In solidarity with victims of violence

Thirty years ago, at the recommendation of the United Nations (UN) Secretary – General, the UN General Assembly approved a resolution designating September 21 as the International Day of Peace. Once again, Rwanda joins today the international community in celebrating this important day, on which every year, the UN calls for a global ceasefire. The poignancy of this declaration is graphically underscored by what has been happening on the global scene over the past couple of years or so. Anybody who has been regularly watching or following the international news on TV or Social Media will get the impression that violent conflicts, acts of terrorism and civil strife are erupting almost simultaneously across the globe: Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Myanmar, Thailand, Phillipines, Egypt, Libya, Somalia, CAR, South Sudan, Kenya, Columbia, Mexico, Guatemala, Ukraine, just to name a few. These conflicts and acts of terrorism have been causing heavy casualties and untold suffering among innocent civilians, whole communities, cities and even entire nations. As has been the case for a long time, most of the victims tend to be helpless women and children. Importantly also, they are causing extensive damages to the affected countries’s social and physical infrastructure as well as productive economic facilities, reversing in the process hard-earned development gains. Therefore, while the International Day of Peace was intended to be a day of celebration of peace and joy, it has probably become more of a day of reflection on seeking more effective ways of ending and preventing violence and civil strife. But above all, it also offers the opportunity for expressing solidarity with the countless victims of war. The ambition to achieve sustainable peace is at the very essence of the United Nations. Following the cruelties and destruction of the Second World War, the UN was founded on the aspiration to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, as encapsulated by the principle of “Never Again”. Experience from across the world shows that building or maintaining peace is usually a long and painstaking process. While much progress has been made over the last decades, the latest bouts of conflicts around the world indicate that significant reversals have also occurred. Therefore, much remains to be done before every person can truly enjoy a peaceful life. The central theme of this year’s celebration is “Right of Peoples to Peace”, which was the same as the one chosen by the General Assembly of the UN thirty years ago when it adopted the Day as such. The strength of the message is that it puts the people at the centre of peace building, who are all too often forgotten in that process. No matter what part of the world we come from, we are all the same human beings having the same basic needs and concerns. One common thread that runs through all this is the deep human desire for peace. As in many other development domains, Rwanda’s own experience with building and consolidation of peace in the period after the liberation struggle and Genocide against the Tutsi is quite illustrative. The journey to peace was strewn with many challenges and while several still exist, such as the continuing security threat from the FDLR and the prevailing genocide ideology among some people, remarkable progress has been achieved over time. Unity and reconciliation has prevailed over hatred and revenge, painstaking reconstruction decisively replaced senseless destruction and Rwandans have chosen the path to durable peace and sustainable development. All this has paid off handsomely by the incredible restoration of peace, after such an unprecedented episode of violence, as well as remarkable social and economic transformation. Within a relatively short period of time, Rwanda has raised itself from the ashes of war and genocide to one of the best performing countries of the continent. In terms of safety and security, recent international comparative assessments of this area, such as the one of the World Economic Forum, indicate that the country is among the safest places not only in Africa but also in the world. As we noted in our supplementary publication for marking this day, Rwanda’s post – genocide development experience amply demonstrates the critical importance of active and sometimes innovative approaches, such as Gacaca, to building durable peace and stability on the part of national leaders and people. Active peace building and consolidation as well as the promotion of social cohesion and inclusive development have been the key drivers of the country’s astounding recovery and economic development during the last two decades. A lot of this has to do with the foresight, vision and wisdom of Rwanda’s leaders, under the stewardship of President Kagame. They could have chosen the path of revenge, but they did not. Currently, the promotion of another set of home-grown initiatives like “Ndi Umunyarwanda” , which are aimed at deepening the senses of unity and spirit of patriotism among the people is commendable. In this regard, I was particularly pleased when a few days ago I learnt from the Executive Secretary of the NURC that Unity and Reconciliation clubs have been established in schools in order to reinforce the promotion of unity and reconciliation among the Rwandan population. Targeting the young people in that process is essential. The leadership’s concerted efforts to deepen democratization and promote adherence to broader notions of human rights are also key to peace consolidation and uninterrupted development process. After the unfortunate episode involving the UN Mission at the outset of the Genocide against the Tutsi, the UN established a veritable partnership with the Government and people of Rwanda for restoration of durable peace, stability and sustainable development. This is underpinned by the strong belief that peace, security, human rights and development cannot be achieved without each other, as aptly noted by the UN Secretary-General. On the international front, everybody is grateful to Rwanda for her significant contribution to peacekeeping missions around the world. Today, Rwanda is the sixth major troop and police contributing country in the UN, with over 4,000 troops, over 400 police and 13 Military Observers in seven UN Missions in different parts of the world. All along the way, the ability of Rwandans to rebuild their country has set an example to Africa and the world of how the cycle of violence can be broken. It is also a story of how peace can only be achieved, not overnight, but slowly and rooted in its local context, with enlightened leadership. Africa’s current encouraging “Risisng” trajectory will be rudely interrupted unless the disturbing resurgence of conflicts in a few parts of the continent is decisively snuffed out. On this occasion of the International Day of Peace, let us also join the call of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to stand with the victims of war in solidarity. Let us all recall the true meaning of peace – and what it means for our human family. Let us hold it in our hearts and minds and tenderly nurture it so it may grow and blossom, and not be destroyed by senseless violence. For this there is a lot that could be learnt from Rwanda’s Post-Genocide against the Tutsi experience. The writer is the UN Resident coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Rwanda.

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In solidarity with victims of violence