International Women’s Day 2026: advancing women’s rights and economic empowerment in Rwanda

On the occasion of International Women’s Day 2026, the LuxDev Rwanda office engaged in two initiatives that highlighted both the rights of women and girls and the practical solutions that improve their daily lives. Together, these activities showcased how legal awareness, community action and clean energy innovations can strengthen women’s empowerment in Rwanda.

Ahead of 8 March, LuxDev teams in Kigali held an internal session to deepen their understanding of the legal and institutional frameworks that protect women’s and girls’ rights at global, regional and national levels. The presentation explored key international instruments such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, regional commitments like the Maputo Protocol, and Rwanda’s strong constitutional and legal protections for equality.

A conversation with gender specialist Rose RWABUHIHI, former chief gender monitor, grounded these frameworks in everyday reality. She highlighted the progress Rwanda has made since 1995, but also pointed to the barriers that persist – including entrenched social norms and limited accountability in some areas. She encouraged participants to keep strengthening gender-responsive approaches in sectors central to LuxDev’s work, such as TVET, finance, agriculture and forestry.

Her message was clear : transforming mindsets remains one of the greatest barriers to achieving gender equality, despite Rwanda’s strong legal foundations.

On 8 March, the LuxDev Rwanda team also joined more than 1,500 community members, local leaders and development partners in Rubavu District to celebrate International Women’s Day under the national theme “Umugore ni uw’agaciro – Empowered Women, Stronger Nation”, aligned with the global theme “Rights, Justice, Action.” This community event spotlighted women’s economic empowerment, showcasing how clean cooking innovations can reduce unpaid care work, improve health outcomes, protect forests and create new livelihood opportunities for women and youth.

Through the SFERE project, LuxDev supports households to transition from traditional cooking practices to cleaner, safer and more affordable options.

During the event, the project’s partner Energy Private Developers (EPD) demonstrated a range of improved cookstoves and fuels. For many participants, particularly those responsible for household cooking, this was their first opportunity to see and test these technologies.

The Rubavu event generated strong interest from government representatives and communities in clean cooking as a scalable economic model. Improved cookstoves offer several benefits :

• reduced time spent gathering firewood, freeing time for work, education or rest;
• lower household fuel consumption, easing financial burdens;
• cleaner indoor air, reducing exposure to smoke and improving family health;
• less pressure on forests, preserving natural resources for future generations.

Together, these two activities demonstrated how legal literacy, community awareness and practical innovations reinforce one another. While the internal session deepened understanding of women’s rights and the structures that protect them, the field event in Rubavu showcased tangible solutions that improve women’s everyday lives.

The SFERE project is funded by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and implemented by LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency.