Addis Ababa Highlights - PHE Ethiopia Consortium

Addis Ababa Highlights
A Newsletter by UNEP Addis Ababa Liaison Office a Subsidiary of UNEP Africa
November - December 2014
(Left-down) The opening session at the Parliamentarian Colloquium on Multilateral Environmental Agreements in Africa; (Right) The poster
for the Clothes Recycling Campaign conducted by UNEP Addis Ababa Liaison Office
International
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P2
“Lima Call for Climate Action” Signals Progress
towards New Climate
Africa Day at the margins of the COP20 in Lima: Can
Africa hope more from Post-2015 New Climate
Change Agenda?
Ethiopia Showcases Progress in Climate Response
at UNFCCC COP20
Joint meetings of the MOP 26 and COP 10
Ethiopia
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Regional
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P5
Preparation of the International Conference in 2015
on Illegal Exploitation and Trade of African Wildlife
Enhancing the Role of Parliamentarians on
Multilateral Environmental Agreements in Africa
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Thematic workshop on Certification and Standards
in the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning sector in
Africa
International Conference Underlines the Value of
Bamboo and Rattan for Green Economy
Experts Meet on Tools and Methodologies for
Inclusive Green Economy in Africa
The prospect of Powering Africa: the stake of
Ethiopian energy sector
“Together for a Food Secure Ethiopia” Award:
Honouring the Efforts of Food Heroine
When Businesses Go Green: “2014 Think and Go
Green”
Greening the Blue: Clothes Recycling in the ECA
Upcoming Events
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P7
P13
24th African Union Summit
15th session of The African Ministerial Conference
on the Environment (AMCEN)
8th AUC/ECA Annual Conference of African
Ministers of Economy and Finance, Planning and
Economic Development
International Conference on Illegal Trade of Wildlife
International
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“Lima Call for Climate Action”
Signals Progress towards New Climate
The 20th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 20) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 10th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (COP/MOP 10), took place from 1-12 December in Lima, Peru. In this year’s COP, over 11,000 participants,
including approximately 6,300 government officials, 4,000 representatives from UN bodies and agencies, intergovernmental organizations and civil society and media have gathered in Lima for the two-week sessions. More than 200 side events also have taken place
alongside the Conference. Those events provided various platforms for information dissemination, capacity building, policy discussions
and legitimising global governance.
On the final day, over 190 nations concluded by elaborating the elements of the new climate change agreement, scheduled to be
agreed in Paris late next year. They also agreed on the ground rules on how all countries can submit contributions to the new agreement during the first quarter of next year. These Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) will become the foundation for
post 2020 climate action when the new agreement in Paris is set to come into effect.
Having made a significant progress in elevating adaptation onto the same level as action to cut and curb emissions, this year’s UN
Climate Conference also has achieved a range of other important outcomes and decisions. Pledges made by both developed and developing countries prior to and during
the COP that reached $10 billion
target of the new Green Climate
Fund (GCF). Several developed
countries submitted themselves to
questioning about their emissions
targets under a new “Multilateral
Assessment” process in the hope to
increase transparency and confidence-building. Furthermore, the
Lima Ministerial Declaration on Education and Awareness-raising calls
on governments to put climate
change into school curricula and
(2nd from Left) Ms. Christiana Figueres, UNFCCC Executive Secretary and (3rd from Left) Mr. Manuel climate awareness into national dePulgar-Vidal, Minister of Environment of Peru as the COP20/CMP10 President; Credit: UNFCCC
velopment plans.
International
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Africa Day at the
margins of the COP20
in Lima:
Can Africa hope more
from Post-2015 New
Climate Change
Agenda?
The UNFCCC COP 20 provided an opportunity for
Africa to organize a special “Africa Day” on 10 December under the theme, “Africa in a post-2015
New Climate Agreement.” During this particular
event, African stakeholders critically examined a
Credit: AUC
new post-2015 climate change agreement to be
made in Paris COP 21 in 2015 in the African context. The forum served as a platform for African Union Member States and other partners to exchange their views on the African Common Position towards the potential agreement. The “Africa Day” was held at the initiative of the African Union Commission (AUC), the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the African Development Bank
(AfDB) in collaboration with UNFCCC Secretariat and the Government of Peru, and witnessed the participation of distinguished guests
including official representatives and negotiators from African governments and international and non-governmental organizations and
climate change experts.
