This event is co-hosted by the United Nations Association of New York, the Columbia University Club of New York, the Columbia University Club Foundation and the Penn Club of New York.
AMBASSADOR VALENTINE RUGWABIZA
Permanent Representative of Rwanda to the UN
RIGHT HONORABLE MARTIN K. NGOGA
Speaker, East African Legislative Assembly
FAY PARRIS
International law consultant
6:00 to 6:30 p.m. | Registration
6:30 to 7:30 p.m. | Program with Q+A
7:30 to 8:00 p.m. | Reception
Penn Club of New York
30 West 44th Street
New York, New York 10036
ADMISSION
UNA Members: FREE
UNA Students Members: FREE
Guests and Non-Members: $15
Please join the members of the United Nations Association of New York, the Penn Club of New York, and the Columbia University Club of New York for a special address by Ambassador Valentine Rugwabiza, the Permanent Representative of Rwanda to the United Nations, on the occasion of commemorating the 25th anniversary of the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
This moment provides an important opportunity to honor the memory of the more than one million victims of the 1994 genocide, to preserve its evidence and offer education about its history as well as lessons learned in the aftermath.
To assist the regaining of strength and dignity of the Rwandan nation, preserving memory of the event does not concern Rwanda alone, but is of global importance to ensure that the process, experience, and consequences of genocide are never forgotten by successive generations, since denial usually follows such events, often intending to minimize the scale and status of what took place.
Therefore, preserving memory also requires justice, which ensures that the culture of impunity and indifference, that enabled the genocide to happen, is replaced with a culture of accountability and shared responsibility.
We will also be joined this evening by the Right Honorable Martin K. Ngoga, who is the Speaker of the fourth East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) and former Prosecutor General of Rwanda.
Guest Speakers
Ambassador Valentine Rugwabiza
Ambassador Valentine Rugwabiza has worked for more than twenty five years on African and global development issues in both corporate and public sector; as a senior Diplomat, national and international public servant and corporate manager in national, regional and multilateral organisations.
In October 2016, she was appointed the Rwandan Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Prior to this, she was the Minister in the Ministry of East African Community from July 2014 to October 2016. She also served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Development Board and Member of Cabinet from October 2013 to July 2014.
Between 2005 and 2013, Ambassador Valentine Rugwabiza served as the Deputy Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Prior to joining the WTO, she served as Rwanda's Permanent Representative to the UNOG and all specialised agencies based in Geneva as well as Rwandan Ambassador to Switzerland.
Ambassador Rugwabiza is a founding member of Imbuto Foundation, the Rwanda Private Sector Federation, the Rwanda Women Entrepreneurs' Organisation and the Rwandese Women Leaders' Caucus.
Born on 25 July 1963, Ambassador Rugwabiza is married to Mr. John Sendanyoye.
Martin K. Ngoga
The Right Honorable Martin K. Ngoga, was elected the 5th Speaker of the 4th East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) on December 19th 2017. His tenure as Speaker runs for a period of five years, and presides over the Assembly and directs its activities. As Speaker he opens, suspends and closes the sittings of the Assembly in addition to ensuring observance of the rules of procedure that govern the House. He was first elected as a Member of the 3rd EALA in 2015. As a Member of the 3rd EALA, he served on the EALA Commission and on two other Committees; the Committee on Regional Affairs and Conflict Resolution and the Committee on Legal, Rules and Privileges. He was re-elected to the 4th EALA for a final term of five years and subsequently elected as Speaker.
Mr. Ngoga is a former Prosecutor General of the Republic of Rwanda, a position he held for seven years. His major achievements included directing and supervising all activities of the prosecution service in the Republic of Rwanda. Mr. Ngoga played a key contribution in implementing the national zero tolerance for Corruption policy, resulting in Rwanda emerging amongst the least corrupt countries on the Africa continent. Between 1999 and 2003, he was a Special Representative of the Government of Rwanda at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania.
Mr. Ngoga previously enjoyed a long stint in public service, and was engaged in the international arena handling a number of special assignments and presenting a number of conference papers. In April 2017, he was elected Deputy Chairperson in the Ethics Committee (Investigatory Chamber) of the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA), a position he is expected to hold for four years. A football enthusiast, Mr. Ngoga previously also served as Vice President of the Rwanda Football Federation (FERWAFA).
Rt. Hon. Ngoga is a member of the Rwanda Bar Association and the Africa Association of Prosecutors, holds a Master of Arts Degree in Genocide Studies (with distinction) from University of Rwanda and a Bachelor of Law (Honours) Degree from the University of Dar Es Salaam in the United Republic of Tanzania. He was born in Kagera region in the United Republic of Tanzania and he attended Ihungo School and Musoma High School respectively in his formative years.
Fay Parris
Fay Parris is an international law consultant and immigration law practitioner with extensive experience in international, humanitarian and human rights law. In her private practice she has represented diverse clientelle, including physicians seeking national interest waivers; and individuals in removal proceedings, including those seeking asylum or withholding of removal under the UN Convention Against Torture. She served as a Visiting Professional with the International Criminal Court (ICC), Office of the Prosecutor, where gleaning from decisions of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, and from International Humanitarian Law, she advised the Court on modalities for prosecuting gender-based persecution; as an advisor to the ICC Trust Fund for Victims and more recently; as Supervising Attorney with the Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights where she advocated on behalf of unaccompanied immigrant children under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act.
She is an officer of the Queens County Women's Bar Association; an Ex-Officio Director of the Executive Committee of NGOs in Association with the United Nations Department of Public Information; Nominations Chair of the UN NGO Committee on Mental Health; and Co-Chairs the Women's Bar Association of the State of New York (WBASNY) International Women's Rights Committee. This year, Fay was named as the 2019 recipient of the WBASNY Marilyn R. Menge Award for outstanding work on behalf of the association.
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