Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative can inspire Pakistan’s climate response: Envoy

ISLAMABAD, Aug 25 (APP):Ambassador of Ethiopia to Pakistan,Oumer Hussien Oba has reaffirmed his government’s commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation on climate resilience, saying his country’s Green Legacy Initiative offers valuable lessons for Pakistan.

He was speaking at a seminar, titled: ‘Pakistan-Ethiopia Climate Resilience Cooperation: From Tree Planting to Green Jobs and Inclusive Growth’, organized by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) here on Tuesday.

Terming the session as an important step in strengthening Pakistan-Ethiopia bilateral relations, the ambassador said climate change is largely driven by human activity and what is needed now is concrete action rather than continued warnings.

He informed the audience that Ethiopian leadership has taken responsibility for mobilizing its population behind the Green Legacy Initiative. Noting that 80 to 85 per cent of Ethiopian population depends on agriculture for their livelihood, he said the initiative has prioritized scale in its early phase, mobilizing around eight million male and female workers in seedling-planting efforts across the country, which create significant employment opportunities.

The envoy further said Ethiopia’s approach did not rest on rhetoric but on unity, collaboration, and partnership, which he described as central to the initiative’s success. He noted that Ethiopia’s momentum on climate action, which began in 2019, had contributed to its selection as host of COP32.

The country is now looking to extend the Green Legacy Initiative’s lessons to sister nations, including Pakistan, he said, adding that the initiative has originated with government bodies, research institutions, academia, and professionals, with government-run nurseries meeting most seedling demand.

Deputy Executive Director (Research) at SDPI,Dr. Sajid Amin Javed said Pakistanis hold great respect for Ethiopia, thus geographic distance is no longer a barrier to cooperation, given the shared challenges and opportunities the two countries face.

He called for joint work on youth development and agriculture, noting that SDPI has recently completed a study on South-South cooperation between Pakistan and Brazil and could pursue similar work with Ethiopia. He went on to say that SDPI is already working closely with the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme.

He said environmental challenges presented a broad-based opportunity for sustained, mutually beneficial cooperation between the two nations under the framework of South-South cooperation.

Dr. Shafqat Munir, Deputy Executive Director (Policy) at SDPI, said it was a privilege to host the Ambassador at SDPI.

He said the planting of 40 billion seedlings under the Green Legacy Initiative was a remarkable achievement that has also made a strong impression in Pakistan.

He said Pakistan, too, has built diplomatic credibility in the climate space, citing its efforts around the Loss and Damage Fund at COP27. He acknowledged that the Ethiopian delegation has been vocal in supporting Pakistan’s cause on that front.

He said SDPI would support the Ethiopian embassy on technical matters related to bilateral cooperation, and given its position within major regional climate networks, could also assist the embassy in preparations for COP32. He added that Ethiopia’s experience in managing floods, droughts, and food system transformation could benefit Pakistan, while Pakistan’s National Emergencies Operation Centre under the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) could similarly offer lessons for Ethiopia.

Speaking online, Prof. Adefris Worku, Chair of the Green Legacy Initiative Technical Committee, Ethiopia said the Green Legacy Initiative, launched in 2019, was among the most ambitious nature-based interventions of its kind, with 50 billion seedlings planted over eight years in response to severe land degradation, deforestation, and soil erosion.

He said Ethiopia now aims to plant 60 billion seedlings, having already mobilized 26 million people to plant 800 million seedlings of fruit and indigenous species, generating hundreds of thousands of green jobs in the process. Forest cover in Ethiopia has increased from 17 to 23.6 percent, while annual land degradation has fallen from 92,000 to 30,000 hectares, he said and argued that developing countries must move beyond the role of victims to become implementers of nature-based solutions.

Arif Goheer, Executive Director of the Global Change Impact Studies Centre (GCISC), said Pakistan and Ethiopia share many climate vulnerabilities, including water stress, flooding, food insecurity, and land degradation. He proposed that Pakistan and Ethiopia must collaborate at COP side events and jointly represent the voice of climate-vulnerable nations, particularly on adaptation.

Zainab Naeem, Head of Ecological Sustainability and Circular Economy at SDPI, framing climate change as a gender issue, said an estimated 158 million women in the Global South could be pushed into poverty due to its effects. She noted that both countries have developed Climate Gender Action Plans and introduced climate budget tagging, presenting an opportunity to scale up joint efforts. She called for developing nations to speak with one voice in climate finance negotiations, stressing that they were seeking justice rather than charity.

Dr. Athar Hussain from COMSATS noted that Pakistan’s rate of temperature rise is roughly one-third of a degree per decade higher than the global average despite the country emitting less than one per cent of global carbon emissions. He suggested that solar geoengineering could offer significant benefits for both countries. Highlighting potential flood-mitigation impacts along Ethiopia’s Akaki River, he said both Pakistan and Ethiopia are situated in subtropical risk zones, and have strong potential to collaborate in this area.

Dr. Shahid Iqbal, water and climate expert, proposed three pillars for cooperation: hydro-climatic modelling, given both countries’ exposure to flash floods and drought; nature-based solutions, which he described as a necessity rather than a luxury; and empowering women, whom he called the most effective managers of water resources.

The session also featured a screening of a documentary on Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative, presented by the Embassy of Ethiopia.