Rwanda has been chosen to host the Secretariat for Corrections of the Group of United Nations member states, entities and international NGO's involved in international peacekeeping and peace building.

The Secretariat will prepare and chair the Group's annual meetings, act as the focal point for all communications with the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations and other UN entities.

The country was selected during the fourth Annual International Corrections Conference held in Berlin Germany, yesterday.

Rwanda Correctional Services (RCS) will be at the forefront in implementation of the Secretariat's objectives.

At the conference, Mary Gahonzire, the Deputy Commissioner of RCS, shared with participants Rwanda's best practices in implementation of gender equality including the role of Rwanda female corrections officers in peacekeeping operations. She also highlighted the achievements of RCSs.

The Secretariat is hosted on a rotational basis and at the end of its two years' tenure; the hosting nations hosts the International Corrections Conference. Previously the Secretariat was hosted by Sweden.

Christine Nkulikiyinka, Rwanda's Ambassador to Germany, said 18 years after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Rwanda has registered rapid achievements in institution-building, including in the correctional services.

"Rwanda is ...more than ever committed to share its success story with countries emerging from conflict, including in the area of security, justice and corrections services," she said.

The UN hailed Rwanda for playing an active part towards the contribution of troops, police and corrections personnel to UN-led international peacekeeping operations.

The handover ceremony between the out-going host Sweden and Rwanda was witnessed by Dmitry Titov, Assistant Secretary General for the Rule of Law and Security Institutions.