Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) for the Republic of Rwanda.

In order to address the challenge of climate change, the Government of Rwanda submitted this Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), a nationwide sectoral document based on its National Strategy for Climate Change and Low Carbon Development Strategy. The INDC consists of both adaptation and mitigation measures.
As for the adaptation measures, Rwanda aims at reaching the goal of a country where agriculture and industry have a minimal negative impact on the environment, operating in a sustainable way, and enabling self-sufficient basic necessities for all living in it. They cover the following sectors (i) agriculture; (ii) forestry; (iii) tourism; (iv) water; and (v) land use. The envisaged interventions into the aforementioned sectors will lead to reduced GHG and methane emissions from (i) land use; (ii) landfills; (iii) fertilizer manufacturing processes; (iv) enteric fermentation; (v) using low carbon energy sources and reduced transport distance; and (vi) sequestration through management of forest resources.
Mitigation measures aim at achieving energy security and a low carbon energy supply that support the development of Green Industry and services and avoids deforestation. Main of these measures are (i) establishment of new grid connected renewable electricity generation capacity in the form of large-scale hydro power plants and solar PV power; (ii) installation of solar PV mini-grids in rural communities; (iii) increase energy efficiency through demand-side measures and grid-loss reduction; (iv) promote environmentally sustainable use of biomass fuels; (v) promotion of public transport, improvement of transport infrastructure, setting vehicles’ emission standards; (vi) reduce energy demand in agro-processing industries; (vii) utilization of urban waste as a high value resource stream; (viii) sustainable charcoal production techniques.
To help eliminate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition, the INDC provides for increasing investment in irrigated agriculture to increase production and harness fresh water resources.
In order to make agriculture and forestry more productive and sustainable, main interventions are (i) mainstreaming agro-ecology techniques using spatial plant stacking as in agro-forestry, kitchen gardens, nutrient recycling, and water conservation; (ii) utilizing resource recovery and reuse through organic waste composting and wastewater irrigation; (iii) using fertilizer enriched compost; (iv) mainstreaming sustainable pest management techniques to control plant parasites and pathogens; (v) soil conservation and land husbandry; (vi) irrigation and water management; (vii) promote afforestation and reforestation of designated areas through enhanced germplasm and technical practices in planting and post-planting processes; (ix) improved forest management for degraded forest resources; and (x) develop a National Water Security Plan to employ water storage and rain water harvesting, water conservation practices, efficient irrigation, and other water efficient technologies.
To enable more inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems, the Government encourages the following (i) add value to agricultural products through processing to meet national market demand for food stuff; (ii) achieve the 100% of farmers with access to services for post harvest treatment and storage of food crops and reduce post harvest losses; (iii) expand local markets by constructing market infrastructure, including roofed market facilities, serviceable road and transport networks; (iii) develop decentralized village-based agricultural processing centers that incorporate low-carbon sources of energy; and (iv) involve group based organizations in agriculture production and running agro-processing facilities.
Increasing the resilience of livelihoods to disasters, together with the referred measures, requires (i) the establishment of an integrated early warning system and disaster response plans; (ii) promotion of sustainable pest management techniques that incorporates a cropping system based on producing multiple crop and fodder yields; (iii) installation of land protection structures like radical and progressive terraces; (iv) surface water quality monitoring; and (v) periodical vulnerability assessment.
As for the Governance, the Ministry of Natural Resources (MINIRENA) is the Ministry responsible for formulating and monitoring national policies related to climate change and environment, while the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) is the official organ responsible for implementing national policies and strategies related to climate change and environment. A successful implementation of this INDC requires a close coordination and collaboration between MINIRENA, REMA and all potential stakeholders, including the private sector, civil society and public institutions.