Delivering the AUC statement on behalf of H.E. Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture of the
AUC, Ms. Olushola Olayide, the AUC focal person to the UNFCCC expressed her satisfaction in the joint efforts to support the African
Group of Negotiators for Climate Change made by the AUC along with the African Ministerial Conference of Environment (AMCEN)
Secretariat hosted by UNEP Regional Office for Africa in view of the New Climate Change Agreement. She stressed that the future
Agreement “should incorporate the aspirations of Africa including responses targeting women and youth.” Tanzania’s Vice President,
H.E. Mohammed Gharib Bilal expressed his conviction that the COP is a major event in which Africa should seriously proceed what
was agreed in Warsaw at COP19 last year with the hope that significant progress will be made in the multilateral climate change process.
The representative of the UNECA, Dr. Fatima Denton, Director of Special initiatives Division, encouraged Africa to take advantage of
new pledges totalling $9.3 billion made to the Green Climate Fund, stating that “Many African countries are already championing projects that demonstrate that a low carbon development pathway will
make investment and business sense, especially since the impacts
of climate change are oblivious of boundaries.” Mr. Alex Rugamba,
Director of Energy, Environment and Climate Change Department of
African Development Bank (AfDB) and Moderator at the event highlighted the need for addressing the problems of the African continent
explicitly in the Agreement. The unison of African states in making
the principle of common but differentiated responsibility is of the
essence in realizing the resilience of the continent, he emphasized.
During the Africa Day event, a better understanding was achieved
on what a New Post-2015 Climate Change Agreement would mean
for Africa as well as on issues relevant to women and youth in light
of climate change responses for achieving inclusive growth. In addition, some best practices from African countries on climate change
related initiative were shared.
International
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(Left) Ethiopian Minister of Environment and Forestry, H.E. Mr. Belete Tafere Desta, delivers a national statement; (Right) Green Climate Fund’s
Side event on 11 December on the side of the COP20
Ethiopia Showcases Progress in
Climate Response at UNFCCC COP20
Joint Meetings of
the MOP 26 and COP 10
Minister of Environment and Forestry, H.E. Mr. Belete Tafere Desta presented
The 26th session of the Meeting of the Parties to the
Ethiopian government’s great effort in mitigation and adaptation of climate
change while decoupling industrialization and environmental degradation.
Speaking at the seventh meeting of the COP 20 on 10 December, he also
highlighted Ethiopia’s potential in terms of achieving green growth by emphasising its potential for renewable sources development, and called for more
technical and financial support through the UN system and partners in this
regard.
Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the
Ozone Layer (MP MOP 26) and the 10th session of
the Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention (VC COP 10) was jointly held from17- 21 November in Paris, France.
At the side event, hosted by Green Climate Fund (GCF) Secretariat held on 11
December, under the theme “Green Climate Fund Outlook – Prospects for the
GCF in 2015”, Minister Tafere Desta as a panelist highlighted his government’s green economy strategy and growth and transformation plans that
would lead the country to a middle-income status by 2025 following a low carbon pathway. He estimated at US$7.5 billion annually the amount required for
the country to achieve the middle-income status, explaining that these funds
would be generated from internal and external sources. The Minister called for
the GCF to move quickly to the disbursement phase, noting Ethiopia’s need for
investments in green transport infrastructure and green power, among others.
Furthermore, Mr. Desta stressed that gender and other social considerations
have been included in the development of national plans.
At the high-level panel session titled “Financial Forces in the Landscape: Can
fiscal and trade policies reduce deforestation?” Dr. Tefera Mengistu, Advisor to
the State Minister of Forests, representing the Ministry of Environment and
Forests highlighted Ethiopia’s Climate Resilient Green Economy which includes landscape and agriculture and forestry components as two priorities out
of the four pillars of the strategy as well as the 15 million hectare reforestation
and forestation plan. He also introduced Ethiopia’s ambition in implementing
the REDD+ programme by embarking on a forestry economic valuation project
with the support of UNEP.
Over 450 participants from governments, UN bodies
and NGOs attended the meeting. This meeting was
held in the wake of the Meeting of the Parties to the
Montreal Protocol and the Conference of Parties to
the Vienna Convention for the protection of the
Ozone Layer, which were jointly held from 17- 21
November in Paris. These meetings called for enhanced action on legal, finance, technology transfer,
and polices.
