Good afternoon!

It is a pleasure to be with you to celebrate the coming into force of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, and to share some of the work Rwanda has been doing to advance clean and efficient cooling.

I would like to extend a warm welcome to you all. Many of you have traveled from afar to be with us today, and we are grateful for your commitment to the Montreal Protocol and Rwanda’s green growth.

The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol was successful for a number of reasons. First, years of hard work created the right political conditions for the amendment. It was not immediately obvious that the Montreal Protocol was the right place to deal with climate warming HFCs, but thanks to passionate and dedicated individuals, the world was convinced.

But this was only possible thanks to solid science that laid out the case for action on HFCs. By telling us just how impactful the amendment would be, scientists played a critical role in building the political momentum needed.

The Montreal Protocol’s track record of success was also instrumental. We had proven we could do it with CFCs, and this gave the world confidence that the amendment would be a tangible contribution to addressing the climate crisis.

Finally, the work of partners in the philanthropic and NGO communities not only helped to sweeten the deal, but provided countries willing to move fast with the support they would need to meet their obligations under the amendment.

We must continue to encourage all remaining nations to ratify the amendment. There is no reason why we cannot achieve universal ratification.

With 68 countries already having ratified, we are only two signatures away from Article 4 being activated, which will restrict trade in HFCs between parties and states that are not party to the Kigali Amendment. This provides a clear incentive for countries to ratify the amendment before the trade restrictions enter into force.

I want to once again thank everyone who played a role in achieving this once in a lifetime achievement. We can be very proud of what we accomplished.

Our job now, however, is to do it all over again. By taking advantage of the opportunity to make the cooling sector, and indeed other parts of the economy, more energy efficient, we can avoid up to another half degree of warming by the end of the century. This is why Rwanda has sponsored a number of decisions on energy efficiency at the Montreal Protocol party meetings. We cannot afford to let this opportunity pass us by. The stakes for the planet are simply too high.

 Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

In Rwanda, we are already working to meet our obligations under the amendment and address cooling efficiency. Our temperate climate means that most of our homes and offices are not air-conditioned. But as the country develops, we have no doubt that the demand for both air-conditioning and refrigeration at the household and commercial levels will increase.

There are, however, a wide range of businesses and sectors where cooling is already being utilised, including hotels and conference venues like this one, as well as medical facilities. But where Rwanda needs cooling most is the agricultural sector. Farming is the country’s number one employer and makes up a sizeable proportion of our GDP.

I am sure those who traveled to Volcanoes National Park over the weekend not only saw our incredible gorillas but also a diverse array of crops - from corn to potatoes and bananas as well as pyrethrum. To ensure farmers get the most value from these and other crops, we are working hard to improve cooling facilities, as many of you will have seen on this morning’s field visit to Rwamagana.

Put simply, cooling facilities in post-harvest handling and storage are needed to reduce losses. The government is working with the private sector and farmers to scale up facilities such as Milk Collection Centers and cold rooms to achieve this.

The production of high-value crops including horticulture, flowers, vegetables and fruits also needs cooling systems. This can only be achieved if farmers are equipped with the right skills to upgrade their production systems. Cooling facilities will also increase strategic food reserves across the country.

Rwanda views clean and efficient cooling as a major business opportunity for those willing to invest. That’s why the work being done by the Rwanda Green Fund, the Business Development Fund and the Development Bank of Rwanda through green guarantee funds is so important.

This financial mechanism provides the private sector with the support they need to invest in new and efficient cooling technology in the right way at the right price and is just one element of the Rwanda Cooling Initiative.

Supported by the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program and UN Environment’s United for Efficiency Initiative, R-COOL is transforming Rwanda’s cooling sector in line with the Kigali Amendment.

The R-COOL programme has conducted a Market Assessment to collect data on the current stock and projections of refrigerators and air conditioners in the country, the impacts on electricity demand, the supply chain and key stakeholders to work with.

We have developed a National Cooling Strategy to provide a multisectoral roadmap to adopt model regulations and supporting policies for refrigerators and air conditioners. This strategy is likely to be approved by our Cabinet in the very near future. Finally, the program is creating minimum energy performance standards and product labels for refrigerators and air conditioners.

If we get the cooling question right, Rwanda’s farmers, many of whom are women, will earn more and their livelihoods will improve. So while clean cooling is about climate change, it’s also fundamentally about the lives of people.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I want to thank all those involved in this program, and the philanthropic community represented here today who made it possible. My hope is that the lessons from Rwanda may be helpful for other nations, and that we can learn from one another as more countries begin implementing the Kigali Amendment.

Once again, thank you for being with us today for this historic celebration.

 I thank you for your kind attention.