The Rwanda national action plan builds on the implementation experiences of the previous action plan of 2009-2012. It is aligned with other national, regional, and international instruments, laws, and ratifications geared towards gender equality and women empowerment. Meaningful contribution of women in governance and all institutions is the objective of this plan.

The genocidal activities of 1994 had their toll on the citizens, especially women and girls. Gender-based violence threatens rights to education, health, wellbeing, legal, as well as economic rights. This strategic plan highlights the federal government’s resolve to address gender equality issues and general human rights, as its effect the socioeconomic development of the country.

This national plan for gender and family promotion leverages the experience garnered from the implementation of the first and second phases of the economic development and poverty reduction strategy (EDPRS). As the country transitions towards its new vision 2050, for attaining high-income status, the 6year strategic plan, being cross-cutting and multisectoral, seeks to facilitate the attainment of the national goals backed by a stable and harmonious family structure and gender-neutral and inclusive society. It pushes to achieve, among others: strengthened families, participation of women in governance, financial performance for women and girls, and effective management of child abuse and gender-based violence.

Gender-based violence in Rwanda is linked to several factors, including; cultural beliefs, traditions, and the genocidal activities of 1994. The policy addresses the misconception around the concept of gender applying to women alone, the issues of awareness creation, reporting system, as well as coordination and harmonisation efforts. The policy seeks to maximise the capacity to prevent and respond to gender-based violence, as a tool to socioeconomic development and promotion of human rights.

This represents the national policy for addressing issues related to orphans and other vulnerable children. It makes provisions for the trampling of the human rights of these groups of children. It generally aims to ensure children grow up in environments that help them blossom into their best forms.

The national integrated child rights policy serves as the coordinated and harmonised policy of the government relating to all activities covering children’s rights. It is backed by the need to improve the rights of children to health, education, and protection, as a consequence of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis. It is guided by 7 principles: every child matters, children are a priority, children deserve the best, children can, and should participate, exploitation and abuse of children should not be tolerated, the government should be accountable, and coordination of all actions.

The El Nino 2015 Preparedness Plan represents all efforts at effective preparation and response plan for disasters associated with the El Nino effect. It emphasizes the readiness of the Government, communities and other different stakeholders for Disaster Risk Management activities. This plan presents the institutional roles, responsibilities, authorities and key processes crucial to mounting coordinated, coherent and consistent management of El Nino 2015 related issues.

The policy notes the various efforts charged at uplifting environmental conditions over the years. It however also notes the continued deterioration of the environment as a result of high population density, erosion, deforestation, various pollution forms, and the lack of a coordinated framework (political, legal, and institutional) arising from the unrest of 1994. This policy seeks to bridge the gap by providing principles and objectives to guide activities towards making the environment safer.

The youth sector strategic plan is anchored to the objectives and guidelines of vision 2020, the EDPRS, the MDGs, and the seven-year government programme. It pushes to attain a youth population that is Healthy Apt/Attitude Patriotic Productive Innovative (HAPPI). It sets out to address the seven major challenges affecting the youth sector; employable skills and unemployment, negative mindset and attitude, access to finance, ICT facilities, health services and facilities, sports and recreation, and youth delinquency.

The forest sector in Rwanda is crucial, owing to its strategic position in the provision of livelihood and on the general development of the country. The national forest policy ranks highest among the strategic interventions aimed at improving the forest sector. It seeks to complement efforts and strategies contained in the5 year forest sector strategic plan, and the nine-year national forest management plan. It plays an active role in strengthening forest institutions and supporting Rwanda’s goal to achieve a green economy.

The policy highlights the resolve of the government to strengthen the water resources management sub-sector. This is based on the strategic nature of water resources as the most important of the natural resources in Rwanda. ‘‘To manage and develop the water resources of Rwanda in an integrated and sustainable manner, to secure and provide water of adequate quantity and quality for all social and economic needs of the present and future generations with the full participation of all stakeholders in decisions affecting water resources management’’ is the overall objective of the policy.

The goal of the 5year strategic plan is to equitably harness Rwanda’s water resources, as a precursor to achieving its environmental commitments, as enshrined in national policies like vision 2020 and the EDPRS. The challenge to be tackled by the strategic plan is the need to meet the demand for water in the face of dwindling quantity and quality.

The government of Rwanda has prioritised agricultural transformation and rural development in its framework for the implementation of its vision 2020 and poverty reduction strategic plan. The plan defines ten strategic axes to drive its principles and framework, including among others; diversification of sources of income and rural development, intensification of the crop, animal, and aquatic production, effective linkage to markets, favourable investment environment, redefinition of the role of the ministry of agriculture and animal resources, and promotion of gender approach.

The action plan represents the push to implement the convention on biological diversity (CBD) objectives. The plan recognises the uniqueness of the biodiversity components present in Rwanda, and the need to ensure its sustainable development for the benefits of the people and the nation. The strategy consists of 19 national targets, all towards stemming the loss of biodiversity and improvement of their economic benefits

The investment plan acknowledges the importance of agriculture to Rwanda. The sector employs the bulk of the country’s population and contributes significantly to the country’s GDP and total export revenues. The plan seeks to embark on target investments, to stimulate increased agricultural production. This is to ensure the target of a 9% sustained growth rate of agriculture, as enshrined in the vision 2020, is attained. The plan’s overall objective is to contribute to sustained food and nutritional security, increase rural household income, and contribute to securing national growth.

This serves as a coordinating and coherent strategy for addressing key issues as it relates to Rwanda’s biodiversity. The policy is developed to serve as the implementation framework for attaining the environmental targets and objectives contained in the economic development and poverty reduction strategy (EDPRS), and the vision 2020.

This document highlights the resolve of the government to strengthen the country’s higher education system to meet international standards. The policy aims to build on existing structures to ensure dividends from a sound higher educational system are maximized.

The plan for economic development and poverty reduction has as one of its core backings, the improved health of the population. The national food and nutrition strategic plan thus seek to implement the revised national food and nutrition policy. It focuses on the resolve to tackle the prevalence of stunting among children under the age of two, as well as the push to adequately address food security among vulnerable households.

The effect of animal and plant diseases range from threats to food security, food safety, national economies, biodiversity and the rural environment. The plan assesses the state of knowledge about the impact of these diseases and how they’re managed. It explores a multisectoral approach towards understanding disasters related to plant and animal diseases. Specifically, the plan leverages past cases of plant and animal diseases to develop new insights at tackling new cases.

The National Forestry Strategic Plan is coherent with other national and sectoral programs and strategies; the constitution of Rwanda, the
GoR flagship programs of Vision 2020 and the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS), the Environment and Natural Resources Sector Strategic Plan (ENRSSP), the National Forestry Policy and other sectoral policies. Its objectives also align with other forest-related documents in seeking to improve the position of the forestry sector as one of the pillars of the economy and ecological balance, as well as maximising the accruable benefits from the sector.