Climate compatible development in the ‘Land of a Thousand Hills’: Lessons from Rwanda

This research paper documents Rwanda's experiences and lessons in national-level climate compatible development planning between 2013 and 2014. It highlights the role of legislative frameworks, the establishment of the Environment and Climate Change Fund (FONERWA), and the integration of climate resilience into national budgeting and planning systems.

• Rwanda has established a strong legal and institutional framework to integrate climate change as a cross-cutting issue. The 2003 National Constitution established the Ministry of Natural Resources (MINIRENA), followed by the creation of the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) in 2006 and the Rwanda Natural Resources Authority in 2011. Additionally, the 2005 Environment Law and 2005 Land Law provided the legal authority to control activities around water bodies and designate lakes and swamps as state land, which was critical for addressing a 2004 energy crisis caused by the degradation of the Rugezi-Burera-Ruhondo watershed.
• The Environment and Climate Change Fund (FONERWA), established by law in 2012, serves as the primary vehicle for channeling and monitoring additional climate finance. In its first two years, FONERWA mobilised approximately US$44 million in capitalisation commitments, including US$34 million in seed capital from the UK International Climate Fund and US$3.7 million in domestic counterpart funding. The fund has processed over 1,000 eligible project concept notes and partnered with the Rwanda Development Bank to provide a credit line for private sector applicants.
• Rwanda has innovated its budgeting process to mainstream climate priorities through the Budget Call Circular. Starting in fiscal year 2012–2013, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning required all budget agencies to submit an annex reflecting environment and climate change priorities. This mechanism transformed strategic objectives into programmed activities with dedicated budgets and implementation schedules.
• The government has adopted high-level strategic frameworks, including the 2011 Green Growth and Climate Resilience Strategy and the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy 2013–2018 (EDPRS II). However, implementing the Green Growth and Climate Resilience Strategy is challenging because it lacks a clear, costed implementation plan and its 14 programmes of action are shared across diverse sectors with competing interests.
• Demonstration projects, such as 'climate-proofed' villages, have been used to build awareness and encourage the scale-up of climate activities. A specific example in Rubaya, Northern Rwanda, provided 43 families with biogas digesters, high-breed Friesian cows, and rainwater harvesting systems to showcase the link between climate and poverty. This led the Ministry of Local Government to request that all districts implement at least one such demonstration project.
• Despite progress, Rwanda faces persistent challenges in institutional capacity and coordination. There is a lack of ownership of climate activities across sectors due to low capacity and financial constraints, particularly at the district level. Awareness of climate strategies remains patchy outside the highest levels of government, and sector planners struggle to translate high-level objectives into practical, costed activities.

APA

Caldwell, D., Dyszynski, J., & Roland, R. (2015). Climate compatible development in the ‘Land of a Thousand Hills’: Lessons from Rwanda. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CDKN_Rwanda_Working_Paper_final_web.pdf

Chicago

Caldwell, Debbie, Jillian Dyszynski, and Rachel Roland. Climate compatible development in the ‘Land of a Thousand Hills’: Lessons from Rwanda. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2015. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CDKN_Rwanda_Working_Paper_final_web.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Caldwell |first1=Debbie |last2=Dyszynski |first2=Jillian |last3=Roland |first3=Rachel |title=Climate compatible development in the ‘Land of a Thousand Hills’: Lessons from Rwanda |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=July 2015 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CDKN_Rwanda_Working_Paper_final_web.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{caldwell2015climate, author = {Caldwell, Debbie and Dyszynski, Jillian and Roland, Rachel}, title = {{Climate compatible development in the ‘Land of a Thousand Hills’: Lessons from Rwanda}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2015}, month = jul, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CDKN_Rwanda_Working_Paper_final_web.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }