Rugunda leaves for New York
Jan 25, 2009
FORMER internal affairs minister Dr Ruhakana Rugunda on Friday left the country to take up his new posting as Uganda’s permanent representative to the UN in New York.
By Henry Mukasa
FORMER internal affairs minister Dr Ruhakana Rugunda on Friday left the country to take up his new posting as Uganda’s permanent representative to the UN in New York.
International relations minister Henry Okello Oryem said Rugunda starts work tomorrow. He listed some priority areas of the post as peace and security in the hotspots of the continent, stability in the Great Lakes region, deployment in Somalia, the crisis in Darfur viz-a-vis indictment of Sudan’s President Omar Bashir by the International Criminal Court, the Lord’s Resistance Army rebels, the Laurent Nkunda rebellion and negatives forces in the DR Congo.
Rugunda, 61, replaces 66-year-old Francis Butagira, who was posted to the UN in July 2003. Rugunda’s posting was prompted by the election of Uganda as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council on October 17, 2008.
During a farewell cocktail at Speke Resort Munyonyo recently, Rugunda said his deployment to the UN was a great challenge but he was ready for the task.
He said Uganda’s election to the UN Security Council and his subsequent appointment was in recognition of the development Uganda had achieved under the NRM Government.
While such a post is held by an ambassador, Rugunda assumes it at ministerial level and will report directly to the President.
Foreign affairs minister Sam Kutesa said following the election of the country to the Security Council, its UN mission would be beefed up with more personnel.
He added that a special unit would be set up in his ministry to quickly respond to situations and crises across the world.
Uganda has served at the Security Council twice, in 1966 and in 1981/82.
FORMER internal affairs minister Dr Ruhakana Rugunda on Friday left the country to take up his new posting as Uganda’s permanent representative to the UN in New York.
International relations minister Henry Okello Oryem said Rugunda starts work tomorrow. He listed some priority areas of the post as peace and security in the hotspots of the continent, stability in the Great Lakes region, deployment in Somalia, the crisis in Darfur viz-a-vis indictment of Sudan’s President Omar Bashir by the International Criminal Court, the Lord’s Resistance Army rebels, the Laurent Nkunda rebellion and negatives forces in the DR Congo.
Rugunda, 61, replaces 66-year-old Francis Butagira, who was posted to the UN in July 2003. Rugunda’s posting was prompted by the election of Uganda as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council on October 17, 2008.
During a farewell cocktail at Speke Resort Munyonyo recently, Rugunda said his deployment to the UN was a great challenge but he was ready for the task.
He said Uganda’s election to the UN Security Council and his subsequent appointment was in recognition of the development Uganda had achieved under the NRM Government.
While such a post is held by an ambassador, Rugunda assumes it at ministerial level and will report directly to the President.
Foreign affairs minister Sam Kutesa said following the election of the country to the Security Council, its UN mission would be beefed up with more personnel.
He added that a special unit would be set up in his ministry to quickly respond to situations and crises across the world.
Uganda has served at the Security Council twice, in 1966 and in 1981/82.