The Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG) of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), in collaboration with UNECA’s Gender, Poverty and Social Policy Division, the Division for Inclusive Social Development (DISD/UNDESA), and Rwanda Cooperation, organized a Study Tour on “Strengthening Capacity for Evidence-based Social Protection Policies for Responding to the Triple Global Crisis in Fuel, Food and Finance.” The Study Tour was held in Kigali, Rwanda from 11 to 14 November 2025 as part of a joint UN DESA–UNECA project supporting selected countries in Africa and Asia-Pacific to strengthen social protection systems.
The Study Tour brought together senior policymakers from Namibia, Senegal, Tanzania, and Zambia to learn from Rwanda’s experience in developing integrated, community-based, and digitalized social protection systems. Rwanda’s flagship programmes, including the Vision 2020 Umurenge Programme (VUP) and its national social registry, have made the country a regional reference point for adaptive and inclusive social protection.
The initiative took place in the context of persistent global challenges, with nearly half of the world’s population still lacking social protection coverage and African countries facing limited fiscal space and rising vulnerabilities amid the fuel–food–finance crisis.
Through workshops, policy exchanges, and field visits, participants explored Rwanda’s practical innovations, shared country experiences, and identified strategies to strengthen their national systems. The insights generated will support ongoing work under the UN DESA–UNECA project (2024–2026) and contribute to advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Africa’s Agenda 2063.
Photo Gallery:
