Each year, Rwanda joins the rest of the world to mark International Day of Forests, World Water Day and World Meteorological Day as an opportunity to highlight the importance of forests, water, weather and climate in our daily lives.

The official celebration of this year 2021 are held for today, 23^rd March 2021 through a public virtual discussion as a way to combat the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. 

During the virtual celebration, discussions around achievements attained so far will be presented, challenges being encountered and future projections in the field of forestry, water and meteorology.

The conference has brought together stakeholders drawn from public and private institutions, academic institutions, NGOs, development partners, international organizations, farmers, media among others.

Dr. Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya, the Minister of Environment noted that these three days are celebrated together in recognition of the interconnections and interdependencies between our water, forest resources and meteorological services.

“In terms of forest management, the 80% public/State forest will be allocated to private operators by 2024, this is the National Strategy for Transformation target. To date, 22.148 hectares (36%) of public forests are now managed by private investors for sustainable management and value addition. Rwanda has set a targets to increase and maintain 30% of its forest cover by 2024. To date, forests occupy 30.4% (equivalent to 724,662 hectares)”. Said Dr. Mujawamariya.

Minister emphasized on a focus of the World Water Day which is to support the achievements of our national aspirations of ensuring sufficient water resources for long-term economic growth and reducing the impact caused by flooding and landslide risks so that Rwanda can achieve the Vision 2050.

“Weather warnings, climate information and climate data are essential in our daily activities. We have observed that floods, landslides, strong wind and droughts affect our lives and economic development” Minister added.

The theme for International Day of Forests 2021 is “Forests Restoration: a path to recovery and wellbeing’’. Forests are a source of food, provide medicine, clean water and shelter to people, and play a vital role in maintaining a stable global climate and environment. All of these elements taken together reinforce the message that forests are vital to the survival and wellbeing of people everywhere, all 7 billion of us.

World Water Day 2021 is observed under the theme “Valuing water” the campaign of which is generating a public conversation about how people value water for all its uses. The aim is to create a more comprehensive understanding of how water is valued by different people in different contexts so we can safeguard this precious resource for everyone.

Celebrated under the theme “The Ocean, our climate and Weather” World Meteorological Day 2021 aligns with the theme of World Water Day 2021, focusing on valuing water. The theme of the year was chosen given the fact that water covers some 70% of the Earth’s surface, the ocean is a major driver of the world’s weather and climate. It also plays a central role in climate change.

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For more information:

• www.environment.gov.rw
• www.meteorwanda.govrw
• www.rwb.rw

Media enquiries:

• Remy Niyingize, Public Relations Officer at Rwanda Water Resources Board (RWB), Email: [email protected] , Tel: + 250787736574

•  Mr. Tukamwibonera Leonard, Public Relations and Communications Officer at Rwanda Meteorology Agency (METEO Rwanda) , Email: [email protected] ,Tel: +250782101153