Rwandan prime minister Edouard Ngirente has commended countries that have ratified the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, and encouraged all remaining parties to ratify.

The 2016 Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol was signed in 2016 in Kigali and entered into force in 2019.

It is an international treaty-designed to phase out powerful climate-warming gases, known as ‘hydro chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), by more than 80 per cent in the midcentury.

Rwanda ratified it in 2017 after one year it was adopted and has so far reduced the gases by 54 per cent.

To date, 127 countries including European Union have ratified the amendment.

"If implemented fully, the Amendment could avoid up to 0.4 degrees Celsius of warming by the end of the century,” Ngirente said while addressing World leaders at the ongoing 26th UN climate change conference taking place in Scotland.

The amendment is a key tool to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5 degree Celsius and avoid catastrophic climate change

"It is also time for us to come together to realize the potential of the Paris Agreement,’ he said.

Ngirente, who is leading the Rwandan delegation at the COP26 reiterated that to keep 1.5 degree Celsius alive, there is need for scaling up timely and ambitious actions, mobilizing finance, and completing the Paris Rulebook so that there are no more delays to climate action.

"We are falling short of our duty to both people and the planet if we don’t urgently address climate change. Rwanda pledges its full support for inclusive and transparent negotiations, and for collaboration and dialogue between partners around the world,” he said.

He said that to cut temperatures to below 1.5 degrees, a 45 percent reduction of emissions is required.

"This calls for immediate, rapid, and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. In Rwanda, we have seen first-hand the impact of climate change. Floods, droughts and landslides have damaged livelihoods and property, and tragically, cost too many lives. That is why Rwanda is committed to reducing emissions by 38 percent in the next decade, and reach Net Zero by 2050,” he said.

He added that Rwanda looks forward to working with partner states and institutions, to ensure  mitigation and adaptation plans can be effectively implemented, and make impactful contributions to global efforts.