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Rwanda has achieved 81 percent of its ‘unconditional mitigation target’, a milestone that underscores the effectiveness of domestic climate efforts and national frameworks in implementing the Paris Agreement, according to the Minister of Environment.
Bernadette Arakwiye said this during the ongoing 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil.
Unconditional mitigation targets refer to the greenhouse gas emission reductions a country pledges to achieve using its own resources, without relying on external financial or technical support.
Under the Paris Agreement, countries submit Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) that outline their climate pledges.
These typically include both unconditional and conditional targets. Conditional targets depend on international support such as climate finance, technology transfer, or capacity-building.
“Over the past decade, we have gained valuable insights into what ambitious climate action entails and how to finance it in pursuit of the 1.5°C goal,” Arakwiye said.
To assess its progress, Rwanda conducted a tracking assessment of NDC implementation from 2015 to 2024.
“The results were encouraging: 81 percent of unconditional targets met, but only 38 percent of conditional measures achieved, revealing a significant gap in predictable climate finance, ” she said.
“This presents a challenge for multilateralism and the delivery of our collective pledges under the Paris Agreement,” she warned.
According to Rwanda’s Country Climate and Development Report, climate change could cost the nation between 5 and 7 percent of its annual GDP by2050.
This economic risk reinforces the urgency of adaptation and the need for robust funding mechanisms.
“That is why adaptation must remain a central pillar of our response to climate change, and its funding should be doubled, as agreed in Glasgow at COP26,” Arakwiye said.
“We hope that COP30 becomes a turning point where the world not only negotiates but also acts together with renewed purpose.”
A key focus at COP30 is the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG)—a proposed global climate finance target to replace the previous $100 billion annual commitment.
Countries are advocating for a $300 billion annual goal, supported by a clear delivery roadmap.
“Climate finance must be clear, predictable, and supported by a delivery roadmap that provides quick and easy access for vulnerable countries. It should not be considered a burden, but rather a tool to enable action on the ground,” Arakwiye said.
She highlighted successful financing modalities such as direct access through national institutions and results-based climate service payments.
Rwanda’s own vehicle for mobilising climate resources, the Rwanda Green Fund, has already allocated over $300 million for a range of climate investments.
“To solve climate and nature issues through a holistic, whole-of-society approach, we have recently adopted a national Climate and Nature Finance Strategy,” she added.
Rwanda has also shifted from fragmented, small-scale projects to a programmatic approach, which Arakwiye described as transformational. One example is the Sustainable Land Management Investment Programme, which aims to improve land use, water resources, and forestry management.
“Rwanda stands ready to continue contributing to global action, but our success, as for many countries, will depend on translating the promises of finance into real, accessible, and predictable resources,” she said.
The country’s urgency for climate finance was underscored by the May 2023 floods, which claimed over 130 lives and caused nearly $200 million in damages.
“Sadly, this was not an isolated tragedy, but another example of how much damage can be done by one single climatic event,” she said.
Experts argue that climate action must be coupled with economic empowerment, with women, youth, and children placed at the forefront.
Through landscape restoration initiatives, Rwanda is on track to restore two million hectares of degraded land, transforming barren hills into forests and farmlands.
The country’s forest cover has reached 30 percent, reflecting its commitment to ecosystem restoration.
In Kigali, the government is converting five major wetlands into natural flood buffers, which will protect the capital while creating green spaces for residents and visitors.
“What was once seen as wasteland is becoming a living shield against climate shocks,” Arakwiye said.
Looking ahead, Rwanda’s updated NDC, referred to as NDC 3.0, sets an economy-wide target of reducing emissions by 53 percent by 2035, while strengthening resilience across all sectors.
This ambition aims to show that climate action and economic development are mutually reinforcing.
“Rwanda looks forward to agreeing on a clear roadmap to deliver the $300 billion annual commitment agreed at COP29, while charting a path toward the more realistic goal of at least $1.3 trillion per year by 2030,” Arakwiye said.
Rwanda continues to advocate for accessible, predictable, and equitable climate finance, as well as a Loss and Damage Fund that meets the needs of the most vulnerable.
“Capacity building and technology transfer that empowers domestic climate action must also be prioritised,” she added.
Rwanda is also contributing to the Global Goal on Adaptation, working with partners to develop indicators that measure both adaptation progress and the adequacy of adaptation finance.
At COP30, Teddy Mugabo, CEO of the Rwanda Green Fund, and a delegation from the Kigali International Financial Centre met with Planner Investimentos in São Paulo to explore collaboration under the newly launched Global Food Security Fund.
Rwanda’s agricultural sector, which contributes 25 percent to GDP, drives 6 percent of annual economic growth, and employs over 70 percent of the population, is a strategic priority.
“We are investing heavily in regenerative agriculture,” Mugabo said.
In partnership with the Kigali International Financial Centre, the government developed a Climate Smart Agriculture Investment Plan, identifying over $335 million in private investment opportunities and positioning regenerative agriculture as a profitable, future-ready sector.
“The Rwanda Green Fund is proud to partner with stakeholders to attract and accelerate climate-smart, sustainable agri-food investments,” Mugabo said.
Rwanda will also launch a Biodiversity Finance Window to expand nature-positive investments and restore ecosystems.
African negotiators have consistently argued that without predictable, affordable finance, developing nations cannot deliver on their commitments.
Mohamed Adow, founder and director of Power Shift Africa, said: “COP30 must deliver the priorities for Africa and the wider developing world, which are clear. We need a fair deal that delivers finance for adaptation in vulnerable countries and supports a just transition to renewable energy.”
First publication: TNT
