26.11.2019

Public Private Partnership

The 5th Conference of the International Community of Diaconia Management – ICDM opened on Monday 11^th November at Karongi – Rwanda. The one week long conference dealt with the themes on “Public Private Partnership (PPP) for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) – PP4 SDG-Networking for Poverty Reduction, Good Governance and the role of the Churches”. The official opening of the conference was attended by Rev. Dr. Pascal Bataringaya, the President of the Eglise Presbytérinne au Rwanda (EPR), Prof. Dr. Martin Büscher, Rector of the Kirchliche Hochschule Wuppertal/Bethel, Rev. Matthias Börner, Head of International Diaconia of the United Evangelical Mission (UEM) and Dr. Rainer Schmidt, director of DAAD in Rwanda.

Opening the conference, Dr. Rainer Schmidt, indicated that the purpose of the conference should not only focus on its scientific side but also recognize the critical role of networking and social interaction which is also crucial to DAAD. He mentioned that good governance as a new terminology is important for poverty reduction in all forms and at all levels.

Among the topics to be discussed included especially the subject of Rwanda: Position and experiences of churches in Rwanda on PPP as driver of country poverty reduction strategy, partnership for SDG: special focus on poverty reduction, Rwandan policies on PPP, fostering good governance through PPP, governance and poverty reduction: role of Diaconia management and many others. The conference speakers included Rev. Prof. Dr. Musemakweli Elisee, Vice Challencor of Protestant University of Rwanda – PUR, Mrs. Doreen Karake from the Rwanda Development Board-RDB, Rev. Dr. Wolfgang Gern, Mr. Ygrem Kassa, Sustainable Development Goals Advisor on Development Financing at SDG Center for Africa in Rwanda and Rt. Rev. Dr. Jered Kalimba, Bishop of the Shyogwe Diocese of the Eglise Anglican du Rwanda and Member of Council of United Evangelical Mission.

The ICDM is a network of Alumni from the International Master of Arts in Diaconia Management - IMADM,  founded in 2015 at Columbus, Sri Lanka. The total membership since the commencement of the study in 2011 is 39 from the three continents of the UEM member churches and institution.

The annual conference has for the fifth time been funded by the DAAD as a platform for continuous learning and enhancing networking of experts and expertise around the world.

Closing the conference, the Rector of the Kirchliche Hochschule Wuppertal/Bethel, Prof. Dr. Martin Büscher, called on the Alumni to take home the message of care, common good and advocacy. He challenged ICDM to live up to the standard as they were multidisciplinary trained during their studies. He closed by wishing “us all to be the blessing for the world.”

The next ICDM conference will take place in November 2020 in Manila in the Philippines.

Godwin Ampony, Coordinator International Diakonia