UNEP Executive Director Mr. Achim Steiner delivers his
speech for the opening of the MOP26 and COP10 in
Paris; Credit: IISD
Regional
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Credit: AUC
Preparation of the International Conference in 2015 on
Illegal Exploitation and Trade of African Wildlife
A
technical meeting in preparation for an International Conference on the Illegal Exploitation and Trade of African Wild Flora and
Fauna was held on 18 November in Addis Ababa at African Union Commission (AUC) Headquarters. The international conference
scheduled to be held in April 2015 in Brazzaville, Congo is being organised by the Government of Congo and the AUC, with the support of the UNEP, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of
Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the Interpol, the Lusaka Agreement and other key partners.
The objectives of this preparatory meeting were: to establish an International Organising Committee of the Conference and its various
specialised committees, including the Secretariat; to gather some feedback and endorse the concept note of the conference; to identify
respective roles and responsibilities of the different committees and partners involved in the preparation; to discuss logistics and agree
on the format of the conference, among others.
During the meeting, the Minister for Forest Economy and Sustainable Development of the Republic of Congo, H.E. Henri Djombo explained his government’s expectations for the conference, emphasising the need to move from rhetoric to action and for a coordinated
action by countries as well as the necessity to strengthen technical, financial and human capacities, provide incentives and facilitate
the mobility and means of communication of the rangers.
The meeting established an International Organising Committee comprising of the AUC as the Chair, represented by H.E. Commissioner Tumusiime Rhoda Peace; the Government of Congo, represented by H.E. Minister Djombo; and UNEP represented by Mr.
Samba Harouna Thiam, Head of UNEP Liaison Office in Addis Ababa. This Organising Committee will be in charge of coordinating the
conference. The UNEP representative Mr. Harouna Thiam pledged his organisation’s full support to the Commission and the Government of Congo, notably in technical expertise. As part of this support,
UNEP is already coordinating the work of the Technical Advisory Committee in charge of the substantial aspects of the conference.
The Brazzaville conference is being organized as part of the AU Decision on African wild flora and fauna conservation and illegal trade of
wildlife adopted at the 23rd AU Summit in June 2014. This Decision
further recognised the need to strengthen environmental governance
systems to prevent illegal trade and trafficking of wildlife that threaten
global peace and security. The Decision also called for developing
strategies against the challenge. It is noteworthy that the committee
proposed to invite consumer countries of illegal exploitation and illegal
trade of African wildlife at the conference in order to seek holistic
strategies for fighting against this pressing environmental issue.
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Regional
Enhancing the Role of Parliamentarians on
Multilateral Environmental Agreements in Africa
A Parliamentarian
colloquium on Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) for biodiversity and chemical/waste management
was held from 3-5 December at the African Union Commission (AUC) Headquarters in Addis Ababa. Under the theme “MEAs, a Vehicle for Environmental Sustainability in Africa”, this meeting was co-organised by the AUC through its Department of Rural Economy
and Agriculture in collaboration with the UNEP. Attended by MEAs experts from UNEP, AUC, NGOs as well as some African regional
and national parliamentarians with agriculture and environmental portfolios in their respective parliaments, this forum provided a platform for creating great awareness and enhancing the capacity of parliamentarians in MEAs implementation.
In an opening statement, Mr. Samba Harouna Thiam, Head of UNEP Addis Ababa office stressed the role of parliamentarians as the
backbone in leading to the achievement of the objectives of MEAs, that are, among others, to conserve biodiversity and to manage
chemical/waste in a safer way in the African continent. He said to the parliamentarians, “Given your mandates, you have an essential
role to play in ensuring that environmental concerns are effectively and efficiently taken into account in your respective national development plans.”
The colloquium focused on biodiversity conservation and its sustainable use, as well as chemical and waste management. Participants and experts also exchanged their experiences and opinions including on the role of parliamentarians in mainstreaming the target MEAs in developmental plans and policies, and the role of “Green Bird
Africa”, a network of African Parliamentarians for sustainable development in
the continent. In addition, they committed to improving networking and cooperation among parliamentarians to achieve better cohesion on the continent.
