Swedish aid for governance and human rights

The Swedish Minister for development Cooperation, Migration and Asylum Policy, Jan Karlsson, and Rwanda's Finance Minister, Donald Kaberuka, on Friday signed an agreement on development cooperation for 2002, a Swedish government statement said. The agreement, signed in Rwanda's capital, Kigali, will focus on democracy and human rights, institution-building to promote peaceful development and national unity and reconciliation, economic reforms and capacity-building in Rwandan society, it said. "It is pleasing to be able in this way to support and encourage Rwanda's long-term endeavours to achieve reconciliation and reconstruction and to combat poverty," the statement reported Karlsson as saying. In the course of the year the Swedish International Development Agency will be conducting a review of the Swedish country strategy for development cooperation with Rwanda in a longer-term perspective. Last week, Karlsson visited Rwanda and Ethiopia, "two developing countries that are important to Sweden", the statement said, adding that the visits were also an important part of preparations for participation in this week's International Conference on Financing for Development in Moneterrey, Mexico.