The report, Rwanda: From Post-Conflict to Environmentally Sustainable
Development, was unveiled in Kigali by the Minister of Natural Resources,
Hon. Mr Stanislas Kamanzi, at the start of a regional meeting with East African
senior policy makers exploring how to leverage support for a shift towards an
environmentally sustainable, climate resilient, low-carbon, resource-efficient
future.
Following a consultative process with the Government of Rwanda, the 380-page
UNEP report provides a critical analysis of the most pressing environmental
issues facing the country and proposes an integrated package of almost 90
projects and interventions, totaling US$147 million, that would help the country
accelerate its sustainable development agenda.
Key findings include that Rwanda has lost 60 percent of its natural forest
area since independence, driven mainly by the needs of a fast-growing population
for land, timber and firewood. However, recent reforestation efforts have helped
raise forest cover to around 20 percent of the country's surface area.
In particular, the report recommends the Rwandan government reinforces its
policies and investments in areas such as large-scale ecosystem rehabilitation,
renewable energies, sustainable agriculture and agroforestry, environmental
management capacity building and regional environmental cooperation, including
participation in natural resource trade initiatives.
With over 10 million people in an area of 26,000 square kilometers, Rwanda is
one of the most densely populated countries striving to unlock a downward-cycle
of natural resource over-exploitation. However, it has made remarkable progress
following the aftermath of the 1994 genocide and is now considered an
inspiration for African development.
UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, Mr Achim Steiner,
said the shared lessons from implementing the report's recommendations would
help reverse declining environmental trends and showcase a real-life pathway to
a green economy.
"Rwanda provides an exceptional case of a country's willpower to overcome a
traumatic conflict legacy, restore degraded ecosystems and lift people out of
poverty and there is growing interest from development partners and other
countries in Rwanda's pioneering model," said Mr Steiner.
"The ongoing metamorphosis of Rwanda's economy offers a unique opportunity to
catalyse green investments, to enhance sustainability, create green jobs and
promote environmentally efficient technologies," he added.
Speaking at the launch event, Minister Kamanzi welcomed the scientific
assessment which he said underlines the intrinsic relationship between ecosystem
services and the achievement of national development goals as outlined in
Rwanda's Vision 2020.
"We see the environment as the heart of our economy and need to ensure that
it can sustain the economic growth achieved in recent years," Mr Kamanzi
said.
"The damage to the Congo-Nile and Byumba highland ecosystems is highlighted
not only as a threat to biodiversity but to livelihoods and Rwanda's economic
future because it must sustain hydropower, agriculture and drinking water
supplies, as well as providing climate regulation and carbon sequestration
services.
"For Rwanda and other countries in the region, the time has come to
capitalize on green economy thinking and translate our policy targets into
on-the-ground action to create jobs, combat poverty and accelerate sustainable
development across the region," the Minister said.
More than 40 legal and technical experts from Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania and
Uganda, as well as Rwanda, are attending the workshop which is aiming to enhance
capacity in East African countries to use the green economy as a driver for
sustainable development and poverty reduction, and to identify actions,
opportunities and challenges for integrating green economy in policies and
legislations at national and regional levels.
One of the enabling frameworks needed for the green economy is having
effective laws and related governance structures to support it. Strengthening
the regulatory and governance frameworks will complement measures already being
taken by governments and the private sector.
To further support Rwanda in its efforts to accelerate a sustainable growth
path, UNEP used the workshop to release another new report, Mainstreaming
Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production in Policies and Strategies of
Rwanda.
This report was prepared by UNEP in collaboration with Rwanda's Ministry of
Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Rwanda
Environment Management Authority (REMA).
The report reviews existing policy and strategy frameworks of resource
efficient and cleaner production (RECP) and identifies areas for mainstreaming
RECP into the country's national policies and strategies.
In particular, the report identifies strategic entry points for mainstreaming
in four main areas: institutional and policy integration, economic and fiscal
incentives, capacity building and support to small and medium-sized enterprises
and information and public education.
The two-day workshop, organized by UNEP and REMA, is expected to take these
findings on board as they examine how regulatory instruments can contribute to
reducing poverty and promoting the transition to a green economy in East Africa.
Earlier this year at the UN Forest Forum, Rwanda launched a landmark Forest
Landscape Restoration Initiative aimed to reverse by 2035 the degradation of the
entire country's soil, water, land and forest resources. Next week, an
intensification of Rwanda's tree planting programme is due to begin with the
target of planting 68 million trees over the next 12 months to reach the
government's goal of raising forest cover to at least 30 percent of its land
area by 2020.
As part of the One UN presence, UNEP stands ready to assist the Government of
Rwanda in mobilizing resources to implement the post-conflict assessment's
recommendations and with broader ongoing environmental initiatives.
UNEP’s assessment was conducted with funding from the Government of Sweden.
For more information please contact:
Angele Luh, UNEP Regional Information Officer, +254 20 762 4292 or
angele.luh@unep.org
Julie Marks, UNEP Disasters and Conflicts programme, +41 22 917 8478 or
julie.marks@unep.org
Government of Rwanda:
Laetitia Kameya Umuhoza, REMA Media Expert, +250785323688 or
laekameya2000@yahoo.fr
Rwanda: From Post-Conflict to Environmentally Sustainable Development
