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Rwanda
Voluntary National Review 2019

Twenty-five years ago, the Genocide against the Tutsi left Rwanda far behind on all development indicators and its entire socio-economic fabric destroyed. Rwandans embarked on a rebuilding process driven by a shared Vision 2020 based on three fundamental choices: unity, ambition, and accountability. The country undertook several reforms aimed at creating an inclusive and fair society with respect of human rights and rule of law.
Since 2000, Rwanda has registered inclusive growth, averaging 8% annually leading to millions being lifted out of poverty and good progress in all development sectors.
Rwanda has integrated the Africa Agenda 2063 and the SDGs into its national development agenda through the draft Vision 2050, National Strategy for Transformation (NST1, 2017-2024) and related strategies at different levels.
The preparation of the VNR report followed a consultative approach and provides information on Rwanda’s progress, challenges and lessons learned focusing on Goals; 4, 8, 10, 13, 16 & 17 along five thematic areas;

  1. Human Capital Development: In line with the SDG 4 focusing on quality of education and learning, the Education Strategic Plan is hinged on: (i) scaling up pre-primary enrolment (ii) improving learning outcomes (iii) improving relevance of curricula (v) promoting science, technology and innovation and (vi) access for all including those with special needs.
    Progress on nutrition has been made especially regarding wasting and underweight, however stunting remains a challenge despite falling from 51% (2005) to 38% (2015). The Government has put in place a multi-sectoral programme and strategy, the National Early Childhood Development Programme to eradicate malnutrition.
  2. Inclusive Economic Growth: Economic growth has reduced both income and multidimensional poverty. With a share of 43.5% of the population in the labor force, youth is regarded as a key driver of growth, requiring the economy to accelerate job creation. NST1 is targeting to create 1.5 million decent and productive jobs by 2024 supported by the National Employment Programme.
  3. Environment and Climate Change: Rwanda targets to become a green, climate resilient and low carbon economy by 2050. A green fund (FONERWA) is in place since 2012 to mobilise resources. The National Disaster Management Policy has been revised in line with the Sendai Framework, a shift towards more integrated and anticipatory disaster risk management system in Rwanda.
  4. Good Governance and Access to Justice: Citizen participation and home-grown solutions such as Imihigo (performance contracts) and Umuganda (communities come together to perform activities of public interest) have been key to Rwanda’s development. Innovations like the Rwanda Governance Scorecard and the Citizen Report Card have further enhanced citizens’ participation and demand for accountability. Rwanda has also operationalized a decentralized civil registration system and reformed its judicial system to further enhance access to quality justice.  
  5. Strengthening the Means of Implementation, Global Partnership and Data for SDGs: More efforts are put into domestic resource mobilization, prudent debt management and macroeconomic stability. Attracting private investments in key development sectors through Public Private Partnerships will be key to achieve SDGs. The National Strategy for the Development of Statistics and the Data Revolution have been adopted to strengthen statistical capacity in monitoring SDGs. Rwanda is also hosting the SDGs Center for Africa.

Leaving No One Behind: Women, youth and people with disabilities are represented at all levels of decision making with highest women representation in Parliament (61.3%) and equal number of women and men in Cabinet. The Extreme poor are supported through social protection programmes. Rwanda is also piloting the comprehensive refugees’ response framework for their socio-economic inclusion.

Lessons learned:

  1. Visionary leadership, effective governance, and accountability are critical for achievement of SDGs.
  2. Home-Grown Solutions rooted in the Rwandan culture are resource-efficient and play a major role in enhancing ownership and accelerating development outcomes.
  3. A full integration of SDGs in the national planning and monitoring framework is critical for effective implementation.

Areas for support:

  1. Significant external resources are needed to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs and to scale up successful interventions.
  2. There is need to support the national statistical capacity both technically and financially to cover all applicable SDG indicators (currently producing 60% of the required indicators).
Focal point
Kagenza Sakufi Rumongi
Communication Officer
Permanent Mission of Rwanda to the United Nations
kagenzar@gmail.com
Documents & Reports

National Reports
Report Topics covered Process
National Report - Rwanda Rio+20;

Partnerships & Commitments
The below is a listing of all partnership initiatives and voluntary commitments where Rwanda is listed as a partner or lead entity in the Partnerships for SDGs online platform
Agricultural Services and Digital Inclusion in Africa

This proposal is part of a broader initiative that leverages the knowledge of Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and its strategic partners in the mobile world, promoting digital inclusion for smallholders and family farmers in Rwanda and Senegal, both countries which represent the face of digital divide, rural poverty and malnutrition. Through adoption of mobile applications, initially four services will be deployed, aiming to change the way rural households do business, manage their assets and access essential information for their daily needs and opportunities.

