The Special Advisor to the High Commissioner for Refugees on Climate Action visited MINEMA

The Permanent Secretary at Ministry of Emergency Management(MINEMA), Philippe Habinshuti,  received Andrew Harper, the Special Advisor to the High Commissioner for Refugees on Climate Action, who is in Rwanda attending the forum on Sustainable Energy for All.

They discussed areas of interventions including sustainable energy in humanitarian settings and environmental protection in refugee camps and host communities.

The Permanent Secretary commended the support by the UN Refugee Agency to respond to Government Policy on sustainable energy.

“The use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and other alternatives as sources of energy in refugee camps and transit centers instead of firewood saved the environment in refugee hosting districts. This is in addition to tree planting and use of solar energy in camps and the UNHCR contributes a lot.” PS Philippe HABINSHUTI noted.

Andrew Harper who is in Rwanda for the first time, appreciated the way the Government works together with UNHCR sharing responsibility of assisting refugees. He emphasized the need to enhance environmental protection and rehabilitation to build resilient refugee hosting areas.

“It’s time to discourage the use firewood and charcoal for sustainable environmental protection, therefore, the high need to invest more in clean and renewable energy solutions in refugee and host community households.”

The Special Advisor to the High Commissioner for Refugees on Climate Action also commended the coordination between the UNHCR and the Ministry in Charge of Emergency Management.

During the 2019 Global Refugee Forum (GRF), the Government of Rwanda pledged to “Undertake environmental protection and rehabilitation in refugee hosting areas; build resilient refugee settlements that promote conscious land use and reduce adverse impact on environment.”

Another pledge is to “Ensure sustainable use of natural resources by providing clean and renewable energy solutions in refugee and host community households, in order to discourage the use of firewood”.

Currently, besides close to 60% of refugees using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), 5,611 refugee households use cooking stoves and pellets/briquettes. (End)