Rwanda

Not present at any all state meeting in GVA. But chaired the African Ambassadors briefing in Nov 2014 and was supportive. Attempts to reach out to Geneva mission unsuccessful. Outreach to NY mission ahead of CAAC open debate 2016, shared with Addis, no response. Outreach via R2P.

September 2016: HRW (Bede) recommended Tony Lake (UNICEF) to prioritise Rwanda for advocacy on SSD. Michael met with the Ambassador in Addis Ababa, together with Dallaire Initiative, in November 2016. Ambassador was receptive.

January 2017: Meeting in GVA with Vero and Gisela. Followed the process closely initially and remembered their briefing to African group in 2014 and being part of the core group initially. Explained that Rwanda had no capacity to remain engaged as they are involved in many processes. One sticking point also seems to have been the fact that this process required them to secure buy-in from many different Ministers. They also reportedly wanted to take time to see how the process evolved and fit with the other processes. He was particularly interested in the link this process could have with their role as PKO TCC. The toolkit in that regard seemed to be a tool they could make use of. Interesting answer when I asked whether it would be useful for organisations like STC to relay the information in capital. The answer was no, as it would lead to suspicion and confusion. He will revert to Kigali and they might be able to attend as participant or observer.

July 2018: Co-sponsored resolution 2427 (2018).

April 2019: Human Rights Watch made a submission to the Committee on the Rights of the Child which included recommendations that the Committee: Ask the government of Rwanda whether they have any laws or policies regulating the use of schools and universities by its armed forces for military purposes. Ask the government of Rwanda whether the United Nations’ provisions banning the use of schools by peacekeeping forces is included in any pre-deployment trainings for Rwanda forces. Encourage Rwanda to endorse the Safe Schools Declaration and take concrete measures to deter the military use of schools, including by bringing the Guidelines into domestic military policy and operational frameworks.

October 2021: co-sponsored UNSC resolution 2601 (2021), the first thematic resolution on the protection of education in armed conflict and to mention the SSD (preamble).

February 2022: Lunches in Geneva: GCPEA supported the Norwegian Permanent Mission in Geneva in organising two PR level lunches to discuss endorsement of the Safe Schools Declaration with countries that have recently co-sponsored the UNSC resolution 2601. GCPEA prepared talking points and analysis of the countries’ positions (concerns and opportunities to endorsement). The second lunch took place on 10 February with the Ambassadors of Norway, Spain, Rwanda, Gabon and Lesotho. All three ambassadors (Lesotho, Gabon and Rwanda) were unfamiliar with the declaration before the meeting. As regards the position on the SSD, all agreed that it was a worthy cause. They expressed genuine interest in the declaration, and asked for more information (which Norway sent after the meeting). They indicated that they would forward the information to capital with a positive assessment. None foresaw any particular obstacles to endorsement. Rwanda’s ambassador stated that the Rwandan army in all likelihood was acting in accordance with the SSD already.

August 2022: Nevena had a quick call with an expert at the New York Mission. The expert was not familiar with the initiative, so she gave an overview of the SSD and its implementation as well as the support from the African Union. She highlighted that Rwanda’s endorsement would be particularly significant due to their role as a troop-contributing country to UN peacekeeping operations. He promised to transmit the information to capital. Overall, the expert did not appear very engaged on the topic or someone who can influence his capital. A follow-up from the champion states with the Ambassador in New York or Geneva can help to expediate this process.

November 2022: Update on the champion states’ joint demarche with the 14 countries that co-sponsored UNSC resolution 2601 but have not yet endorsed the SSD: Joint démarche by the champions was done in capitals in Australia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Indonesia, Lithuania, and Lesotho, as well as through the Missions in New York with Comoros, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, and Tuvalu.

June 2023: Apolline met with Ferdinand Safari, Director, African Centre of Excellence of the Dallaire Institute for Children, Peace and Security. The aim of the meeting was to discuss and strategize around SSD endorsement for Rwanda. Mr. Safari recently met with the Ministry of Education, which affirmed him that there were no obstacles to endorse the SSD. He will also be meeting with the MFA in the coming weeks. He suggested that GCPEA prepares a formal letter requesting endorsement, supported by annex documents explaining what the SSD is, and why states should endorse, which he will deliver to the Ministry and follow-up on. GCPEA prepared and shared that letter on 22 June. Ferdinand was able to meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and share with him a letter with background documents we prepared. The Minister requested advice from the Ministries of Defence and Education. It seems that the legal team is currently scrutinizing the documents to provide the ministries with informed advice. Ferdinand agreed to keep us informed of further developments.