City of Kigali Awarded Wetland City Accreditation
Geneva, 10 November,2022 - The City Kigali received Wetland City Accreditation Award during the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP14) taking place in Geneva from form 5th to 13 November,2022. The COP14 convened governments, civil society, youth, academia and media to raise actions to protect and restore wetlands, the most valuable ecosystem for people and for nature.
Ramsar Independent Advisory Committee on Wetland City Accreditation selected the City of Kigali, amongst the 25 accredited cities for the second edition of the Wetland City Accreditation.
On behalf of Mayor of the City of Kigali, Ngango James, Minister Counsellor and Deputy Permanent Representative to Permanent Mission of the Republic of Rwanda to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva said:
“It’s with no doubt that this award consists of an inspiration for the City of Kigali as well as other Cities in our region to set up and strengthen efforts toward the sustainable use of urban wetlands as well as sustainable socio-economic benefits for local populations”.
“Wetlands in the City of Kigali contribute to livelihoods, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem services and carbon sequestration. In the last decade, rapid population growth with increased urbanization has led to a reduction of open spaces within the City including encroachment into natural habitats and wetland degradation exacerbated by climate change impact” Added Minister Counselor Ngango James,
The city of Kigali will get many advantages for being selected amongst accredited cities including among others: Join the Global online network of cities which obtained the wetland City Accreditation of the Ramsar Convention; the accreditation of the City of Kigali for "Wetland City Accreditation" allows Rwanda to gain international credit and positive publicity for its efforts in sustainable use of wetlands.
It is also an additional value to the environmental recognitions received by Rwanda such as the Green Globe Award in 2010 for the restoration of Rugezi-Burera-Ruhondo wetland, Rwanda's capital Kigali recognized as the cleanest city in Africa (Forbes' list, 2007), among others.
To date, out of 43 wetlands Accredited Cities in the World only 4 are in Africa namely Ghar el Melh (Tunisia), Mitsinjo (Madagascar), Kigali (Rwanda) ; Ifrane (Morocco) and Cape Town (South Africa)
Recognizing the importance of cities and urban areas, the Convention on Wetlands introduced the Wetland City Accreditation scheme in 2015. The voluntary scheme encourages cities to value their natural or human-made wetlands and commit collective efforts to protect, sustainably manage and restore urban wetlands.
During the 13th meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP13) in 2018 the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands recognized 18 cities. Following this second round of the scheme, a total of 43 cities in 17 countries are accredited as Wetland Cities. The 25 new cities will be recognized at COP14.
END
Topics
More posts
Rwanda will no longer outsource calibration services for meteorology, hydrology and air quality monitoring equipment, as these services will from now…
Rwanda has on September 7, 2023 joined the rest of the world to mark the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, which is celebrated annually…
The United Kingdom (UK) Minister of State for Development and Africa, Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell MP, commends Rwanda’s efforts to protecting the…
The Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) has on 22nd and 23rd August 2023 conducted a guided tour for interested bidders in the five…
The Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) in partnership with Action pour la Protection de l‟Environnement et la Promotion des Filières…
Farmers and fishers in Rwanda are joining sustainable cooling experts to learn how clean-cold technology can revolutionise their businesses.
Farmers…
Kigali, 15 June, 2023-Today, the World Bank Vice-President for Eastern and Southern Africa, Victoria Kwakwa visited Rwampara wetland which is one of…
Many decades ago, women and children in Amayaga Region – in Rwanda’s southern province – have been struggling with the lack of firewood and…
Rwanda has on June 5, 2023 launched the Revised Green Growth and Climate Resilience Strategy as part of World Environment Day celebrations. The…