Rwanda marks 60th anniversary membership of United Nations

Rwanda was officially admitted as a member into the United Nations on Tuesday, 18th of September 1962, following the adoption of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution in July 1962. Since then, the Government of Rwanda has partnered with the United Nations across a broad range of thematic areas in order to pursue its sustainable development goals: from agriculture to youth employment, numerous activities have contributed to the social, political, and economic transformation of Rwanda in the past six decades.

In furtherance of the sixty year journey, on Thursday, 20th of October 2022, the Government of the Republic of Rwanda and the United Nations announced that there would be a celebration of the 60th anniversary of Rwanda’s membership into the fold of the United Nations (the UN officially began on Wednesday, 24th of October 1945, when it came into existence after its Charter had been ratified by China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and by a majority of other signatories) under the theme, “Partnering for a Better, Shared Future for All.”

The Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister of Rwanda, Minister Vincent Biruta stated and quoting him verbatim; “We (Rwanda) commend the United Nations for its support to our country and for spearheading multilateralism efforts and global cooperation. Rwanda remains committed to our partnership in addressing common challenges in diverse areas including socio-economic development, gender equality, peacekeeping, refugees’ rights protection, climate change, and much more. The world needs consistent and effective collaboration among countries, and Rwanda will always play her role.”

Whilst the United Nations Resident Coordinator Ozonnia Matthew Ojiel (who hails from Nigeria) stated that and quoting him verbatim; “The United Nations extends its sincere appreciation to the Government and the people of Rwanda for the support and continued commitment to work closely for the benefit of the people of this country; leaving no one behind. We reaffirm the United Nation’s collective commitment and pledge cooperation and support in all forms to address shared objectives grounded on the United Nations Charter.”

At this juncture, it is noteworthy to state that, on 10th July 2022, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres appointed Ozonnia Ojielo of Nigeria as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Rwanda, with the host Government’s approval. According to the United Nations official site, Mr. Ojielo brings to the position more than twenty-five years of experience in sustainable development work, including experience overseeing a global portfolio of programmes and projects with the United Nations in Central Asia and Africa that covered four continents.  Within the Organization, he most recently served as Resident Coordinator in Kyrgyzstan, after working as Resident Coordinator, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to the Kyrgyz Republic for one year prior to that. He presented his letter of credence to the President of Rwanda on Friday, 14th October 2022.

Furthermore, it is also noteworthy to state that Rwanda is one of the largest contributors to the United Nations Peacekeeping Missions with circa five thousand military and police personnel deployed in different countries. Rwanda is also among the African countries that achieved Millennium Development Goals and is on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. 

It was stated that the official celebration will take place on Monday, 24th of October 2022, in Kigali to mark the 60th year anniversary of Rwanda’s membership of the United Nations. It was also revealed that fruit trees will be planted during Umuganda (Kinyarwanda word for community environmental sanitation) in Huye and Musanze Districts, and in Kigali, on Saturday, 29th of October 2022. These events would serve as an ample avenue to reflect on the success stories and lessons learned from the partnership between Rwanda and the United Nations.