President Paul Kagame has challenged world leaders on action in tackling climate change, noting that previous commitments have not always materialized.

Kagame was speaking at a session on climate change at the G20 Summit in Rome, Italy.

The G20 is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 countries and the European Union (EU) and works to address major issues related to the global economy, such as international financial stability, climate change mitigation, and sustainable development.

Kagame said that the commitment to mobilize $100m billion a year for green transition in developing countries has not fully materialized and there is no tangible action in this direction.

"This year’s G20 is an opportunity to recall that pledge. We need a delivery plan. The world’s largest economies contribute almost 80 per cent of worldwide emissions,” he said.

He however noted that Africa is not sitting on the sidelines waiting for the developed world to act and was keen to play tangible roles in curbing climate change.

 "Africa is not the main cause of climate change, but we can and must be part of the solution and intend to do just that. In July 2021, a new five year African Union Green recovery action plan was launched with renewable energy, biodiversity and climate finance as its pillars,” he said.

Sharing Rwanda’s approach to tackling climate change, Kagame said that Rwanda has put a national cooling strategy in place to phase out the hydroflourocarbons that contribute to global warming.

"This action is in line with the Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol. Fully implementing this agreement is one of the most consequential actions that we can take to slow the pace of climate change. I hope that the urgency of the climate emergency will guide the discussions at COP26 starting tomorrow,” he said.

Speaking earlier in the day at a session on sustainable development, Kagame called for a further reallocation of the International Monetary Fund’s Special Drawing Rights based on need.

Special drawing rights are supplementary foreign exchange reserve assets defined and maintained by the International Monetary Fund.

Of the $650B allocated to address liquidity shortfalls, only $21Billion was channelled to low-income countries.

Kagame further noted that extra fiscal space will support women, youth as well as getting back on track with Sustainable Development Goals.

"Even before the pandemic, the world was off-track with the Sustainable Development Goals. Getting back on track will require focus and political will,” he said.

He also called for restoration of the World Trade Organisation ambitions after years of stagnation as trade is a key pathway to prosperity.

Kagame featured in G20 on behalf of NEPAD, the African Union Development Agency.