NTAHANGWA, August 13 (ABP) – The Burundian Prime Minister, Nestor Ntahontuye, received in audience on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, Violet Kenyana Kakyomya, coordinator of the United Nations System in Burundi. She was accompanied by the Deputy Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in charge of Programmes and Operations, Mr. Jonas Mfouatie, and the European Union representative in Burundi, Pascal Le Droit, who is responsible for the Rural Development and Nutrition, Environment programme.
After the audience, the UN System Coordinator in Burundi stated that the discussions with the Prime Minister focused on a study conducted in Burundi on the impact of climate change in the country and in sub-regional nations, carried out between September 2023 and May 2024.
The Prime Minister’s office had taken the lead on this study, in collaboration with other national sectors and Burundi’s partners, including the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU), the World Bank (WB), and the African Development Bank (AfDB).
According to the Prime Minister’s spokesperson, Moïse Nkurunziza, and the UN System Coordinator in Burundi, the study was essential for the country in order to understand what happened, draw lessons, and strengthen resilience strategies for the future, given that these climate crises are cyclical. Both sources mentioned that during the discussions, the Prime Minister provided guidance for the next steps.
According to the Prime Minister’s spokesperson, the effects of these climate changes were particularly felt in the locality of Gatumba in Bujumbura province and around Lake Tanganyika. These climate-related disruptions resulted in the displacement of populations, job losses, and the destruction of infrastructure.
Losses caused by the consequences of these climate changes were estimated at 650,000,000 US dollars (USD), according to both the Prime Minister’s spokesperson, Moïse Nkurunziza, and the Deputy Resident Representative of the UNDP in Burundi, Mr. Jonas Mfouatie.