President Paul Kagame yesterday virtually joined the ongoing #GlobalCitizenNOW summit, emphasizing the importance of unity and self-reliance in driving Rwanda’s transformation over the past 30 years.
Speaking at the summit moderated by Aisha Sesay, President Kagame highlighted Rwanda’s journey and underscored the significance of putting the interests of all Rwandans first.
Reflecting on Rwanda’s tragic history, President Kagame emphasized the importance of unity, saying, “We have to bear in mind what caused the genocide, and that it is the politics of division and tribalism. That is why we chose to stay together and put the interest of all Rwandans first. Unity is the best investment we have ever made.”
He also stressed the prioritization of building strong institutions that are accountable to the people, emphasizing that self-reliance is central to improving standards of living and delivering quality services for all Rwandans.
President Kagame further reiterated Rwanda’s commitment to self-reliance, stating, “Self-reliance is also about a general mindset of taking responsibility for our future. No one owes us a living. We have to fight for what is ours and put in the hard work.”
President Kagame added that the importance of learning from Rwanda’s history to prevent similar tragedies elsewhere, stating that, “What happened to us can happen to anyone else. We shouldn’t take for granted our responsibility to ensure never again is not an empty slogan.”
The summit also featured powerful stories shared by Dr. Kakenya Ntaiya, Payzee Malika, and Fraidy Reiss from Unchained AtLast, highlighting their efforts to end child marriage. Fraidy Reiss shared, “We started in 2015 and for years we couldn’t get any state to end child marriage — to date we have helped 12 states end child marriage.”
Gilbert F. Houngbo, Director-General of the International Labour Organization, emphasized the urgency of ending poverty. “The need to end poverty is more urgent than ever, and we can only do so if we face the root causes of poverty head on, and that root cause is the absence of social justice,” he said.
The summit addressed the importance of young voters’ participation in shaping the future, with discussions led by Mark Kassen, Lucille Wenegieme from HeadCountOrg, and Jordan Fisher. They explored the issues facing young voters and strategies to motivate them to participate in the democratic process.
Chris Anderson, Head of TED, concluded the summit with a reminder that positive change takes time, urging against succumbing to pessimism. He said, “Good things happen slowly. Dramatic, bad things happen quickly. We are deluding ourselves into thinking we’re monsters living in a dark and dangerous time. The stories we are telling are aggregating to a false picture.”
President Kagame’s participation in the #GlobalCitizenNOW summit underscores Rwanda’s commitment to global efforts to end poverty and promote social justice, while also sharing insights from Rwanda’s transformative journey towards unity and self-reliance.
