Inauguration of the IFAPA commission, 19th June 2006

H. E. Paul Kagame
President of the Republic of Rwanda

Rwandan President Paul Kagame launched the Inter Faith Action for Peace in Africa (IFAPA) Commission yesterday in the country’s capital Kigali.

The IFAPA Commission inauguration took place in a ceremony attended by high ranking officials of the Government of Rwanda, representatives of the African Union, the Pan-African Parliament, members of the diplomatic corps, and representatives of inter-religious bodies throughout Africa.
Kagame thanked IFAPA for choosing Rwanda “the heart of Africa” as the place to launch its Commission, the main organ that will assist it in achieving its peace-building and development objectives.

To read the full speech please click here.

Dr Gertrude Mongella

The President of the Pan-African Parliament,

Dr Gertrude Mongella hailed the Rwandan president and people for the great strides they had made in building peace in the country. “When I visited Rwanda after the 1994 genocide “there was a smell of blood, but when I returned today, there is a smell of peace,” she remarked. She urged IFAPA to articulate its voice to be heard by the African people.

Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko

General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation,

Convenor of the IFAPA

The Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko, IFAPA convenor, and General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) thanked all those who had supported the IFAPA initiative since it was officially started in 2002. “We need to open Africa for greater things,” he stressed.

Around 70 religious leaders drawn from Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, the Baha’i Faith, the African Traditional Religion and Rastafarian are attending the meeting.

To read the complete speech please click here.

Reported by LWF Youth
(Grace Phiri, Yohannes Hailu and Zo Rakotoniaina)