The ACP-MEAs Programme funded by the European Commission and facilitated by UNEP is implemented in 79 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries (ACP). Launched in 2009, this programme is in its second phase of
implementation for 4-year term. It aims at strengthening capacities related to
MEAs in the regions, notably in the fields of negotiation and implementation;
enforcement; mainstreaming the concept in their domestic measures; development of tools, guidelines and legislation; promotion of ratification and implementation of conventions; information dissemination and exchange and
awareness creation; and training and sensitization for target groups such as
parliamentarians.
(L) Mr. Mamadou Kane, UNEP MEA Focal Point for the
ACP Region; (R) Mr. Samba Harouna Thiam, Head of
UNEP Liaison Office in Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
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Thematic workshop on Certification and Standards in the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning sector in Africa
Refrigeration and Air-conditioning (RAC) Associations and RAC experts from 20 African countries,
Centro Studi Galileo of Italy, South Africa RAC
Contractors Association and Ozone Officers of the
African Network gathered in Addis Ababa from 4-5
December to discuss Africa’s ozone protection
schemes. With 25 days remaining to meet the
10% reduction of Hydrochlorofluorocarbon
(HCFC) consumption in developing countries as
set by the Montreal Protocol on Substances that
deplete the ozone layer, this experts meeting
aimed to establish guidelines for standards and
certification schemes in the RAC Sector in Africa.
The meeting was opened by Mr. Berhanu Solomon, Director of State of the Environment on behalf of H.E. Mr. Kare Chawecha, State Minster, Ministry of Environment and Forest. He said that Ethiopia has started the process of
establishing a national RAC association in close collaboration with relevant stakeholders. Mr. Samba Harouna Thiam, Head of UNEP
Office in Ethiopia in his opening remarks urged the countries to start moving away from HCFC-based equipment and adopt environmentally friendly alternatives.
The real challenge for African countries is to organize the RAC sector and make a certification mandatory for all RAC technicians in the
service sector. To overcome this challenge, it is necessary to establish procedures for achieving and assessing the competence of
persons who design, construct, install, inspect, test and commission, maintain, repair, decommission and dispose of refrigeration systems and heat pumps. Furthermore, those activities should be in line with health, safety, environmental protection and energy conservation requirements. In order to establish such mechanism, this thematic workshop was an opportunity for African countries to exchange experiences and address common challenges in the establishment of certification schemes in the RAC sector.
There are some concerns about natural refrigerant alternative technologies in order to phase out HCFCs, regarding their safety, flammability, toxicity and low operating pressures. In this regard, it was agreed during the workshop that a certified training course and
standards are required as the basis of work to ensure every technician handling a variety of refrigerants is aware of safe refrigeration
practices.
All participating countries presented feedback on their progress in the establishment and operation of RAC certification schemes following preceding thematic workshops held earlier this year for Anglophone and Francophone African networks. The meeting noted that
South Africa has already established a certification scheme and encouraged the other countries to do so. The meeting recommended
UNEP to assist countries by developing guidelines on certification in the RAC sector.
More information:
www.unep.org/
ozonaction
Ethiopia
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Ethiopian President H.E. Mulatu Teshome gives his opening speech at the INBAR International Summit; Credit: INBAR
International Conference Underlines
the Value of Bamboo and Rattan for Green Economy
The International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) and Ministry of Agriculture of Ethiopia co-hosted an international summit
on the theme: “The Role of Bamboo and Rattan in the Green Economy” on 5 November in Addis Ababa. The summit aimed at creating
the platform to discuss national green economy policy strategies in African countries and raising awareness on the benefits of both
plants. The summit also intended to connect the public sector and the private sector to strengthen the pathway towards a green economy through the initiatives using bamboo and rattan.
Ethiopian President H.E. Mulatu Teshome in his opening speech stressed Ethiopian government’s vision to become a middle-income
country by 2025 through GTP II. He acknowledged that green economy, biodiversity and poverty reduction are intertwined and land
management and climate change mitigation and adaptation are key issues to be included GTP II which is currently being developed.
Mr. Achim Steiner, Executive Director of UNEP, in his video message, emphasised the underestimated role of bamboo and rattan for
green economy and the importance to measure their economic value. He recommended governments to prioritise some projects with
bamboo and rattan, particularly in the perspective of South-South cooperation, and confirmed that UNEP will be a part of the work.
