Defence Minister Juvenal Marizamunda has reiterated Rwanda's commitment to global peace and security, calling for key reforms in United Nations peacekeeping operations to improve effectiveness and protect civilians. Speaking at the 2025 UN Peacekeeping Ministerial in Berlin, Marizamunda stressed the urgent need for reforms within UN peace operations, particularly the consistent application of core principles such as neutrality across all missions. He also emphasized the importance of aligning resources with outcomes, noting that measurable benchmarks are essential to ensure that mandates are effectively achieved. Marizamunda said the meeting came at a pivotal time for global peace operations. “There is no better time to hold this summit, which I believe will contribute to unlocking many challenges facing our peacekeeping missions,” he said. The minister highlighted the importance of focusing on the protection of civilians, addressing hate speech, and tackling the root causes of conflict, including governance failures and corruption. “The issue of misinformation, disinformation, hate speech, and incitement of violence continues to undermine the protection of civilians in conflict zones,” he said. “The world we aspire to must not let dehumanization, extremist rhetoric, derogatory terminology, or any hateful content. This is detrimental to conflict prevention, and we must understand that combating hate speech is the protection of civilians, since if it is not stopped, it develops into crimes of mass violence and crimes of genocide.” Marizamunda urged the international community to shift its focus from short-term crisis management to long-term solutions. He also addressed the challenge of geopolitical divisions within the UN Security Council, noting that competition among powerful member states often impedes decision-making. “The fragmentation in competition among the mightier members has caused division among council members, which continues to affect decision making of the organ. And peacekeeping missions can’t yield tangible results unless this challenge is addressed.” The UN Peacekeeping Ministerial is a high-level platform for countries to reaffirm commitments and shape the future of peacekeeping operations. Minister Marizamunda announced Rwanda’s latest pledges to UN missions, which include one infantry battalion, a level-2 hospital, and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. He said that these contributions aim to close critical capability gaps and enhance operational readiness in peacekeeping missions across the world. With about 5,900 troops, Rwanda is the second largest contributor to UN peacekeeping missions after Nepal, which had some 5950 troops in various missions.
