Kigali, Rwanda, February 2, 2024 – The Global Climate Fund (GCF) Secretariat approved a Readiness Proposal for the Republic of Rwanda focusing on the “Development of Sectoral Guide and District Plans for Integrated Land Use Planning, capacity development for access to finance, and rural women empowerment for climate action”. The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), in collaboration with Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) – the National Designated Authority – will deliver the project which has been approved with a total budget of US$ 698,813 for a period of 24 months.

Recognizing the need to preserve and rationally use its natural resources to achieve economic transformation and climate resilience, the Government of Rwanda has developed the 2050 National Land Use and Development Master plan (NLUDMP – 2050). The NLUDMP aims to foster a well-planned, green and functional urbanization and agglomeration process with efficient use of land across various sectors.

Implementation of the NLUDMP is, however, constrained due to the following challenges faced by key actors in the land sub-sector:

• Limited capacity in land-use, environmental and climate planning ;
• Limited capacity to access climate finance;
• Lack of sectoral guidelines to mainstream environmental and climate change strategy, and
• Despite a national drive to develop local land use plans, selected districts still lack land use development plans aligned with the NLUMP 2050.

The project also recognizes the key role played by other stakeholders, particularly rural women, in land management and natural resources preservation. Despite their contribution, rural women continue to face challenges related to limited technical skills for climate smart actions, limited access to climate information, and climate funding opportunities.

Building on the results and lessons learnt of the previous GCF readiness projects, the current project seeks to:

1. Integrating climate resilient spatial planning, green economy, social inclusion and environmental management into the development of two Green District Land Use Plans to comply with the sectoral land use balance sheet, sustainable land use allocations, environmental protections and climate resilient human settlement development.
2. Building the capacity of land sub-sector actors, i.e. the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA), National land Authority (NLA) and Districts, toward climate-resilient human settlement planning and development in Rwanda.
3. Empowering rural women in their existing efforts to drive climate action.
4. Strengthening the capacity of the Ministry of Environment, as the GCF Direct Access Entity (DAE) for sectoral project development to strengthen Rwanda’s access to climate finance and stakeholders’ coordination.

“This project is important because Rwanda is moving towards a net zero carbon economy and sustainable land use. It aligns with Rwanda’s efforts to meet its global and local commitments, transitioning from agriculture to industry and services. Rwanda aims to be a responsible country using natural resources efficiently, building climate-resilient infrastructure and promoting green urbanization.” said Juliet Kabera, Director General, Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA)

GGGI as project delivery partner, will continue to collaborate with Rwanda Environment Management Authority which is the National Designated Authority (NDA) and other government institutions to execute the project deliverables through extensive and meaningful engagement with key beneficiaries.