Rwanda today launched its first national workshop under the Global Shield against Climate Risks In-Country Process (ICP), a four-day event running from September 1–4, 2025, that marks a major milestone in strengthening the country’s financial resilience to climate shocks. The workshop, officially opened by Permanent Secretary NGOGA Aristarque, brought together representatives from government institutions, development partners, civil society, academia, the insurance sector, and private sector stakeholders.

The Global Shield, launched at COP27 by the G7 and the V20 group of finance ministers, is designed to provide pre-arranged and trigger-based finance to climate-vulnerable nations. Its objective is to avert, minimize, and address loss and damage by ensuring countries can access reliable and timely financing in the wake of disasters. This approach enables stronger disaster response, supports macro-fiscal stability, and helps safeguard long-term development.

In his remarks, PS Ngoga emphasized the urgency of building stronger financial protection systems: “This process is not only about finance, it is about protecting lives, safeguarding livelihoods, and securing Rwanda’s development gains against climate shocks.” He recalled that in May 2023, floods and landslides caused damages and losses worth more than Frw 222 billion ($193 million), underscoring the scale of the challenge.

The workshop seeks to validate Rwanda’s draft stocktake and gap analysis report, build capacity among stakeholders on Climate and Disaster Risk Finance and Insurance (CDRFI), and co-develop Rwanda’s Request for Support to the Global Shield. This request will articulate Rwanda’s national priorities and financial protection needs, paving the way for tailored interventions supported through the Global Shield financing structure.

Speaking at the opening, Mr. Daniel Stadtmüller, Team Lead at the Global Shield Secretariat, highlighted both the urgency and opportunity of Rwanda’s engagement. He noted that climate change is already a daily reality for Rwanda, threatening hard-earned development gains through increasingly frequent and severe disasters.

“There is growing evidence that pre-arranged risk finance is a crucial building block to address these risks: by providing fast and reliable liquidity when disasters occur, it strengthens disaster response, supports macro-fiscal stability, and helps restore critical infrastructure,” he said.

The workshop, co-led by MINEMA and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN), reflects Rwanda’s strong commitment to proactive and inclusive climate risk management. By bringing together diverse perspectives and expertise, it is expected to shape a robust financial protection strategy that will shield the country’s most vulnerable populations from future climate shocks.