ADDIS ABABA (ENA) – Ethiopia has reaffirmed its unwavering commitment for climate and environment policy and actions across sectors.
Planning and Development State Minister Seyoum Mekonen met Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP and Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of UNFCCC in the sideline of the 10th Special Session of AMCEN which is being held in Abidjan, Cote DIvoire from 5th to 6th September 2024.
The State Minister explained that the innovative action where the Government of Ethiopia has been strategically addressing the issue of climate change and environment by restructuring these issues under the Ministry of Planning and Development
According to him, the restructuring works are imperative for a robust mainstreaming of these matters into the National Development Planning process.
Seyoum proudly explained the practical climate actions where the Government and people of Ethiopia undertaking to address the pressing challenges of climate change through Green Legacy where the initiative managed to plant about 32.5 billion seedlings that have both ecological as well as food and fodder trees and grasses.
The initiative entertained an incredible achievement of increasing the forest cover of Ethiopia from 17.2 percent in 2017 to 23.6 percent in 2023, it was indicated.
The initiative has also improved the food system transformation in Ethiopia through the ‘Bounty of Basket’ (Ye Lemat Tirufat) that focused on promoting food sovereignty as package of the Green Legacy Initiative.
“The UNEP office deserved to be strengthened considering Addis Ababa is the seat for the Africa Union and all other diplomatic missions and requested Inger for her leadership in this regard” Seyoum stressed the importance of the UN agencies for the delivery of the national environmental and climate policies and strategies.
On her part, Executive Director of UNEP, Inger Andersen praised Ethiopia’s remarkable leadership in environmental and climate initiatives, particularly highlighting the renowned Green Legacy program.
She expressed her interest in aligning this initiative with the recently announced UN Decade of Ecological Restoration, led by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Inspired by Ethiopia’s multifaceted leadership in environmental issues, she expressed a desire to collaborate with Ethiopia to enhance UNEP’s effectiveness.
“COP29 must establish ambitious, quantifiable climate finance goals that are accessible to countries with limited capacity, including those in Africa and least developed countries like Ethiopia,” Seyoum stated, highlighting Ethiopia’s priorities for COP29 to the UNFCCC Executive Secretary.
He further noted: “As the chair of AMCEN, Ethiopia aims to unify the region’s voice, ensuring it is heard.”
Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of UNFCCC appreciated Ethiopia’s ambitious Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) while commending the Government of Ethiopia’s plan to submit the 3rd generation NDC (NDC3.0).
He further expressed his commitment for mobilizing the financial resources to Ethiopia for achieving the development and submission of Ethiopia’s NDC having the whole of society being applied.
Simon shared his commitment for having a New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Change (NCQG) with his hope that the divergences on the sources of finance and the quality of it.
The two parties agreed to continue their bilateral consultation towards a shared interest in the time to come.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD THURSDAY 12 SEPTEMBER 2024
