国际英语资讯:Burundi Senate urges enforcement of ethnic, gender requirements for foreign NGO staffing

BUJUMBURA, Sept. 13 -- The second vice-president of the Burundian Senate Thursday urged foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in Burundi to hire 60 percent of Hutus and 40 percent of Tutsis.

Addressing a press conference in the capital, Bujumbura, Anicet Niyongabo said foreign NGOs are subject to the same legislation like Burundian public administration institutions.

"Practices in terms of employment are grounded on criteria of ability, objectiveness, fairness, correcting imbalances mainly in terms of ethnic and gender representation," he said. "Women should also be represented at an average of 30 percent."

According to him, the law on foreign NGOs stipulates that their activities have to be in harmony with the Burundian law and in line with government programs and priorities.

He said the Senate will "send a team of senators to the offices of foreign NGOs to assess the real situation of the staff members, mainly in terms of ethnic and gender aspects."

Niyongabo said the country's new law on foreign NGOs has been in force since Jan. 23, 2017, and that foreign NGOs had been given six months to comply with it.

"They were therefore given enough time to correct the imbalances," Niyongabo said.