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NewsTranscript
00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:05 Good morning once again, and happy 60th anniversary.
00:10 It also happens to be UN Day, so I need to say happy UN Day.
00:16 60 years ago, the government of Rwanda
00:21 was welcomed into the United Nations, the most
00:26 universal organization of its kind,
00:31 committed to solving global commons
00:35 through mutual commitments, cooperation,
00:39 and collaborative action.
00:40 In doing so, the government was affirming its resolve
00:47 to fight injustice, to uphold peace, security,
00:53 and health for citizens, amongst other things.
00:58 Honorable Minister, 28 years ago, that resolve
01:03 came under serious challenge, and the world
01:07 witnessed a horrendous genocide against the Tutsi.
01:11 Recently, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres
01:19 reflected on this time and on our failure
01:24 as an international community to intervene, to prevent,
01:28 and to stop the genocide against the Tutsi.
01:31 While we have not experienced your pain, Honorable Minister,
01:42 we hope that you will allow us to walk with you
01:45 through your journey to ensure this never happens again.
01:49 We share the Secretary General's reflection on our failures.
01:57 We also honor the memory of those who lost their lives,
02:00 and we stand in admiration of the resilience of survivors.
02:08 But since then, the government of Rwanda
02:10 has worked hard to create a more stable, stronger, and just
02:14 society.
02:16 This country has shown that a nation can act decisively
02:22 together, something we should be doing when it comes
02:26 to global issues like climate change,
02:31 like the cost of living crisis that we're
02:34 going through right now.
02:37 In the United Nations, we feel very privileged to be
02:39 a partner in that journey.
02:41 And this is a partnership that's delivering
02:44 for the people of Rwanda.
02:47 We are working together to address difficult challenges,
02:50 including global realities like climate change, as I said,
02:54 like inequality, budgetary support.
02:57 While we can all point to improvements,
03:03 the overwhelming impression is that in Rwanda,
03:08 the partnership is performing favorably.
03:12 And I think we can all be proud of that.
03:14 And that is due to the leadership and strong commitment
03:20 that your government is championing,
03:22 Honorable Minister.
03:25 Allow me to highlight some of the work
03:27 that we have carried together and the possibilities that
03:30 lie ahead as we seek a more dignified and prosperous life
03:35 for families up and down this country.
03:41 We have strengthened our partnership
03:43 to deliver more positive health outcomes for Rwanda.
03:47 As recently as 2020, when COVID-19 struck,
03:52 the United Nations stepped up and mobilized resources,
03:56 including, as you saw on the video, up to $27 million
04:00 to contribute to the fight against COVID-19.
04:04 We played a central role in coordination and advocacy
04:08 of vaccine roll-ups, especially through the COVAX initiative.
04:13 And Rwanda was among the top countries
04:15 to receive COVID-19 vaccines in Africa
04:18 and to achieve vaccination levels of over 68%.
04:21 That we should be proud of.
04:26 COVID-19 and other medical pandemics
04:31 speak timelessly to the importance of working
04:35 in harmony with others and having
04:37 the courage and patience to stay the course together,
04:41 even in the face of seemingly daunting odds.
04:48 And this is something that we draw inspiration
04:50 from in the United Nations.
04:52 COVID-19 offered lessons for addressing other global crisis.
05:00 And today, we need the same resolve
05:04 to address other challenges that are coming our way.
05:07 Building on that strong foundation,
05:13 we are creating opportunities for young people.
05:17 Honorable Minister, young people account for up to 69%
05:21 of the entire population of this beautiful nation.
05:25 Over the years, the United Nations
05:28 has worked hard with the government of Rwanda
05:30 to create opportunities and jobs for young people.
05:35 By way of example, we've worked as part of Generation Unlimited,
05:42 iAccelerator, Youth Connect, Connected Girls,
05:46 and many other initiatives that are creating opportunity
05:50 for young people in this country.
05:54 Honorable Minister, we are also currently
05:56 working with several ministries,
05:59 but especially the Ministry of ICT,
06:02 to take full advantage of the digital revolution
06:06 and to shape Rwanda's journey towards a digital future.
06:11 We've worked with the Ministry of Justice
06:13 to set up the integrated electronic case management
06:16 system, thereby streamlining access to justice
06:20 and reinforcing accountability across the system.
06:27 That has become a benchmark for many countries around the world.
06:34 And again, it is something that we can all be proud of.
06:37 We've also worked with the government
06:42 to develop many other platforms to enhance the health
06:45 outcomes of Rwandans and to predict future trends.
06:49 This includes electronic medical record systems,
06:53 rapid SMS, monitoring for all health programs.
06:59 Today, Honorable Minister, the United Nations
07:01 continues to be a partner to the government of Rwanda
07:04 on improving the productivity of agriculture and food systems.
07:10 Much of this economy is dependent on agriculture.
07:15 And the United Nations is working with your government
07:17 to ensure better agronomic practices, better access
07:21 to seeds, better access to technology that
07:25 is needed to adapt agriculture to climate change
07:29 while growing more nutritious and abundant food supplies.
07:32 We've also been a proud partner in ensuring
07:37 a just and fair society.
07:41 Together, we have worked to ensure gender parity
07:45 through a particular focus on creating opportunities
07:48 for women and girls and removing barriers to their progress.
07:52 Today, Rwanda is proud to be one of only very few nations
08:00 globally that have achieved gender parity,
08:04 with about 60.3% of legislators being women.
08:10 That is something we should be proud of.
08:14 Some private sector companies that are operating in Rwanda
08:18 have now also embarked on a process of achieving
08:22 gender-safe certification.
08:24 Honorable Minister, ladies and gentlemen,
08:31 we've also been a partner to the government
08:33 to ensure that no one, no one is left behind.
