SPEECH BY THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE AT THE OPENNING CEREMONY OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY WORKSHOP ON 21 JUNE 2011 AT RWANDA PEACE ACADEMY- NYAKINAMA The RDF Chief of Defence Staff The Governor Northern Province The Director Rwanda Peace Academy Distinguished Invited Guests General and Senior Offrs from the RDF Participants of the Environmental Security Workshop, Ladies and gentlemen, 1. It is my pleasure to preside over the official opening of this Environmental Security Workshop for the Rwanda Defense Forces Officers and other stakeholders from the environment protection sectors of the Government of Rwanda. 2. I wish to first express my profound appreciation to the progress so far made in the Rwanda-United States military cooperation. I also wish to extend my sincere appreciation to the United States Africa Command that has endeavored to improve this kind of cooperation. This course adds another remarkable milestone in the cooperation between Rwanda and the United States of America. 3. It should be every mankind’s obligation to understand the environment and how it impacts on our daily lives. It is therefore important to express that Rwanda’s economy and the livelihoods of her people are dependent on the environment and natural resources such as water, land, air, minerals, plants and animals. These natural resources are increasingly under pressure from unsustainable use resulting in environmental degradation as well as decline in ecosystem goods and services. 4. The national environmental assets provide opportunities to achieve economic development and make good progress towards Vision 2020, EDPRS and the targets of the Millennium Development Goals. Rwanda’s socioeconomic transformation cannot be realised without primarily addressing environmental challenges. We cannot afford to lose our natural heritage through environmental degradation. 5. Our very survival and that of future generations depends on the sustainable use of our environmental resources. Our challenge, as a country is to utilize natural resources to the benefit of sustainable development. To achieve this objective will require utilization of resources in ways that promote environment and natural resource conservation and improved management of all forms of pollutants. 6. It is therefore every individual’s responsibility to secure, protect and ensure a health environment in order to make our world a better place to live. The military uses a lot of the most polluting materials in their daily operations. Let me reiterate that there is no way we can have sustainable security without securing our environment. 7. It is for this reason that military trainings should always include environmental protection mechanisms and understanding of how pollution of any kind impacts on their operations. I know the Rwanda Defence Force has been on the fore front in the campaign against environmental degradation and pollution and I think that’s why majority of the participants of this workshop come from RDF. 8. I therefore call upon the participants going to attend this workshop to maximize their attention and acquire as much as possible from our US AFRICOM friends that are going to facilitate the workshop. 9. As for our brothers from the United States, welcome once again to Rwanda. It is our duty to make you taste the famous Rwandan hospitality and make you feel at home. I understand yesterday you visited the famous mountain Gorillas; you have just missed one of the biggest environment related festivals called KWITIZINA (GORILLA NAMING). I call it environment related festival because it is geared at conserving those rare species as well as their natural habitat. 10. Once again I thank the Government of the United States and the US AFRICOM in particular; for having supported this important training event. us. I also pledge our commitment to the good working relationship between our Defence Forces and look forward to more cooperation for the better of our peoples. 11. I now declare this workshop open. Thank you! SPEECH BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF DEFENCE AT THE CLOSING CEREMONY OF ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY WORKSHOP ON 23 JUNE 2011 AT RWANDA PEACE ACADEMY His Excellency the Ambassador of the United States of America, The Governor Northern Province Permanent Secretaries Director Generals of Government Institutions The Director Rwanda Peace Academy US AFRICOM Representative and your team Distinguished Invited Guests General and Senior Officers Participants of the Environmental Security Workshop Ladies and gentlemen, 1. It is my pleasure to preside over the official closing of this environmental security workshop for the Rwanda Defense Forces Officers and other stakeholders from the environment protection sectors of the Government of Rwanda. 2. I wish to start by again expressing my profound gratitude to the United States of America and the US Africa Command for their support. I would also wish to thank the facilitators of this workshop for having shared their US Military involvement in environmental preservation with the Rwandan participants. 3. Most conflicts in Africa and any other part of the world are directly caused or triggered by environment issues.Incidentally; the environment becomes the primary victim of conflict. It would therefore be unwise for a post conflict Rwanda to overlook this important aspect that has a greater impact on our economic recovery. 4. The major problem in the field of environmental protection in Rwanda is the imbalance between the population and the natural resources (land, water, flora and fauna and non-renewable resources, which have been degrading for decades). This degradation is observed through massive deforestation, the depletion of bio-diversity, erosion and landslides, pollution of waterways and the degradation of fragile ecosystems, such as swamps and wetlands 5. The recurring theme of this workshop has been to understand the symbiotic relationship between the sustainability of military operations and the preservation of the environment. It is in this regard that the majority of the participants were drawn from the Rwanda Defence Force and am sure that the challenges faced by the RDF and other Rwandan stakeholders in the environment security are not far from the challenges faced by the US Military. 6. We therefore certain that at the end of this three days training, participants have gained much from sharing experiences with the US AFRICOM facilitators. This will be useful in the sense that it has enhanced the understanding of mechanisms and strategies required to preserve the environment within which they operate. 7. I therefore call upon you the Rwandan participants to make maximum use of the knowledge acquired and ensure its application to the Rwandan situation. 8. Once again I thank the Government of the United States of America and the US Africa Command in particular for their continued support extended to the Rwandans and the RDF in particular. I also want to thank the Rwanda Peace Academy for organizing and hosting this meaningful workshop.  9. I wish to whole heartedly thank our brothers and sisters from the US Africa Command for the wonderful facilitation that has made this workshop educative, interactive and successful. I wish you journey mercies back home and extend our regards to your families. 10. With those few remarks I, declare this workshop officially closed. Thank you!