While the current pace of progress in Africa, and beyond, might not be fast enough to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, several individual countries have embarked on a journey to reverse the tide.

For the most part, the data indicates that the continent has regressed most on SDG 13 on climate action as well as SDG 16 regarding peace, justice and strong institutions.

For Rwanda, however, there is a silver lining regarding progress made from the 1990s and the current situation.

The United Nations (UN) says the country has portrayed "huge progress” even as the world grapples with cascading crises involving recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, inflationary pressures, among others.

The New Times’ Edwin Ashimwe spoke to Ozonnia Ojielo, the One UN Resident Coordinator, in an exclusive interview, covering a wide range of topics, including how the UN has stepped up to support the government, challenges as well as major developments in the pipeline.

The resident coordinator is the highest ranking representative of the UN development system (UNDS) at the country level, with the responsibility to lead UN country teams.

Excerpts

It has been nearly seven months since you were posted to Rwanda. Briefly tell us a little bit about the work of the One UN Resident Coordinator.

The work of a UN resident coordinator has existed since about 1977, but it underwent a fundamental and significant efficiency reform in 2016 after the appointment of the current Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

And part of the logic is that governments are struggling to deliver on their SDGs. If you look at SDGs progress report for any region. But the issue is not funding.

The first core is the strategic envisioning of where the country is headed and the UN's role for that agenda.

The UN brings strategic leadership to translate that mission into contributions like the resource mobilization plan, the strategy leadership, and translating that common vision into specific contributions.

Also part of my duties is coordination and accountability function where I bring the entire system to take those strategies, mechanisms toward instruments, and ground the limitations to make them happen.

Then I'm also accountable to the government and the people.

You were also posted to this position with over 25 years of experience in sustainable development work. What should we expect going forward?

If you look at the development statistics for Rwanda in the 1990’s compared to the current situation, it is hard to recognize it as the same country.

A lot has been achieved, which is a significant advantage.

Collectively we see that SDGs are being achieved, poverty rate continues to moderately decline and so are stunting rates.

Maternal mortality continues to reduce, HIV prevalence has maintained the same level for the past decade, this means that we are safe to say that there's huge progress.

So we move to the next step which is access, enhancing the quality in education, giving people skills allowing for every young person in Rwanda who has an idea, to find source for support, for incubation, for finance. That's the next frontier.

At the UN, to be able to support the government we develop what we call a development package.

We promote, however, the most efficient, successful, least expensive route, the case for Rwanda.

How easy is it for you to find the "sweet spots” for an intervention?

So fundamentally, that is the core of resources, the dual national capacity to develop those and then to implement all of those points.

Then various agencies have various mandates, from education to governance, climate change.

We therefore find the sweet spots or the intersections between all of these mandates and deliver together.

So whether it's about training covid-19 doctors to understand the treatment protocol, or introducing expatriates who come on board with new techniques, new seeds, new plants that are climate resistant to improve the food yield, enhance food security in the country, or take the rule of land justice. The list is endless.

Coming into 2023, and as countries rush to meet their SDG targets, what do you see as your role?

For Rwanda, coming into 2023, we want to support the country in designing the successor of the National Strategic Transformation (NST1) first phase.

We want to support that process by joining the thinking and the planning, offering our suggestions and ideas to shape what the program will look like.

Of Course at the same time supporting the country in realizing the NST1.

When you look at the results, significant achievements have been made. Of Course notwithstanding the role of other partners.

So it's not just us. The planning, the analysis, the design, and then we offer this to many partners who choose to finance a project based on their preference.

So 2023, begins with a retreat between development partners and the government to understand what the new strategic priorities are and what we can do at the UN.

We just supported the recent population census, which was very instrumental. Now we have to break down the census data.

We want to come up with solutions to questions like, what does it mean in terms of opportunities for young people? in terms of resistance to poverty or stunting? and how the government is planning to address them, which then informs our role.

For a country like Rwanda with the majority of its population as the youth, entrepreneurship is a big deal.

On several occasions, you have described the UN-Rwanda ties as fruitful. What could we say have characterized this norm?

We work on a fundamental approach, as an international organization, we don't have countries of origin.

Meaning for the five years I'll be here, it is safe to say that I am Rwandan.

This has implications. Because it means that the national agenda, national aspiration, the national determination, they're also mine. It means I don't have any other agenda except that one.

So how would I please myself unless I am helping to realize that?

And therefore our work intends to develop the national agenda, just like any Rwandan.

Remember, Rwanda’s ambition is to achieve middle income by 2035, upper income by 2050.

That has to be our own ambition, which means that we are challenging ourselves as the UN system to step up.

We have to step up our ambition as well to help Rwanda, like all countries, respond to their targets.

Take an example of COP27, it was a very successful meeting. Rwanda was highly recognized.

But this is because of the work done before to prepare the national partners to train the negotiators using the African group of negotiators foundation. We saw the results.

The UN has also been a key player in supporting Rwanda’s covid-19 recovery efforts. What is in stock for this year and what do you say are the lessons learned?

We were part of every effort to strengthen the national health systems. Just recently we worked with the government in strengthening our capabilities of fighting against the Ebola outbreak that was declared in Uganda.

This was done through checking all entry and exit points to do the analysis and put in place the system, the protocol for the public.

We were also happy that the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an end to the outbreak.

Going forward, we know these diseases will continue to occur, at a time when we have no vaccines.

Despite countries, Rwanda inclusive, investing heavily in acquiring vaccines, no country bought as much as they wanted.

Is there any particular development we should expect around this crisis?

In my first month here, I had a company from India which wanted to set up a pharmaceutical academy for Africa in Rwanda.

So our job was to facilitate introductions between the investor and government leaders, as well as some financial institutions.

This benefits a country like Rwanda to service the continent, as part of the efforts to reduce over-dependence.

So that's what we are building on, that when the next pandemic grapples the world, Rwanda is ready. With equipment, capacity, skills but also with vaccines.

The UN has also prioritized climate financing in different countries, and Rwanda is no exception. I am interested in knowing if there are any challenges you perceive in the country regarding climate change?

Climate change is a serious threat to developed countries and we believe that African countries should not fold arms.

Instead we prepare to respond. So the response is in the mitigation.

I was very surprised when I first came to Rwanda, the first thing I saw were electric motorcycles, which have batteries. So it saves cost, but it also protects the environment.

Countries like Rwanda spend a lot of money trying to restore what it was before the damage. You're not even talking about preventing the future.

It's a big issue about loss of damage.

It is time developed countries expand their credits so that developing countries can borrow from them. Because financial institutions will not allow them to easily lend their money. But even when they do, it is pretty expensive.

So we need solidarity, especially from the main causes of the emissions.

There are pledges of $100 billion every year. We have got nothing close to that. So now the idea is whatever we are getting which is about $40 billion, we have to increase adaptation companies.

So the countries can borrow from. Not just grants. Rwanda is leading in Africa in these responses.

Any major developments in the pipeline?

If you look at the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), it's so impressive.

We just had the Food System Summit on how to work together to leverage these opportunities, during COP 27 the government signed an agreement worth $6 million to support the public sector. The Ireme fund is only $104 million, but despite these figures, it is a good stamp.

So what is remaining now is the implementation of these initiatives.

We want to leverage them to make some new financial resources. And implementation of those that are already on the market is a very good start.

Parting shot

For me it is an amazing time to be in Rwanda. I don't think I would opt for a different country no