Rwanda has joined the rest of the world at Stockholm+50 and called for greater accountability to achieve the climate action and adaptation financing goals agreed by the international community.

Hosted by Sweden, Kenya and the United Nations, Stockholm+50 brought together thousands of delegates from government, the private sector and civil society at a critical time in the global effort to protect our environment and promote sustainable development.

Stockholm+50 commemorates the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment and celebrates 50 years of global environmental action. By recognising the importance of multilateralism in tackling the Earth’s triple planetary crisis – climate, nature, and pollution – the meeting aimed to drive action toward a healthy planet for the prosperity of all.

Rwanda’s delegation was led by the Minister of Environment, Dr Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya, and included representatives from Rwanda Green Fund, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning as well as UNDP Rwanda.

In the lead up to the conference, a series of Stockholm+50 consultations were held with young people, women, community leaders, people living with disabilities, the private sector and policy makers to ask: What does a green future look like to you? The actions proposed by participants focused on:

• The need to scale-up and disburse funds for climate-resilient projects
• Investing in restoring degraded ecosystems to reduce the impact of the climate crisis and slow biodiversity loss
• Engaging private sector players and vulnerable groups in developing and implementing policies and initiatives to protect the environment

Delivering Rwanda’s National Statement to Stockholm+50 on behalf of President Kagame and the people of Rwanda, Minister Mujawamariya called for the world to invest in the future.

“Finance for climate change adaptation must increase. A global commitment to the principles of loss and damage must be prioritised. New financing partnerships must be accompanied by accountability measures that ensure the promises made in Paris are honoured,” said Minister Mujawamariya.

“Achieving an internationally legally binding treaty to plastic pollution by 2024, universal ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol and greater investment in nature-based solutions are important priorities for Rwanda. We look forward to working with Member States and partners to make them a reality,” she said.

On the sidelines of Stockholm+50 in Sweden, Rwanda was welcomed as the newest member of the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE), an international platform to advance green growth and climate conscious socio-economic development. Being part of the Partnership for Action on Green Economy will also accelerate Rwanda’s efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and attain its Vision 2050 to become a carbon neutral economy by the middle of the century.

In Stockholm, Rwanda and Zambia also signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen environmental governance. Through this partnership, both countries will exchange skills and experiences in terms of capacity building and develop and put into practice initiatives and projects to improve the management of natural resources.

At the summit, Rwanda’s delegation also met with the Swedish Minister of International Development Cooperation, United States Assistant Secretary for Ocean, Environment and Science, Ministers of Environment of the Netherlands, Uruguay, Zambia and Zimbabwe as well as the Administrator of United Nations Development Programme the Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund.

Members of the delegation also attended a special event at Norrsken House in Stockholm - a key partner of the Government of Rwanda in developing the country’s entrepreneurship ecosystem.

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Photos

• View photos of Rwanda’s delegation to Stockholm+50 here.
• View videos of the Stockholm+50 Consultations in Rwanda here.
• Read Rwanda’s National Statement to Stockholm+50 here.
• Read remarks delivered by Minister Mujawamariya at Stockholm+50 at www.environment.gov.rw.

Media Enquiries

• Basile Uwimana, Communications and Outreach Specialist, Ministry of Environment, at [email protected].