Good afternoon!

I’m very pleased to join you for the official closing of the Global Climate Change Alliance Plus Initiative regional conference. I wish to pass on the warm regards of Minister Biruta, who unfortunately could not join us due to a prior engagement.

On behalf of the Minister, and the Government of Rwanda, I extend my sincere thanks to the organisers - GCCA, IUCN and the European Union - for bringing together such a distinguished group of policy makers, practitioners and private sector representatives for this important event.

Our thanks also go to you - our valued participants - for visiting Rwanda and for engaging so meaningfully with the discussions, and with each other. I am sure that old friends have enjoyed spending time together, and that new friendships have been formed as well.

Over the last few days, you have covered a wide range of topics critical to addressing the climate crisis. From the role of nature based solutions to climate finance and raising the ambition of our climate action plans.

I was glad to learn of the excellent feedback from many of you about how practical and tangible the conference has been. It’s terrific that so many new connections have been made - between both the panellists and participants. My hope is that we keep these connections alive and implement the lessons learnt from each other when we return to our daily work.

In Rwanda, we are excited about continuing our work with GCCA on a new initiative to promote clean cooking and reduce deforestation. This is a critical challenge for Rwanda, and one that we are working hard to overcome. I am confident that with the support of the Alliance, the EU and all country partners, we will be successful and improve the health of citizens and our environment.

I must also congratulate those who won awards during the conference. Well done to IUCN and the Rwanda Green Fund for winning the overall Marketplace Award, Tanzania for winning the GCCA Project Award and Comoros for winning the Communications Award. Let’s all be inspired by their efforts.

To conclude, I wish to once again thank the Global Climate Change Alliance, IUCN, and the European Union for their support in organising this important conference.

I am sure tomorrow’s field trip to Rulindo District will be an enjoyable and fruitful experience, and we look forward to welcoming you all back to Rwanda very soon!

Thank you for your kind attention.