Kigali, 22 November, 2018, Following the 6th GEF Assembly and 54th Council Meeting held in Danang, Vietnam in June 2018, the GEF focal points of the Eastern Africa Constituency met in Kigali on the dates of 21st and 22nd November, 2018. The meeting was organized by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and chaired by Paul RALISON, Director of Environmental Mainstreaming in the Ministry of Environment of Madagascar.

Rwanda is in the Eastern Africa Constituency alongside with Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Sudan, Somalia, Seychelles, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Opening the meeting, Paul RALISON, thanked the government of Rwanda for having accepted to host this meeting and requested participants to share views for the success of the Council meeting scheduled in December this year.

In her opening remarks, the Director General of Rwanda Environment Management Authority,  Eng. Coletha Ruhamya, expressed her gratitude to GEF which has tirelessly been supporting Eastern African countries to face environmental challenges such as biodiversity loss, degradation of ecosystem services that underpin our economies and livelihoods, impacts of climate change ranging from prolonged droughts to destructive flooding and landslides, deforestation and forest degradation threatening towards desertification, chemical and waste management as well as the management of shared ecosystems.

“To illustrate the importance of GEF support in Rwanda, a total amount of about 57,624,000 USD has been invested in national projects. In this regard, the value of regional and global projects in which Rwanda has been participating is estimated at   162.37 million USD only.”

During the meeting, every member of the Constituency gave an overview report on GEF 6 projects in their countries, presented GEF7 impact programs (2019-2022) and were briefed on GEF7 strategies, operation guideline notes and requirements for submission of expression of interests to GEF. Looking at priorities of countries, Rwanda has prioritized the impact program of sustainable cities, which is one of the three GEF7 impact programs: Food systems, land use and restoration; Sustainable cities and Sustainable forest management for major biomes.

The Constituency meeting provided an opportunity to share information, views and obtain feedback from its members countries on issues related to the Council’s agenda and beyond. The outcomes of this meeting will be examined during the GEF Council meeting scheduled in December this year in order to reap all the benefits that GEF can offer for the betterment of environment, foundation of sustainable development and human well-being.

About GEF

GEF was established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit to help tackle the world’s most pressing environmental problems. GEF is a Global Fund provider that addresses issues of environment such as biodiversity, land degradation, climate change, international waters and pollution. GEF brings together 183 member countries of which 155 are recipients/beneficiaries, and works in partnership with international institutions, civil society organizations (CSOs), and the private sector to address global environmental issues while supporting national sustainable development initiatives.

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