08:41 This includes our support and collaboration
08:43 through the disability platform.
08:47 While a lot remains to be done, we
08:51 are creating a more dignified society
08:53 for people living with disabilities in this country.
08:57 Looking ahead, Honorable Minister,
09:03 together with our UN resident coordinator, Ozonia,
09:06 who is connected from New York right now
09:11 and could not join us physically,
09:15 we are creating a committed UN country team and staff
09:19 to continue to work with your government and other partners
09:23 to innovate solutions while accelerating
09:26 the implementation of your National
09:28 Strategy for Transformation and Agenda 2030.
09:33 We will do what it takes to be a partner of choice
09:39 to the government and people of Rwanda in their development
09:42 aspirations.
09:46 Honorable Minister, Rwanda stands today
09:49 as a powerful testament of human spirits' ability
09:52 to heal even the deepest wounds and emerge
09:58 from the darkest depths to rebuild a stronger society.
10:02 Your country offers an example of how
10:07 nations can act in a coordinated, collective fashion
10:13 with greater sense of urgency towards achieving
10:17 our global goals.
10:17 Because it is only by collective action
10:23 that governments can resolve global problems
10:26 and achieve global self-interest while also driving
10:33 national economic growth.
10:35 Happy 60th anniversary.
10:38 Happy UN Day.
10:39 It's a great pleasure to be with you this morning
10:42 as Rwanda celebrates the 60th anniversary of its membership
10:46 to the United Nations.
10:48 Indeed, six years ago on 18th of September, 1962,
10:55 Rwanda was admitted to the United Nations family.
11:00 Today's date, the UN Day, is a day
11:03 which marks the 77th anniversary of the entry
11:09 into force of the United Nations Charter,
11:12 founding the United Nations organization,
11:16 was selected to highlight Rwanda's commitment
11:20 to the spirit and values promoted by the Charter.
11:25 We are therefore celebrating 60 years of shared history marked
11:30 by painful experiences, but also success stories and lesson
11:36 learned which inspire our renewed partnership
11:40 for a better and shared future for all.
11:45 While we look firmly to the future together,
11:48 we carry with us the failure of the international community
11:53 and the United Nations to prevent or stop
11:56 the genocide against the Tutsis in 1994,
12:01 despite the early signs of its preparation and the presence
12:06 of the United Nations Assistant Mission for Rwanda, UNAMIR,
12:11 before and during the genocide.
12:13 A few months after the genocide was stopped on 8th November,
12:20 1994, the Security Council established
12:24 an international criminal tribunal for Rwanda
12:27 with a mandate to prosecute and judge
12:30 key genocide perpetrators.
12:33 The ICTR rendered 62 convictions against 93 indictments
12:40 and established major milestones,
12:44 including being the first institution
12:46 to recognize rape as a means of perpetrating genocide.
12:52 We will continue to work with the UN in the judicial sector
12:56 to restore the historical truth about the genocide committed
13:01 against the Tutsi in Rwanda for the genocide to never happen
13:07 again, be it in Rwanda or in any other part of the world.
13:14 And this will be based on the imperative of justice
13:18 and the need for the recognition of responsibility.
13:24 Distinguished guests, despite the difficult circumstances,
13:28 we have learned from the past and have
13:30 chosen to focus on the future and the good
13:34 we can continue to accomplish, cooperating actively
13:40 as members of the international community.
13:43 Rwanda is now a united, dynamic, and ambitious nation,
13:49 thanks to the determination of the Rwandan people,
13:52 but also thanks to the partnership
13:55 with the international community and the United Nations, which
14:00 has taken a progressive path since the last 28 years.
14:08 Indeed, over the past 20 years, the United Nations
14:12 and its agencies have played a key role,
14:15 working alongside the Rwandans in the reconstruction
14:20 and the socioeconomic transformation
14:22 of this country.
14:25 Today's celebration is themed "Partnering for a Better,
14:29 Shared Future for All," which shows the direction in which we
14:35 want to continue taking our partnership with the UN
14:39 over the next 60 years in sectors
14:41 that impact the lives of our people
14:44 and contribute to a better world.
14:48 In his speech to the 77th United Nations General Assembly,
14:53 His Excellency President Paul Kagame
14:55 recalled that the United Nations and other international
14:59 institutions retain the ability to set an agenda around which
15:05 we can all rally.
15:08 Rwanda will continue to play its active role in addressing
15:12 our common challenges in diverse areas,
15:15 including gender equality, refugees' rights protection,
15:20 climate change, and much more.
15:24 In the defense and peacebuilding sector,
15:28 Rwanda's participation in peacekeeping operations
15:31 is a constitutional mandate.
15:34 To date, Rwanda is the fourth UN contributor of peacekeepers
15:38 to the UN and has contributed 73,569 military personnel
15:46 to the UN and African-led missions
15:49 in Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, and the Central African Republic.
15:55 Currently, it deploys 5,283 peacekeepers,
16:01 including 4,692 military personnel.
16:07 Rwanda will continue to give its contribution
16:10 to the search or consolidation of peace around the world.
16:16 Mr. Resident Coordinator and the acting one,
16:25 I wish to say that Rwanda recognizes and appreciates
16:31 the work done by your teams through various UN
16:36 agencies in collaboration with our own institutions.
16:42 And I wish to encourage you to continue
16:47 working with the government of Rwanda for the development
16:51 of this country.
16:54 I wish to conclude by affirming that the future is promising
16:59 and we remain committed to working closely
17:02 with the UN and its agencies for the benefit of our people,
17:07 the development of Rwanda, and for continued peace and progress
17:13 globally.
17:14 I thank you for your kind attention.
17:16 [APPLAUSE]
17:19 [Applause]
17:20 [Music]
17:20 [MUSIC PLAYING]