OPENING SPEECH OF THE PREPARATORY PEACEKEEPING MINISTERIAL BY HON MINISTER OF DEFENCE OF THE REPUBLIC OF RWANDA

Excellencies, Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen

It is my honor and privilege to take part in this important event that leads to the “Peacekeeping Ministerial Conference” expected to take place in Seoul in December 2021. There is no better time than now to discuss the issue at the heart of our peacekeeping efforts which is ‘Partnership for Performance and Accountability’.

We must recognize that today’s peacekeepers are implementing mandates in ever-changing theatres that present their own set of challenges. The call is that they should perform at our expectations. Peacekeepers’ performance and accountability are therefore keys to achieving this noble mandate.

Accountability means that you and I are liable for how our troops perform or underperform. We need to educate our peacekeepers and empower them to act.

The achievement of this goal necessitates a partnership between all stakeholders. This partnership could take a form of bilateralism and multilateralism. For the case of Rwanda, our partnership with the United States in areas of peacekeeping has grown tremendously from 2014 to date. This has enabled our peacekeepers to deploy in missions with clear mindset and attitude to make a difference.

We always remind Rwandan peacekeepers that the Peacekeeping is a constitutional task, as it is deeply rooted in the commitment to “Never Again”, the Right to Protect and Kigali Principles for the Protection of Civilians. Rwanda remains committed to capacity building through training, joint exercises, sharing lessons learnt in the framework of Light Coordination Mechanism.

I very well know that there are other examples of successful partnerships for peacekeeping but the point I wish to make here is that we should enhance collective burden-sharing if we are to achieve required performance. Partners should have a shared vision of peacekeeping for the peacekeepers to achieve effectiveness on the ground.

It all starts at how peacekeepers are prepared, trained and equipped. No matter how sophisticated equipment and training one may have, there is not much peacekeepers can achieve without the right mindset. Performance without a clear conviction or the will to protect the Civilians remains a mere dream. The level of partnership with the US that we celebrate today has tremendously contributed to the performance our troops in mission areas.

Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Current and likely future peacekeeping needs high level of collaboration, shared understanding of UN peacekeeping and the role that each stakeholder plays. Troops/ Police Contributing Countries and Financial Contributing Countries should work together right from the preparation phase to the actual realization of the missions. With this, we could all achieve our purpose.

I cannot overemphasize the fact that the security challenges across UN Missions requires imperative reliance on the technology and innovations. It is therefore my expectations that the deliberations of this conference will also shed light on how UN Missions will be supported by technology in all areas of peacekeeping (medical, communication, intelligence, etc) for a better performance of the UN Missions.

Finally, considering the agenda, the knowledge and experience of the panelists, I can only expect positive outcomes, very concrete pledges of capabilities and services that will give a new shape to UN peacekeeping.

I thank you.