Partners
Government of Senegal, Government of Rwanda, Global Framework Climate Service - Africa Office,
Sustainable Development Goals
Agricultural Services and Digital Inclusion in Africa

This proposal is part of a broader initiative that leverages the knowledge of Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and its strategic partners in the mobile world, promoting digital inclusion for smallholders and family farmers in Rwanda and Senegal, both countries which represent the face of digital divide, rural poverty and malnutrition. Through adoption of mobile applications, initially four services will be deployed, aiming to change the way rural households do business, manage their assets and access essential information for their daily needs and opportunities.

Partners
Government of Senegal, Government of Rwanda, Global Framework Climate Service - Africa Office, telecom operators, local start-ups, District of Rulindo,
Sustainable Development Goals
Ecosystem Restoration in Rwanda

As the protection and management of the environment is one of the pillars of Rwanda's Vision 2020, the "country of a thousand hills" has undertaken many initiatives to protect ecosystems for income generation and good governance. Several of these projects, including the initiative to preserve the Rwandan mountain gorilla and wetland restoration efforts in the Nyabarongo-Akagera network and Rugezi, are already beginning to reap environmental, economic, and employment benefits. Source: UNEP (2011) Green Economy . Advisory Services. Rwanda has helped to restore the population of the critically en...[more]

Partners
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
Environment and Natural Resources Sector Plan

Rwanda adopted an Environment and Natural Resources Sector plan (2009 - 2013) - "Towards a Green, Clean, Healthy and Wealthy Rwanda", to ensure a sustainable management of natural resources and environment to meet the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS) and MDG targets, Vision 2020 aspirations and the country's international commitments. Source: Ministry of Natural Resources, Republic of Rwanda "The implementation of the Environment and Natural Resources Strategic Plan will ensure that sustainable use of environmental goods and services and rational unilization of natu...[more]

Partners
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
Republic of Rwanda - Green Growth and Climate Resilience: National Strategy for Climate Change and Low Carbon Development

The Republic of Rwanda released its Green Growth and Climate Resilience National Strategy for Climate Change and Low Carbon Development in October 2011. The Strategy aims to build upon work that is already being done in Rwanda on climate change, focusing the various projects and policies in a holistic national document which encompasses the long-term direction as well as short-term priority actions. The Strategy is one of the initial steps on a pathway which leads to a sustainable, secure future where Rwanda is prepared for the risks associated with climate change, population growth and risin...[more]

Partners
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
Rwanda commits to increasing heath sector spending and reducing maternal mortality by 2015

Rwanda commits to increasing heath sector spending from 10.9% to 15% by 2012; reducing maternal mortality from 750 per 100,000 live births to 268 per 100,000 live births by 2015 and to halve neonatal mortality among women who deliver in a health facility by training five times more midwives (increasing the ratio from 1/100,000 to 1/20,000). Rwanda will reduce the proportion of children with chronic malnutrition (stunting) from 45% to 24.5% through promoting good nutrition practices, and will increase the proportion of health facilities with electricity and water to 100%.

Partners
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
The Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy of Rwanda

This policy represents the country's second medium-term strategy towards the attainment of the long-term Rwanda Vision 2020 Objectives Source: The Government of Rwanda The Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy of Rwanda (EDPRS) sets out medium-term objectives and indicative financial allocations. Environment is identified as a key cross-cutting issue. In addition several sectors with a strong environmental and natural resource content have been identified as critical for achieving Rwanda's development objectives, given their links to productive (e.g. land) or to health (e.g. wat...[more]

Partners
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
YOUNG AFRICAN LEADERS INITIATIVE - RLC EA

Africa's large youth population presents a complex problem that requires strategic investments in education, health, energy, skills, economic reforms and good governance. At a time when sub-Saharan Africa is going through significant changes in economic, social and political, technological and environmental frontiers, some youth across Africa are being left out. YALI is set out to equip the next generation of skilled young African leaders. The objective in this partnership is to proactively engage, develop, and support the young leaders, exposing them to leadership tools, models and diversit...[more]

Partners
USAID, MasterCard Foundation, Kenyatta University, Deloitte East Africa, Kenya Commercial Bank Group, Microsoft, Dow, Citi Group, Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
United Nations