I. Governance system

The Rwandan State is an independent, sovereign, democratic, social and secular Republic. The principle governing the Republic is "government of the people, by the people and for the people".

Rwanda recognises a multi-party system of government. Without prejudice to the independence of each political organization and their collaboration, political organizations officially recognized in Rwanda organize themselves in a consultative forum.

The President of the Republic and the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies shall belong to different political organizations.  Judges, prosecutors as well as members of the armed forces, police and National Security Service are not be permitted to be members of political organizations.

The branches of government are:

1° the legislature;

2° the executive;

3° the judiciary.

The three branches are separate and independent from one another but are all complementary.   

The country counts the highest women representation in parliament globally (61%), with the cabinet and local governance institutions also counting about 50 percent of women.

The territory of Rwanda is divided into Provinces, Districts, Cities, Municipalities, Towns, Sectors and Cells. Districts, Municipalities, Towns and the City of Kigali are decentralized entities with legal status and administrative and financial autonomy and are the foundation of community development. Currently, there are 4 provinces led by appointed Governors, and the city of Kigali, 30 districts led with elected mayors from the district adivisory council, 416 sectors .

Home-grown solutions

In the aftermath of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Rwanda adopted several unconventional measures to find solutions to the challenges the country faced. The Government of Rwanda drew on aspects of Rwandan culture and traditional practices to enrich and adapt its development programs to the country’s needs and context. The result is a set of Governance and Home Grown Initiatives (GHI) - culturally owned practices translated into sustainable development programs.

These are among the successful home-grown solutions behind the country's success story:

a. Abunzi – Community Mediators

b. Gacaca – Community Courts

c. Girinka - One Cow per Poor Family Programme

d. Imihigo – Performance Contracts

e. Itorero - Civic Education

f. Ingando – Solidarity Camp

g. Ubudehe – Social categorisation for collective action and mutual support

h. Umuganda – Community Work

i. Umushyikirano – National Dialogue Council

j. Umwiherero – National Leadership Retreat

II. International Cooperation

The government of Rwanda has put considerable efforts in establishing and maintaining quality relationships with other countries for peace, security and stability of Rwanda, the region and the world while participating in wealth creation through more efficient cooperation for development, promotion of investments and tourism, the transfer of know-how and technologies, and more equitable worldwide trade regional integration. 

Diplomatic representation

Rwanda currently has 39 diplomatic missions covering 147 countries, regional and international organisations, in addition to 37 honorary consuls representing Rwanda's strategic interests in 17 Countries. At a regional and international level, Rwanda is a member of 201 multilateral organisations. Under the chaimanship of President Paul Kagame, Rwanda was graced to become home for the historical signing of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) on 21 March 2018.

III. Peacekeeping

Following Rwanda’s liberation and stopping the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi by the Rwanda Patriotic Army, Rwanda has put considerable efforts in ensuring security and safety of the country’s territory by building competent and professional security organs. The country is highly reputed as one of the safest places on the continent while its remarkable contribution to peacekeeping missions worldwide has earned it to be the birthplace of the notorious “Kigali Principle” on civilians’ protection.

Rwanda is the fourth major troop and police contributing country in the UN, with over 5,000 troops serving since 2004.

Rwanda is also the highest contributor of female police officers and the second biggest Police contributor ( both male & female).

Rwandan troops and police officers serve in seven UN missions, including: 

The African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) where Rwanda was the first country to send its peacekeepers;

• The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS);
• The UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH);
• The UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL);
• The UN Interim Security Force in Abyei (UNISFA);
• The UN Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI); and,
• The UN Integrated Peace-building Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS).

Rwanda was ranked the second safest country in Africa by the 2018 Gallup Global Law and Order report, with 83 percent of residents expressing confidence in the local police force.

The 2017 Gallup's Law and Order Index had also ranked Rwanda among the safest countries in the world that provide a conducive atmosphere to people who walk alone at night.

The Global Competitiveness Index, (GCI 2017) also placed Rwanda among the best seven countries worldwide with has a very low incidence of crime and violence that impose costs on businesses. Police services reliability in Rwanda was ranked 13th globally by GCI when it comes to being relied upon to enforce law and order.

The International Police Science Association (IPSA), and the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) also ranked Rwanda Police Services as the second best in Africa.

Rwanda is also the fourth major troop and police contributing country in the UN, with over 5,000 troops & police serving since 2004.

Following a High Level International Conference on Protection of Civilians in Kigali in May 2015, the governments of Rwanda, Italy, Netherlands, Uruguay and Uganda have agreed to a voluntary set of principles on the protection of civilians in peacekeeping.

The Kigali Principles establish that protection of civilians is the core function of peacekeeping and that effective protection of civilians requires properly trained troops, adequate equipment, and a strong political commitment.

The Kigali Principles represent a shared commitment by signatories to strengthen their efforts in peacekeeping operations to address the terrible plight that civilians continue to endure in armed conflicts. We call upon other significant troop- and police-contributing countries to join us in endorsing these principles to strengthen our collective efforts to eliminate suffering and advance conditions for peace around the world.