Lastly, this solution has included capacity-building activities and awareness-raising meetings across all 21 provinces and the capital since 2022. For capacity-building, trainings have been provided online and in-person, while forums and workshops were also organized for broader discussions. Awareness-raising meetings have targeted specific local decision-makers and have been conducted in-person.  

The objective of these activities is to equip local actors with the knowledge and skills needed for environmental management and budgeting aligned with the NRUF, through exercises on planning, execution reporting, and monitoring and evaluation of local environmental budgets. Trainings have also focused on the Environmental Budget and Expenditure Database, helping local governments to disclose their information and improving data-driven planning and decision-making.  

 Moreover, UNDP BIOFIN is working with the government of Mongolia in the development of an expenditure taxonomy, which will provide a standardized categorization of environmental expenditures, adding clarity and consistency to budget reporting.  

A public Environmental Budget and Expenditure database was developed to disclose environmental budgets and expenditures (since 2023). Its intuitive and visual layout allows users to track how much each province has spent on biodiversity each year. This has two main implications.  

 First, by having to thoroughly fill the database, local governments can use it as a tool to better understand how to develop their own environmental budgets and clarifying which categories should be included.  

 Second, the public database promotes accountability and transparency in environmental planning and budgeting, encouraging governments to fulfill their biodiversity finance responsibilities under the NRUF and, ultimately, functioning as an effective monitoring tool.  

BIOFIN and the National Audit Office of Mongolia jointly assessed the implementation level of the NRUF and examined institutional and regulatory gaps affecting law enforcement. The review found that weak enforcement resulted from legal ambiguities, inconsistent regulations, and ineffective coordination among government agencies. Following this process, BIOFIN provided technical assistance to develop revised regulations that address these legal ambiguities.  

Beyond regulatory enhancements, a fundamental component was strengthening cooperation and communication between government agencies — ensuring that the NRUF and its revised regulations are understood and effectively implemented. This is particularly important since local governments are responsible for incorporating the NRUF, a national law, into their budget processes. To support this, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) began to issue bi-annual budget call circulars: official instructions that explain the procedures to prepare next fiscal year’s budget, helping local governments to incorporate biodiversity expenditures. The MoF also increased efforts to review and approve dedicated budgets for environmental protection and natural resource rehabilitation.  

The CSTF facilitates regular meetings to discuss FLR and SFA strategies, action plans, and project monitoring. The CSTF performs a range of tasks to coordinate FLR and Sustainable Food and Agriculture (SFA) efforts across Rwanda. It provides strategic policy and management guidance, makes decisions to align initiatives with national policies, and resolves operational challenges. The taskforce reviews action plans, budgets, and major reports, such as annual results and mid-term reviews, to ensure sustainability and quality control. It also identifies funding opportunities to support scaling FLR and SFA initiatives, enhances coordination among stakeholders, and facilitates discussions on new project plans. In addition, the CSTF ensures effective knowledge sharing, develops strategies for improving environmental, social, and economic sustainability, and reviews stakeholder engagement to maximize the involvement of private sector actors and other partners. The taskforce also coordinates efforts to address strategic changes and ensures that restoration activities meet national and international goals.

The CSTF operates under a governance structure that ensures leadership rotation and collaboration across sectors. Meetings are chaired alternately by the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture, with support from development partners for logistical and organizational tasks. This leadership structure strengthens the coordination of FLR and Sustainable Food and Agriculture (SFA) initiatives and ensures that restoration initiatives align with broader national development strategies, such as the National Strategy for Transformation (NST1) and Vision 2050, while meeting international targets like the AFR100 and Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).

The CSTF was established in 2015 as a national-level platform to coordinate Rwanda’s response to the Bonn Challenge and improve Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) efforts. It comprised members from 13 government bodies, 8 civil society organizations, 7 development partners, and 7 private sector and research organizations. The taskforce provides a space for collaboration, knowledge sharing, and strategic planning to address key issues such as land degradation, deforestation, erosion, and biodiversity loss.