The conference featured three round table discussions respectively on International and national policies for green bamboo and rattan
development; the role of the private sector in a green bamboo economy; and Bamboo for landscape restoration. The high-level panellists from Ghana, Cameroon and Ethiopia, international organization and the private sectors discussed the best practices in the use of
bamboo and rattan to promote green economy and ultimately sustainable development. Dr. Desta Mebratu, Deputy Director of UNEP
Regional Office for Africa, stressed the necessity of institutional innovation in public sector and ecosystem-based management for land
restoration projects using bamboo. He also introduced UN REDD+ and other land restoration programmes across Africa that UNEP is
supporting.
Prior to the conference, 40 member countries of INBAR held the ninth Council meeting and set targets to restore at least 5 million hectares of degraded land and areas of low quality bamboo production by transforming into productive and healthy bamboo forests. This
plan is to support the Bonn Challenge, which aims to restore 150 million hectares of the world's degraded and deforested lands by
2020.
Bamboo can play a significant role in landscape restoration thanks to its fast growing nature and extensive root system, and can
equally be useful in climate change mitigation and adaptation. At the same time, bamboo can support local livelihoods and promote
biodiversity. Recognising such advantages, INBAR, through its regional offices in Asia, Africa and Latin America, has provided a platform to identify new and innovative uses for bamboo and rattan by assisting governments, business and local communities in over 50
countries.
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Ethiopia
The Prospect of Powering Africa: the
Stake of Ethiopian Energy Sector
The
Experts Meet on Tools and Methodologies for
Inclusive Green Economy in Africa
Green Economy experts from various sectors and countries gathered in order
to evaluate a draft study report on “Integrated Assessment Tools and Methodologies for an Inclusive Green Economy in Africa” from 25-26 November at the
UN Conference Centre in Addis Ababa. The UN Economic Commission for
Africa (ECA) on inclusive green economy has been undertaking its role to foster green structural transformation in the African region in partnership with the
African Union Commission, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development
(NEPAD), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and UNEP. In this context, this report was developed in order
to enhance understanding on the application, strengths and weaknesses of
various tools and methodologies on integrated assessment at various stages
of the policy cycle.
In her opening remarks, Dr. Fatima Denton, Director of Special Initiatives Division of ECA, emphasised the importance of designing and deployment of appropriate frameworks and policies for Africa’s structural transformation towards
inclusive green economy. She said, “Integrated assessment tools and methodologies should support a normative policymaking approach embodying environmental, social and economic implications and associated policy issues and
their potential solutions.”
During this two-day technical meeting, the participants actively engaged in
discussions the highlights of the report presented by the report’s author Dr.
Andrea Bassi. The experts also worked in breakout groups to systematically
examine the report, identify gaps, provide inputs, propose revisions and make
recommendations towards finalising the report. Some key comments made
during the discussion included: strengthening climate change adaptation aspects
along with mitigation aspects; building technical capacities in relation to integrated
green economy tools and methodologies,
environmental assessment, and natural
resource and ecosystem valuation; empowering statistical units in ministries, etc. The
final report is expected to be disseminated
by June 2015.
third Powering Africa Executive Meeting took
place in Addis Ababa from 20-21 November. This
meeting bridged Ethiopian high-level officers from
some Ministries of Ethiopia with international and
regional power and infrastructure developers who
seek new investment opportunities in the country’s
energy sector. Some of key attendees among others
were Ethiopia’s Minister of Water Irrigation and
Energy, Mr. Alemayehu Tegenu, and State Minister
of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Dawano Kedir, CEO of
Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPC), Mr.
Azeb Asnake. Some business and agency
representatives from Reykjavic Geothermal, US’
Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the
Development Bank of Southern Africa, Goldwind
International Holdings and USAID also participated in
the summit.
The participants shared experience and best
practices of various countries on the implementation
of energy projects and conferred on the prospect of
investing on Ethiopian energy sector. In his opening
remarks, State Minister Dr. Yinager Dessie stressed
the essence of energy for maintaining the sustainable
growth of Africa. He also highlighted Ethiopia’s
relentless efforts in the development and provision of
renewable energy in Africa. Furthermore, he
emphasized the contribution of Ethiopia in the
extension of regional power integration by developing
transmission lines that connect Ethiopian power grid
with neighbouring countries in order to support their
needs. This has promoted sustainable renewable
power generation in addition to the reduction of
energy costs.
