Prime Minister Justin Nsengiyumva met leaders of two international climate funds in New York on Thursday, September 24, as Rwanda sought to strengthen partnerships around climate finance and its climate and development priorities.

The meetings were held on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.

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Nsengiyumva met with Mafalda Duarte, Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), and Ibrahima Cheikh Diong, Executive Director of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage.

According to the Office of the Prime Minister, discussions with Duarte focused on the impact of the Green Gicumbi project and ways to deepen collaboration and scale up climate finance for Rwanda's resilience and green growth.

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Implemented by Ministry of Environment, Green Gicumbi is a GCF-funded climate-resilience project covering nine sectors in Gicumbi District. The project focuses on measures including watershed protection, climate-resilient agriculture, sustainable forest management and climate-resilient settlements.

Nsengiyumva's meeting with Diong focused on the work of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, which provides financing aimed at supporting developing countries particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.

The Prime Minister welcomed progress in operationalising the fund and reaffirmed Rwanda's support during its formative phase.

Established in 2024, the fund entered its operational phase in 2026, with its Secretariat now in place and early interventions being launched.

The fund launched its first call for funding requests at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, in November 2025, under its Barbados Implementation Modalities. Its board had earlier approved a $250 million funding envelope for the first set of interventions.