COP 27: UN SHARES RWANDA’S CLIMATE ACTION VISION

The Government of Rwanda and its citizens have stayed committed to a green economy and have continuously taken up several climate actions to tackle the effects of climate change, including landslides, floods, and droughts.

The country has banned plastic bags, embarked on massive reforestation and tree-planting drive, put measures to protect and restore degraded ecosystems such as wetlands, lakes, and natural forests, established smart cities and put the environment and climate change at the heart of national development.

The country is also intentional at positioning itself for green investment opportunities. This was evident at 2022’s UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) that took place in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

With the support of the UN, Rwanda with its greenest pavilion, Rwanda used the platform to promote itself as an ideal destination for green investment and highlighted the country’s track record in delivering climate action and vision for a carbon neutral future by 2050.

At COP27, the Government launched the Green Investment Facility (GIF) known as "Ireme", which mobilised USD 104 million as a capital fund to implement green and climateresilient projects. Whilst Euro 46 million was raised for National Determined Contributions (NDCs) partnership. The country also launched its Sustainable Finance Roadmap, the NDCs Facility and the Future of Carbon Markets in Rwanda.

All these are positive steps, as just like many developing countries, Rwanda requires external financing to meet the challenges posed by the climate crisis and a direct and urgent response to address loss and damage. Rwanda has an ambitious plan to reduce emissions by 38% by 2030 and its through partnerships with national and international entities that it hopes to achieve this goal.

“Rwanda is like a laboratory of ideas in Africa, and the UN system is very excited to work with the Government and its citizens, including the youth. I would tell potential investors to come to Rwanda. It is your prototype ground. You come here, you test, and you see it works well and you can scale up.”

Mr. Ozonnia Ojielo in an interview with UN's Africa Renewal.