THEME: REMEMBER THE RWANDA GENOCIDE - FIGHT GENOCIDE IDEOLOGY - BUILD ON OUR PROGRESS

7TH APRIL 2017

Your Excellency, Representative of the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

Your Excellency, Mrs. Hope TUMUKUNDE GASATURA, Ambassador of the Republic of Rwanda to the Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union

Your Excellencies, Members of the Permanent Representative Committee

Your Excellencies, Members of the Diplomatic and Consular Corps

Your Excellencies, Representatives of International and Regional Organizations

Fellow Commissioners and Distinguished Representatives of the African Union,

Distinguished Religious Leaders in Addis Ababa

Distinguished Members of the Rwandan Community,

Staff of the African Union Commission,

Invited Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

Mwaramutse. Amakhoro
I want to welcome you all to this “Kwibuka23”, the 23rd commemoration anniversary of the Rwanda genocide, an important event which the African Union co-organises with the Government and people of the Republic of Rwanda on an annual basis. I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the strong sense of solidarity manifested by your presence and participation today. Thank you all for being here with us today. Murakoze.
I also want to convey the best wishes from the African Union Commission Chairperson H.E Moussa Faki, who could not join us here today. He is actually in Kigali as we speak, commemorating with H.E President Paul Kagame and the Rwandan people.
Excellencies
Ladies and gentlemen
As we remember the victims of the genocide and as we continue to cement our resolve as Africans, to prevent and fight genocide, I am glad that the 7th of April continues to awaken our resolve to the value of life and humanity and to renew our collective commitment to uphold human rights.
Let us also remember that the African people of Rwanda had in history, always lived peacefully together with their own traditional division of labour. If we have to be true to ourselves and history, we have to seek the roots of genocide and its ideology in the history of colonialism and its policy of divide and rule.
Today we wish to celebrate the extraordinary resilience of the people of Rwanda and the extraordinary leadership of H.E President Paul Kagame. Rwanda remains to us today, a vivid example of leadership and continuity. Rwanda has turned crisis into opportunity and we have to learn from this amazing example.
We pay tribute to those that lost their lives and as we comfort those that survived the genocide, allow me to congratulate the people of the Republic of Rwanda who have made considerable progress on the road to reconciliation, justice, social cohesion, constructive management of diversity and inclusive socio-economic development and structural transformation.
Excellencies
Ladies and gentlemen
All inclusive education, social cohesion and leadership is what has unleashed the creative energies of our Rwandese brothers and sisters.
Education remains for us, the master key to progress. Education and here, I mean secular education, science and technology is the foundation to power Africa into progress. Education will provide the answer to religious fanaticism and the key to combat ethnicity which has been used to divide is by external forces.
Let every African child be in school. I believe that we have thousands of young Einsteins among our people. Let us help develop them.
It is up to us leaders, to provide good governance, good secular education, good vocational education, which will provide fulfilling jobs for our people and shield them against temptation to cross the Sahara on foot and perish in the Mediterranean sea.
Excellencies
Ladies and gentlemen
I must also commend the deliberate efforts by His Excellency Paul Kagame the President of the Republic of Rwanda to foster unity and not just in Rwanda but within the continent as well. If you look at Africa’s Visa Openness Index you will see Rwanda is ranked highly on the openness of their visa regime. H.E Paul Kagame has demonstrated that we are one people and we can benefit greatly from our diversity.
It is in our deliberate efforts that we will appreciate that the past cannot be changed, but we can learn from it and I believe that having a seamless borders in the continent, where we can trade freely with each other,, where we can open up our markets, exchange our cultural backgrounds, invest and industrialize amongst ourselves and harness the demographic dividend of our continent, will provide solutions to some of the challenges we face, such as insecurity, immigration, skills scarcity and so on, and which, have continued to reverse the gains made on democracy, integration and human rights fronts.

Excellencies
Ladies and gentlemen
Today, let us also be reminded of the dangers of conflicts and wars during which, the most vulnerable people remain women and children. The atrocities of rape of our women as a tool of war. It is totally unacceptable. The abduction of children as child soldiers and the plight of internally displaced persons and refugees, continue to call us to action. All these can be prevented by the power of our words and let this day, 23 years ago always remind us of the possible consequences of our inaction. I am pleased that year 2016 was dedicated as the Year of Human Rights in Africa with Special Focus on the Rights of Women and this remains a declaration of the next ten years as the Decade of Human and People’s Rights in Africa. We should join hands to make this declaration a living reality by promoting and protecting human rights including combatting the genocide ideology on our beloved continent.
I also want to take this opportunity to reassure you that the African Union remains committed to the aspiration of silencing the guns and end all wars in Africa by the year 2020. This commitment, in pursuit of aspiration 4 of Agenda 2063, continues to guide us to the hope of “A peaceful and secure Africa”.

Excellencies
Ladies and gentlemen
As I conclude, Let us keep the memory alive by remembering the Rwanda genocide. Let us combat genocidal ideology but let us not remain prisoners of the past. We need to let go and leave on to the future we want with confidence in answers working together for an integrated, peaceful, educated Africa, punching above its weight.
Allow me to also acknowledge the musical drama by our young African leaders here, on the lessons learnt from the Genocide in Rwanda. This contribution of our children is worthy of special acknowledgement and appreciation.

MURAKOZE CHANA.
I thank you all.