World hails Museveni, WB announces $1bn support

By Vision reporter

Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has described the joint visit by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and the World Bank President Jim Yong Kim as good news for peace and development in the region.

“Thank you for coming together. We would like to see more of this packaging. We see peace efforts and we see money for development. Where there is no development, there can be no sustainable peace,” Museveni told the world leaders.

Museveni is one of the four guarantors to the $1billion announced by the World Bank in proposed new funding to help the region provide better health and education services, generate more cross-border trade, and fund infrastructure projects. Museveni urged the bank to priorities the provision of an electricity line from Kasindi – Butembo in the DRC and construction of a bridge on River Semliki with Congo to fast track development.

The two world leaders hailed Museveni for his peace efforts in Somalia, South Sudan, Darfur and now the DRC through his chairmanship of the International Conference on Great Lakes Region (ICGLR). The Minister for Security Crispus Kiyonga briefed them about the government of Congo and M23 talks in Kampala.

“We appreciate your strong leadership of ICGLR for regional cooperation. We need your stronger leadership for development by continuing with the Kampala talks,” Ban Ki Moon said at the meeting. He said he has asked President Kabila to continue with the Kampala talks.

“Jim and I believe that peace is not sustainable if it is not supported by development. Peace and development must go together,” he said.

Press briefing by  Ban Ki Moon, Museveni and Jim Yong Kim (right).

The joint historic visit to Africa’s Great Lakes region by the two leaders is in support of a recent landmark peace agreement and to push for economic development in one of the world’s most troubled regions.

The visit is aimed at drawing attention to the plight of fragile and conflict-affected countries struggling to meet the Millennium Development Goals and will highlight the commitment of the two international organizations to jointly tackle global conflict and poverty.

The World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said once the international community gets into a conflict in a manner that takes sides is not right and urged leaders to use the agreement and build into it.

“We pledge to do things differently, and to work more closely together with the leaders of the region. We hope that  Africa’s Great Lakes become a global symbol of what is possible when countries work together to lift themselves out of conflict and succeed in boosting economic growth and shared prosperity,” Kim said. 

He thanked Museveni for his good leadership and tireless efforts in bringing peace to the Great Lakes Region.

Later the three leaders addressed a joint Press conference during which the Secretary General Ban Ki Moon announced that an intervention brigade with a strong mandate is to be deployed to Eastern DRC to enforce peace in the area.

A group photo by the Uganda, UN and World Bank delegations.