Justin NsengiyumvaRwanda · UNGA 2026 speech & analysis
His Excellency · Prime Minister
Rwanda: DRC crisis clear example that UN still must prove it can adapt
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Excellency Dr. Kalu Rahman, President of the 81st General Assembly, Excellency Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, Excellencies, Heads of Delegations, ladies and gentlemen, good evening. On behalf of the Government of Rwanda, allow me to begin by congratulating His Excellency Dr. Karelle Raman on his election as President of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. Rwanda also wishes to commend the Secretary-General, His Excellency Antonio Guterres, for the steady commitment with which he has led this organization through a period of extraordinary
Strain. We reiterate our full support as he carries through the remainder of his mandate. Last year, we gathered under the theme of better together. marking eight years since the Charter was signed. This year, under a new call to restore trust and deliver for all, we must be honest with ourselves, we are still far behind. The United Nations has yet to demonstrate that it can adapt to a changing and uncertain world, and it is up to Member States to make this a reality. That gap is not abstract to Rwanda. Three decades ago, our country's future was also deeply uncertain. Our survival depended on our capacity to rebuild against all odds, and what made that possible was a simple principle and conviction that institutions earn legitimacy, not by what they promise, but by what they deliver year after year. We believe this principle holds for the multilateral system as a whole and for the United Nations in particular. It is the standard against which reform must be judged. Optimism, however important it can be, must be matched by willingness to change how we act. Too often, the United Nations has been more effective at responding to crises than anticipating them. This is true of pandemics, of climate shocks, of technological disruption, and it is nowhere more costly than in conflicts. Eastern DRC is a clear example of that. For more than three decades, the FDLR has spread genocidal ideology, committed grave abuses in eastern DRC, and directly threatened Rwandan security, including through cross-border attacks. It now operates alongside Burundian troops and DLC-sponsored militias and mercenaries, in violation of the 1989 UN Convention and the 1977 OAU Convention against Mercenaries. And this did not happen overnight. The roots of the conflict in Eastern DRC are political, and they lie in long-standing grievances, exclusion, and failures of governance. So the solution too must be political. Rwanda fully supports the diplomatic efforts underway to reach such a solution. We commend the Washington Accords between Rwanda and the DRC and the Doha process between the DRC and AFCM23 as steps in the right direction. We are grateful for the relentless efforts deployed by President Donald Trump, His Highness the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and the African Union mediator, President Faure Gnassingbe of Togo, in advancing these processes. And we remain committed to a region where all countries can coexist peacefully, where they can trade and develop together. Rwanda calls on all actors, including the Security Council, to support this same peace effort fairly and to encourage all parties to honor their commitments. There is no lasting peace without confronting the root causes of the conflict and addressing the legitimate concerns of all those affected. Excellencies, the value of prevention extends beyond conflicts. It also means addressing the conditions that leave countries vulnerable to poverty, economic shocks, and exclusion from opportunity. An international system that gives all countries a fair opportunity to determine their own development pathways must be central to the UN80 reform process. The question before this Assembly is not whether multilateralism remains relevant. It is whether our institutions are prepared to adapt to the challenges of our century and to deliver results that matter. We welcome this session's emphasis on restoring trust through prevention, inclusion and reform, and we stand ready to work with all Member States towards that end. I thank you.
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Rwanda: DRC crisis clear example that UN still must prove it can adapt
“The United Nations has yet to demonstrate that it can adapt to a changing and uncertain world”, declared Justin Nsengiyumva, Prime Minister of Rwanda, as he urged Member States to bring this about.
He said his country, being on a similar trajectory 30 years ago, survived by depending on its “capacity to rebuild against all odds”, adding: “what made that possible was a simple principle and conviction that institutions earn legitimacy not by what they promise, but by what they deliver, year after year.”
Recalling previous pandemics, climate shocks and technological disruptions that the world has witnessed, he said, “too often, the United Nations has been more effective at responding to crises than anticipating them” — an attitude which has had more undesirable effects in conflict situations.
A clear example is the crisis in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo where the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda has committed grave abuses and spread genocidal ideology.
“The roots of the conflict in Eastern DRC are political, and they lie in longstanding grievances, exclusion, and failures of governance. The solution, too, therefore, must be political,” he asserted, calling on all actors, including the Security Council, to support ongoing peace efforts.
The value of prevention extends beyond conflict. It also means addressing the conditions that leave countries vulnerable to poverty, economic shocks, and exclusion from opportunity,” he said.
On the UN80 reform process, he called for a system that gives countries a levelled field towards their own development.
"The question before this Assembly is not whether multilateralism remains relevant. It is whether our institutions are prepared to adapt to the challenges of our century, and to deliver results that matter.”
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