Moreover, the minister revealed that institutional
frameworks were set for clean energy investments,
which presumably are to attract investors in
renewable energy sector. CEO of EEPC, Ms. Azeb
Asnake explained that the government of Ethiopia
would consolidate its strength to support investors
engaged in renewable energy. She also emphasized
the need for a platform that would enhance the
provision of green energy and promotion of energy
sector.
The next year’s summit will include some issues on
legal frameworks, structure financing and more to
solve the uncertainty around laws and regulations in
Ethiopia in light to the already developed regulatory
enforcements in January 2014.
Ethiopia
“Together for a Food Secure Ethiopia” Award:
Honouring the Efforts of Food Heroines
The Forum for Environment (FfE), an NGO for environmental communication and
advocacy, has organized the 2014 “Female Food Heroes Award Program (FFHAP)
on 4 December at the Hilton Hotel, Addis Ababa. The objective of this awards
event, inter alia, was to close the gap between the dichotomy of men and women.
This would in actual term mean, giving an equal opportunity to access land, financial resource, and encouraging them to take on a leadership role in producers or
marketing organizations. The programme was initially founded by the Oxfam America and eight other NGOs. The vision of the organisation is to improve the efficiency
of agricultural and food security sectors by up scaling these sectors for the betterment of Ethiopian people.
The annual ceremony held at the Hilton hotel recognized eight selected women
from all over Ethiopia for the commendable tasks they have undertaken despite the
hurdles they have faced. One of the goals of the annual programme was to celebrate, award and acknowledge small-scale women food producers extensively.
These heroines were certified ‘Female Food Heroes Award’, and received a gold
medal and 30,000 birr (approximately $ 1,500 USD) check for their relentless efforts
in making ends meet.
Key participants such as H.E. Dr. Gebre-Egzihabiher Gebre- Yohannes, Mrs. Sara
Musa - Oxfam America Horn of Africa Director, Mr. Yonas Gebru- director of FfE,
Ms. Hamelmal Abate- a Good will Ambassador of the programme and an entertainer amongst others, accentuated the role of women in alleviating poverty and
famine. They emphasized that the ongoing assistance must continue and further
stressed the need for all stakeholders, including the media to bear the responsibility
of ensuring that women are empowered for the attainment of long term food security in the country.
The Director of Oxfam America for the Horn of Africa, Ms. Sara Musa hailed the
event stating that “It gives women an opportunity to narrate their success stories
and voice the challenges they face to local leaders and policy makers who represent their interests at the national level.”
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Ethiopia
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When Businesses Go Green:
“2014 Think and Go Green”
A conference and fair titled ‘2014 Think and Go Green: Building Smart Eco-products’ was held from 11-14 December at the headquarters of the Horn of Africa Regional Environment Centre and Network (HoA-REC&N) located in the Gullele Botanic Garden in Addis
Ababa. This conference aimed at maintaining African centered solutions, particularly the acquisition of ownership and commitment in
green economy.
This event was inaugurated by the Ethiopian House of Federation prolocutor H.E. Mr. Kassa Teklebran. H.E. Mr. Kebour Ghenna, Pan
African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PACCI) Executive Director, and Dr. Araya Asfaw, HoA-REC&N Executive Director, took
this occasion to highlight the rationale and concept of ‘green businesses’. Around 100 participants from government and private sectors, NGOs, civil societies, and academia had the opportunity to grasp some of the major predicaments and prospect for private sectors while engaging themselves in such arduous task of greening their businesses. Exhibitors from various parts of the world also used
this platform to showcase environmentally friendly products.
Mr. Kebour Ghenna made a presentation about the objectives of this event, that were: exploring innovative models of partnership by
examining the shortfalls and achievements associated with business going green, with a focus on Africa; providing opportunities for
participants to share the best practices; engaging business in defining the role of the private sector and the its importance on the go
green campaign; and understanding
the link between agriculture-related
investments, policies, measures with
climate smart agriculture. He also
pointed out that the trade-environment
nexus is inevitable as the both areas
are important assets for Ethiopia’s
economy. The issues on the adverse
impact of trade on environment and the
incongruity of environmental laws and
trade at the national or international
realm were actively discussed among
participants in order to find some
measures to coordinate policies with
regard to the both aspects more
closely.
