April 2015 must first answer for their actions before participating in the inter-Burundian dialogue;

11. Implement the recommendations of the National Commission for the Inter-Burundian Dialogue (CNDI), including the revision of the Constitution of the Republic of Burundi;

12. Strengthen the mechanism for monitoring, control and regulation of non-governmental organizations abroad (ENGOs) and non-profit associations (NPOs) working in the field of human rights;

13. Reinforcement of legal entities within the defence and security forces;

14. Awareness-raising of civilians on the safeguarding mechanisms of security agencies:

Quadrilogy and Mixed Committee for Human Safety;

15. Periodic publishing of a report on the human rights situation in Burundi by the CNIDH;

16. Translation and distribution in the national language of the Government's counter-report on the human rights situation in Burundi;

17. Call for everyone to fight cybercrime

18. Develop appropriate bilateral diplomacy and multilateral diplomacy;

19. Assessment of the implementation of the Arusha Agreements by the Senate with a view to proposing any relevant recommendations to the Government;

20. The Government of the Republic of Burundi must be concerned about the security of all Burundians who are refugees abroad and who have decided to return to the country;

21. Establishment of a National Commission to propose any amendments to the Constitution, taking into account the outcome of the ongoing Inter-Burundian dialogue;

22.The media must stop giving a voice to anyone who self-declares as the president of a political party when he or she is not one at all.

On this issue, the National Communication Council (CNC) must ensure compliance with the law relating thereto;

23. The Government of the Republic of Burundi should accelerate the process of repatriation of Burundian refugees through targeted sensitization actions and find effective mechanisms to reassure Burundian politicians in exile so that they may return to the country and continue the inter- Burundian dialogue together;

24. Establishment of an Arbitration Board within the Ministry of the Interior and Patriotic Education to amicably resolve, in collaboration with the Permanent Dialogue Forum for Political Parties, the problems that arise between political parties;

25. The Government of the Republic of Burundi undertakes to further strengthen the political landscape;

26. Given the fact that the Burundian Government was legal, legitimate and effective, they ask the international community to lift all sanctions imposed on them.

27. Political parties agree on prohibiting any political intolerance;