Rose Mukantabana (born 31 August 1961) is a lawyer and women's rights activist. She is the former President of the Chamber of Deputies of Rwanda and was the first woman elected to the post. She was elected to serve as chair of the African Parliamentary Union from 2013-2015.

Biography

Rose Mukantabana was born 31 August 1961 in

Nyanza District Nyanza is a district (''akarere'') in Southern Province, Republic of Rwanda. Its capital is Nyanza town, which is also the provincial capital. ''Nyanza'' is a Bantu word meaning ''lake'', which probably refers to the small body of water created ...

Southern Province, Rwanda Southern Province ( rw, Intara y'Amajyepfo; french: Province du Sud; nl, Zuidelijke Provincie) is one of Rwanda's five provinces. It was created in early January 2006 as part of a government decentralization program that re-organized the country ...

. She graduated from high school and began working in the civil service in 1980, first in the Rwanda Society for Insurance and later in the Ministry of Public Services. In 1992, she entered the

National University of Rwanda The National University of Rwanda (NUR; rw, Kaminuza nkuru y’u Rwanda, french: Université nationale du Rwanda, UNR) was the largest university in Rwanda. It was located at in the city of Butare and was established in 1963 by the government i ...

and graduated with a law degree in 1996. That year, she began working for Haguruka Association, an NGO which focuses on human rights and specifically rights of women and children. Spending nine years at the organization, she began as a Legal Assistant and worked up to Coordinator of Legal Affairs. After serving as National Executive Secretary, Mukantabana returned to school. Studying in Belgium, she earned a post-graduate "specialized diploma in human rights" from Université Saint-Louis Bruxelles. In 2002, she was serving as vice president of Pro-Femmes, a pacifist umbrella organization which coordinated the efforts of 43 NGOs for women's development and rights. In 2005, she began working as the National Coordinator of the Women’s Legal Rights Initiative sponsored by

USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 bi ...

and in 2007, moved to

ActionAid ActionAid is an international non-governmental organization whose stated primary aim is to work against poverty and injustice worldwide. ActionAid is a federation of 45 country offices that works with communities, often via local partner organis ...

International Rwanda, first serving as Women's Rights Coordinator and later as the Program Development Manager. In 2008, she was elected as a Member of Parliament representing the Kigali City constituency. On 6 October, 2008, she was elected by her fellow MPs to serve as President of the Chamber of Deputies of Rwanda until 2013 by a margin of 70 for and 10 against. Her election made her the first female to head the parliamentary body. In 2012, she was elected to serve as the chair of the African Parliamentary Union (APU) through 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mukantabana, Rose 1961 births Living people National University of Rwanda alumni People from Nyanza District Rwandan lawyers 21st-century Rwandan women politicians 21st-century Rwandan politicians Rwandan women lawyers Speakers of the Chamber of Deputies (Rwanda) Women legislative speakers Rwandan women's rights activists