Roundup: Countries strengthen support to green economy

Environmental experts from across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean have expressed their readiness for the realization of the climate resilient green economy.

Participants drawn from Bangladesh, Colombia, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Mozambique, Peru and Rwanda are meeting in the Rwanda Capital Kigali to coordinate and mobilize financing for climate change response.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday at the sidelines of the three-day forum, Dr. Vincent Biruta, Rwanda minister of natural resources said the meeting will provide Rwanda with a chance to share its experience in establishing the National Fund for the Environment and Climate Change (FONERWA), the largest in Africa.

"Working on global issues like a climate change is significant for Rwanda to eradicate poverty, since the country has low carbon emission in the world," he said.

Biruta stated that Rwanda's existing environmental legal framework and green fund program will enable the country to achieve the target of climate compatible development.

"Our country endeavours to walk towards a climate resilient future and this meeting will help us identify channels and leverage points for financing climate resilient development interventions," the minister noted.

"Though Rwanda is reported as well advanced in the area of environment and climate change resilience, we believe there is still room for improvement and we are eager to learn from others' experience."

Organized by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) in collaboration with Rwanda's Environment Management Authority (REMA), the forum will deliberate challenges and opportunities related to long-term finance for low emission and climate resilient development.

Participants at the meeting will also share experiences of how national governments mobilize, manage and use resources including climate finance to implement climate change plans and policies.

Rwanda has been playing a leading role in Africa in all sectors, including addressing climate change.

Early this month, Rwanda was accredited by the Global green climate fund (GCF) to access project-based climate finance from the world's largest climate change adaptation and resilience fund.

GCF is a fund established to redistribute money from the developed to the developing world, in order to assist the developing countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counter climate change.

In April this year, the post-genocide country was ranked among top 20 world greenest places for 2015, according to World Travel Guide, an international travel guide for adventurous travellers.

A research, conducted by Rwanda Environment Management Authority in 2011 showed that the country faces a problem of air pollution caused by vehicular emissions resulting from poor maintenance and use of second hand vehicles.

The tiny central African nation in 2008 passed a law that banned the importation and use of polythene bags, while possession or smuggling them into the country attracted heavy penalties. Endit