Since 1977, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been a key development partner in Rwanda, fostering sustainable human development across economic, social, and environmental domains.

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The New Times had an exclusive interview with Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator, who was in Rwanda for the third edition of Hanga Pitchfest.

During the discussion, Steiner explored Rwanda&039;s proactive initiatives in combating climate change and their potential advantages.

He also highlighted UNDP's extensive support in sectors such as Information and Communication Technology (ICT), environmental conservation, and justice, among others.

Below are excerpts:

How do you see Rwanda's potential in tapping into the recent Loss and Damage Fund and leveraging the Carbon Market Framework launched at the ongoing COP28 for climate resilience and adaptation?

I have closely followed both the discussions around loss and damage and the decision to adopt this fund at COP28. Rwanda's decision to consider this fund is very relevant to its own financing. The fund aims to help countries cope with the consequences of climate change that are already impacting them.

The adoption of this fund at COP28 is a significant breakthrough, with current pledges totaling $700 million. It is a top priority for Rwanda to explore how this fund can address the impacts of climate change that the country is already experiencing. The fund is essential for dealing with the loss and damage affecting Rwandans and the Rwandan economy.

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On another front, the carbon markets focus on leveraging Rwanda's passive assets, such as its capacity to sequester carbon through forests and land use management, to trade carbon credits.

This artificial market provides an opportunity for those looking to offset their emissions, offering a potentially more cost-effective solution through purchasing carbon credits from Rwanda. This approach can result in both financial inflow into Rwanda and the creation of a market that, if transparent, accountable, and with high integrity, can serve as an additional means of financing development, particularly low-carbon development in Rwanda.

The initiative has garnered immediate interest, with three countries already signaling their intent to purchase carbon credits. Overall, Rwanda seems to be off to a promising start in these endeavors.

With Rwanda undergoing a digital transformation, how does the country's strategy align with the UN's digital strategy, and how is UNDP supporting or influencing this shift?

As the United Nations, we look at the full spectrum of what digitalisation signals in terms of developments happening across the world today. We see both the promise of technology and the risks associated with it. Above all, we recognise the need to view the emergence of digital technologies as something that requires both regulatory frameworks and deliberate investments to enable a country and society to take advantage of them.

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At UNDP, we believe that digital transformation will be pervasive in every aspect of development. It has already begun to do so, and Rwanda, in many ways, provides us with a glimpse of the future that many other countries are likely to experience.

This is partly because Rwanda embraced the potential of digital for its development early on. It encouraged the emergence of an economy and an incubator platform around digital technologies and services. UNDP has been proud to work together with different parts of the government and the economy on this initiative.

For instance, when it comes to governance and the government's ability to plan future development and investments, the ability to leverage data, facilitated by digital technologies, allows for more effective identification of vulnerable households and specific groups in need of attention, such as persons with disabilities.

We are able to use digital tools more effectively in these areas. Additionally, digital technology now enables real-time monitoring of the health posts in the country, allowing for tracking of the number of people entering, their illnesses, and demographic information.

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UNDP has also been actively engaged in the justice sector, contributing to the integrated electronic case management system developed by the Minister of Justice in recent years. We are currently working with the Ministry of Justice to share the lessons learned in Rwanda with other countries, such as Jamaica, eager to benefit from Rwanda's experiences.

Another area of focus is the economy of entrepreneurship. UNDP assisted a group of young entrepreneurs in receiving training and support as they venture into business through Aguka in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and the European Union.

Our partnership with the Hanga Pitchfest, for which I am in Kigali today, exemplifies UNDP's deep commitment to Rwanda's vision of using digital tools to empower people and integrate the digital economy into the country's economic pathway.

UNDP is also working on a major initiative that we call "timbuktoo, which aims to mobilise capital for the early startups because without financing, many of these startup businesses will never see the light of day because they are not even given the chance to present their products. For instance, we are trying to support this ecosystem with the University of Rwanda, where we have established a new partnership called UNIPOD.