He further stressed that Africa should
be ardent in designing a strategy which
is inclusive when implementing plans
and creating green jobs by putting the
concept of green economy at a rudimentary level. Experts and environmentalists urged all stakeholders to
take action in gearing towards a green
economy in the sectors of tourism,
infrastructure and energy. The participants asserted the need to instill green
economy in every policies and system
of the country to promote a green life
style.
Credit: PACCI
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Ethiopia
“Greening the Blue”:
UNEP Addis Ababa Liaison Office Leads a
Clothes Recycling Campaign in the ECA Compound
UNEP
Liaison Office in Addis Ababa has undertaken a
clothes recycling campaign at the UN Economic Commission
for Africa (ECA) compound from 13-30 November as a part of
UN’s “Greening the Blue” Initiative which aims to communicate with all UN staff as well as external stakeholders to create a more sustainable United Nations since 2010.
Essentially, clothing requires the use of an abundant amount of resources and materials,
which if donated instead of eventually being thrown away into some landfill space, would
avoid putting additional unnecessary virgin materials and resources into circulation. The
use of pesticides and fertilizers, in addition to water, makes the global textile industry one
of the most polluting and waste-generating sectors in the world.
Acknowledging this context, UNEP Addis Ababa office organized the clothes donation
campaign, installing several deposit boxes around the compound with awareness-raising
posters and promoted the UN staff to donate their clothing/textiles. 173 pieces of clothes
and 17 bags in total have collected during the campaign period and finally, they were
handed over on 25 December to Mary Joy Development Association, a community-based
non-government organization of Ethiopia. Mary Joy Development Association (MJ-DA)
undertook the distribution of collected clothes to the underprivileged in the villages where
the organization covers.
MJ-DA intervenes in two regions Addis Ababa and Southern Nations and communities
based at four coordination office (Kolfei, Yeka , Hawassa, Dilla) that constitutes nine satellite offices. Mary Joy covers 63 Kebeles (communities) and has been benefiting over
1,580,475 people directly and indirectly. Understanding its capacity of outreach to the local communities and people, UNEP Addis
Ababa Office seeks for a strong partnership with MJ-DA for future campaigns.
UNEP Addis Ababa Office will continue to conduct similar clothes donation campaigns on a regular basis in order to promote environmental sustainability of the region as well as to improve the livelihood of local people with the partnership with grassroot organizations.
More information about Greening the Blue Initiatives: http://www.greeningtheblue.org/
Upcoming Events
24th African Union Summit
21-31
JAN
The 24th Summit of the African Union will be held from 30-31 January 2015
under the theme "Women's Empowerment Year and Africa Development for
the concretization of Agenda 2063." AU Statutory meetings and parallel events
will be preceded before the Summit. Some main events include: 29th Ordinary
Session of the Permanent Representatives Committee on 23rd-24th; 26th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council on 26th-27th January.
More Information: http://summits.au.int/en/24thsummit
2-6
MAR
15th session of The African Ministerial
Conference on the Environment (AMCEN)
The 15th session of AMCEN will be held from 2-6 March 2015 in Egypt. This
session will provide a platform for African environment ministers to deliberate
on substantive issues of importance to Africa as a follow-up to the key outcomes of the Rio+20 summit as well as the development of the action plan for
the environment initiative of NEPAD, and the UNEP.
More Information: http://www.unep.org/roa/amcen/
25-31
MAR
8th AUC/ECA Annual Conference of African Ministers of Economy and Finance,
Planning and Economic Development
This annual African Ministerial meeting will be held from 25-31 March 2015 in
Addis Ababa under the theme “Implementing Agenda 2063: Planning, Mobilizing and Financing for African Development.” The 2015 Economic Report of
Africa (ERA 2015) “Industrialization through Trade” also will be launched at the
Conference.
More information: http://www.uneca.org/
27-30
APR
International Conference on Illegal
Trade of Wildlife
The international conference on illegal trade of wildlife will be held
from 27-30 April 2015 in Brazzaville, Congo. The conference is
jointly organised by the Government of Congo and the AUC, with the
support of, UNEP, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO),
the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of
Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), Interpol, the
Lusaka Agreement and other key partners.
More information: See the page 5
Addis Ababa Highlights Team
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Editor-in-Chief: Samba Harouna Thiam
Editors: Yoonhee Kim, Meriam Fetene
Web-link: www.unep.org/roa/Addis_Ababa_Site/Highlights.asp
ADDIS ABABA
HIGHLIGHTS
NOV-DEC 2014
Page I13