The extremist ideologies that drive terrorism and genocide must be named, identified early, and dismantled, without ambiguity or hesitation, President Paul Kagame has said.

Kagame was speaking virtually at the ongoing 76th United Nations General Assembly underway in New York, USA.

The President called on member states to stand up to the extremist ideologies that drive terrorism and genocide by naming them, identifying them and dismantling them without hesitation.

"On that, we cannot afford to play politics,” he said.

Kagame also observed that the world is off-track with the sustainable development goals calling for approaches to refocus and readjust.

"In fairness, we were behind schedule with SDGs even before the pandemic hit. But there is now an increased attention to figuring out how to refocus our efforts, and catch up. We need to convert this sense of urgency into a durable political commitment to achieving the SDGs,” he said.

The political commitment, he said, should also be reflected in climate change mitigation to address the severity of weather-related disasters which is increasing year by year.

"The severity of weather-related disasters is increasing year by year. We cannot afford for the result of the COP26 in November to be inconclusive or divisive,” he said.

The Head of State also commented on the need to re-emphasize the importance of citizen-centred governance and accountability noting that it not only guarantees the well-being and material progress but also security, stability and confidence in the future.

In response to the pandemic, Kagame called for more input to speed up vaccine distribution in Africa.

"The positive steps from various partners and companies towards building local vaccine manufacturing capacity is also very welcome. We must harness this positive momentum to build long term pandemic resilience, where it is needed most,” he said.

Kagame also endorsed the United Nations Secretary General’s report on the common agenda which warned of possible breakdown of the multilateralism system, worsening conflict and chronic poverty among other challenges if adequate intervention is not made.