President Paul Kagame has called on the United Nations to modernise peacekeeping missions so as to make them more effective.

The President was speaking in New York yesterday during a summit on strengthening international peacekeeping convened on the sidelines of the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

World leaders who spoke at the summit, organised by the UN Missions for the US, Rwanda, Japan, Pakistan and Bangladesh, pledged their countries’ commitment to supporting world peace.

US Vice President Joe Biden, co-hosted the summit with President Kagame.

In his opening remarks, President Kagame noted that peacekeeping demands are increasing both in quantity and complexity – and to meet them effectively, politicians need to think about modernising their approach.

"Three considerations, in particular, can bring us closer to this goal. The first is speed of deployment. Getting trained and equipped peacekeepers on the ground promptly makes all the difference,” Kagame said.

"Secondly, when lives are at stake, nothing matters more than saving them. Protection of civilians should be the central purpose of peacekeeping.”

Kagame also called on peacekeepers to connect with the communities they serve, saying that doing so makes them better able to prevent violent outbreaks.

 "This helps to create an environment in which people can rebuild their lives, and work together to build a lasting peace,” he said.

Leaders also urged speedy deployments whenever conflict breaks out.

With more than 5,000 peacekeepers in different international missions, Rwanda is the world’s fifth largest troop contributor to international peacekeeping. 

Rwanda, a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, is also current chair of the Eastern Africa Standby Force, a grouping of 10 Eastern African countries, which recently contributed about 5,000 troops that will constitute a rapid force capable of deploying to war-torn areas within two weeks notice.

The countries also pledged three motorised battalions, a mechanised battalion, a light infantry battalion, among other logistics.

Kagame welcomed the African Peacekeeping Rapid Response Partnership, a new initiative spearheaded by the United States to enhance Africa’s rapid deployment of peacekeepers where they are needed.

"Rwanda is currently preparing to contribute additional helicopters to the Mission in South Sudan. We are also deploying another Formed Police Unit there, which will include a significant number of female officers,” he told the summit.

"Where needed, we stand ready to respond with additional infantry battalions, and force enablers, such as field hospitals.”

US Vice President Joe Biden said the demand for international peacekeeping has never been greater, even as UN peacekeepers grew by tenfold, to about 120,000 personnel, in a generation.

"The nature of conflict and combatants has evolved to include sophisticated non-state actors as well as traditional armies. The instruments of peacekeeping have evolved as well. This is a chance not only to make commitments, but to think strategically together about future peacekeeping needs and related missions,” Biden said.

"Today, we ask peacekeepers to protect civilians in South Sudan and the Central African Republic; to prevent sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and to help with the peace process in Mali, amid deadly attacks by extremists – even as we continue to monitor longstanding ceasefires on three continents.”