As students are working towards their graduation, we encourage them to develop ideas that they can test in laboratories at the university. All of these are building blocks of a very supportive digital ecosystem that Rwanda has built over a number of years. UNDP works with the Ministry of ICT and Innovation in a very close partnership to continue to take this to scale.

Could you elaborate on other noteworthy projects or initiatives that showcase the collaboration between Rwanda and UNDP in achieving sustainable development goals, particularly in the areas of economic growth and social welfare?

We feel very privileged as UNDP to have been a long-time companion to Rwanda in its various development phases and journeys that it has embarked on. UNDP has a very broad set of engagements across governance, justice sector, digital, but also green transitions and innovations. Very often, we are not just an institution that implements one programme. We are a knowledge partner, sometimes a co-investor in experimentation and incubation.

We also play a role in helping governments mainstream policy and regulatory frameworks, covering various sectors. For instance, in the field of governance, we collaborate with the Rwanda Governance Board on major initiatives such as the Citizen Report Card and the Governance Scorecard. We contribute to Rwanda's performance assessment on governance and citizen engagement, providing guidance on the best ways to undertake such processes and the required institutional capacity.

Similarly, when addressing issues such as leaving no one behind, especially concerning persons with disabilities, we work with government entities and civil society organizations. This includes collaboration on innovative projects like assisting the visually impaired with the smart white cane and providing a 3D milling machine to produce prosthetics and orthotics. UNDP identifies and supports young entrepreneurs ready to innovate in these areas, helping them advance to the next level.

How can the international community, including the UN and its partners, further support Rwanda's endeavors in economic growth, social welfare, and environmental sustainability?

I think as a UN family, but also as UNDP, and the international community more broadly, we should view ourselves as, first of all, a partner to Rwanda's vision, including the challenges, but also the breakthroughs it is trying to achieve. I believe one of the great strengths of Rwanda today is that it has the vision, aspiration, and determination to transform its economy and society. There are perhaps two or three things that international partners can bring.

First of all, it is that sense of partnership, and UNDP is very proud for the partnership with Rwanda for decades. We can bring both our experience in Rwanda, but also, with UNDP being an organisation that works and supports development in 170 countries, we can very quickly tap into the latest innovations in digital or in policy related to inclusion or green transitions and bring them to the table, so they are part of informing Rwanda's development thinking. Secondly, we can be a partner in bringing the kind of financing that allows a country to experiment.

You know, big changes; you need to test them, and you need to fine-tune them before you scale them up. Very often, we are a welcome partner in that incubation. Perhaps where the international community becomes most significant is also in enabling Rwanda to access financing.

Part of our role is also to work with Rwanda to support them design a very clear strategy that is attractive to international partners, to particularly help open up the private sector and private capital investments that enable Rwanda not to sell its assets to foreign enterprises but rather to attract equity, capital, and investments into the country and the economy. I think these are the areas where international partners can be very relevant and provide value-added.

You’ve been in Rwanda for a few days; how has your experience been and what did you find of interest to you?

I've had the privilege of visiting, participating, and learning from Rwanda for the better part of 15 years because when I was the head of the United Nations Environment Programme in Nairobi, I regularly visited and interacted with many of our colleagues in Rwanda.

On this issue, for example, of sustainable development, green transitions, investing in the green economy. And I think my visit this time reaffirms the sense that in Rwanda, we have an example where the aspiration that development represents, which is about the future possibilities, and future prospects, is very much alive. I think it creates a lot of uncertainty and opens up the possibility of making very bold but also informed choices.

In that sense, for UNDP, Rwanda remains a country in which the future of development is happening. We are very proud to be engaged across many different sectors. Hopefully, we bring as much as we are able to draw from Rwanda's innovations and development choices.

Any parting words?

I would say good luck because I think a lively media that takes development issues not only as headlines but also looks deeper into how the aspiration or the high ambition of Rwanda is playing out across the country is extremely important.