Press Release

Press Release: GCF Approves the National Adaptation Readiness and preparatory support for building flood resilience capacities in Rwanda

On 26 January 2020, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Secretariat approved the Readiness Proposal for the Republic of Rwanda that was submitted on the 3rd April 2019 . This proposal has been approved for the amount of USD 1.823,993 for National Adaptation Readiness and Preparatory Support for Building Flood Resilience Capacities in Rwanda.

This National Adaptation Plan (NAP) grant will build upon the improved readiness capacity established through the recently completed GCF Readiness project titled “Readiness and preparatory support to implement Green City Development Projects in Rwanda’s Secondary Cities” (2018-2019) and aims to strengthen national interest, awareness and capacity to directly access GCF opportunities. The Accredited Entity (AE) which is the Ministry of Environment, National Designated Authority (NDA) which is Rwanda Environment Management Authority , and other relevant central institutions and local governments will be fully equipped to support the City of Kigali and at least four urban areas outside Kigali City around Rwanda’s four provinces that have been experiencing rapid growth, coupled with recurrent floods and landslides that have significantly hampered the country’s efforts to become climate-resilient, economically developed middle-income country status.

The proposal responds to critical needs highlighted by the Government of Rwanda (GoR)’s Assessment of Climate Change Vulnerability in Rwanda (2019) and National Rainwater Harvesting Strategy (2016), both of which specified a lack of integrated management, the fragmentation and poor coordination between institutions, and inadequate monitoring and evaluation of interventions. The proposed activities aim to bridge the gap between various entities responsible for the planning and prevention of landslides and flooding including the Ministry of Infrastructure, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry in Charge of Emergency Management, Meteo Rwanda, and sub-national entities including the City of Kigali. The proposal aims to substantially strengthen the coordination required for planning and collaboration in preparation for the projected increase in severity and frequency of landslides and flooding and their impact on the rapidly urbanizing centers in Rwanda.

This proposal addresses the gaps assessed through:
1) the National Risk Atlas of Rwanda, which includes landslide hazard assessment using the Spatial Multi Criteria Evaluation (SMCE) process and flooding hazard assessment using the GIS Flood Tool (GFT) (2018),
2) the identification of priority and at-risk areas in the urbanization planning process as part of the master plan and district development strategies (DDS) (2019), and
3) through a consultative process with representatives from key institutions

About the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI):
The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), who has a delivery partner agreement with GCF, is officially nominated by the NDA to be a delivery partner for the execution and day to day management of this NAP readiness fund. GGGI will be responsible for the overall management of the project once funds are released and will be reporting both to the NDA and the GCF with which it would have concluded a bilateral agreement that will enable it to have administrative communication with the fund. This entails management of personnel, fund disbursements, monitoring, evaluation and reporting to GCF. Moreover, GGGI Rwanda team provides ongoing advisory support to senior government officials (e.g. Ministers, State Ministers, Mayors, and Directors) to ensure robust decision making that factors green growth and climate resilience, with three green city technical assistants in the secondary cities that support project activities outside of Kigali.

About Green Climate Fund (GCF):
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is the world’s largest dedicated fund helping developing countries reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and enhance their ability to respond to climate change. It was set up by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2010. GCF has a crucial role in serving the Paris Agreement, supporting the goal of keeping average global temperature rise well below 2 degrees C , by channeling climate finance to developing countries, which have joined other nations in committing to climate action. Read more