The RPF's victory ended the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, known in Rwanda as the Genocide Against the Tutsi, during which 800,000-1,200,000 Rwandans lost their lives. In the late 1990s, president Paul Kagame and his government began actively planning methods to achieve national development. He launched a national consultation process[2] and also sought the advice of experts from emerging nations including China, Singapore and Thailand.[3] Following these consultations, and shortly after assuming the presidency, Kagame launched Vision 2020.[3] The major purposes of the programme were to unite the Rwandan people and to transform Rwanda from a highly impoverished into a middle income country.[2]