Rwanda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Martin Ngoga, called for stronger international action against hatred, genocide denial and impunity, saying remembrance of genocide victims must be accompanied by concrete measures to prevent future atrocities.
Ngoga delivered the message during a UN General Assembly debate on the causes of conflict, durable peace and sustainable development in Africa, held in New York on Monday, October 12, 2026.
He welcomed the UN’s continued commitment to genocide remembrance, education and prevention, but stressed that commemorative activities should produce meaningful results rather than end with ceremonies and reports.
The ambassador said international commemorations, including those honouring victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, the Holocaust and the Genocide in Srebrenica, should help change attitudes, strengthen education and prevent future atrocities.
He recalled that the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, which claimed more than one million lives, was preceded by discrimination, dehumanisation and organised hate propaganda.
Ngoga noted that radio had been used to spread hatred and mobilise violence in 1994, while social media and emerging technologies now enabled similar messages to spread rapidly across borders.
He also expressed concern over the continued spread of genocide denial, the glorification of perpetrators and the intimidation of survivors, both online and offline.
The ambassador criticised the use of hatred as a political tool, saying individuals who promoted hostility against communities sometimes received political recognition and public platforms instead of being held accountable.
“We cannot credibly speak of genocide prevention while allowing hatred to become a pathway to political recognition,” Ngoga said.
He further raised concerns about the continued failure to bring genocide suspects to justice, saying Rwanda was still seeking more than 1,000 people suspected of involvement in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Ngoga questioned how the international community could commemorate genocide victims while those suspected of committing such crimes continued to evade justice.
He thanked countries that had cooperated with Rwanda in bringing perpetrators of genocide and crimes against humanity to justice, while calling for stronger international judicial cooperation, action against genocide denial and greater protection for survivors.
Turning to Africa’s economic development, Ngoga said the continent’s challenges were not simply caused by a shortage of resources but also by its limited ability to capture, retain and reinvest their value.
Citing a report by the UN Secretary-General, he said Africa faced approximately $2.1 trillion in economic losses and unrealised opportunities. The report also cited $97 billion in foreign direct investment and $42 billion in official development assistance in 2024.
Ngoga noted that the estimates covered different categories and time periods, but said they highlighted the need for African countries to strengthen resource governance, increase domestic value addition and retain more benefits from their wealth.
He also cited UN findings showing that natural resource rents in Africa averaged 11.8% of gross domestic product between 2000 and 2021, compared with a global average of 2.8%.
Despite this resource wealth, he said, poverty and insecurity continued to affect the continent, underscoring the need for stronger governance, accountability and a fairer distribution of economic benefits.
The ambassador stressed that commitments on genocide remembrance, Africa’s development and lasting peace should be measured by their results.
“Remembrance must lead to prevention and justice. Africa’s resources must create opportunities for its people, and commitments to peace must translate into concrete action,” he said.
Ngoga reaffirmed Rwanda’s commitment to working with the United Nations, the African Union and other international partners to advance these objectives.
Elie GATETE
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