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United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Sustainable Development

Green Legacy Initiative

Office of the Prime Minister, Ethiopia (
Government
)
#SDGAction48413
Description
Description

Ethiopia, home to 120 million people, is one of the world’s most drought-prone countries. It has a high degree of vulnerability to hydro-meteorological hazards and natural disasters. Dependence on sectors that are climate change sensitive such as rain-fed agriculture, water, tourism, and forestry as well as a high level of poverty are the main factors that exacerbate Ethiopia’s vulnerability. Ethiopia's policy response to climate change has progressively evolved since the ratification of the UNFCCC in 1994. Ethiopia launched the National Adaptation Plan of Action in 2007 and the Ethiopian Program of Adaptation on Climate Change and Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions in 2010. Ethiopia also endorsed a Climate Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) strategy in 2011 with the objective of building a green and resilient economy. Over the years, Ethiopia has been implementing various programs within those policy frameworks. One among them, and by far the most consequential, has been the Green Legacy Initiative (GLI). Rooted in a vision of building a green and climate-resilient Ethiopia, the Green Legacy Initiative was launched in June 2019. A target of planting 20 billion seedlings within a period of four years was set. By the fourth year, Ethiopia has succeeded in planting 25 billion seedlings by mobilizing more than 20 million citizens throughout the nation. The development of more than 120,000 nurseries throughout the country has enabled the creation of more than 767,000 jobs, mostly for women and youth. The Green Legacy Initiative is a demonstration of Ethiopia’s long-term commitment to a multifaceted response to the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation that encompasses agroforestry, forest sector development, greening and renewal of urban areas, and integrated water and soil resources management. This has an immense contribution to Ethiopia’s efforts to meet its international commitments such as the Paris Climate Change Agreement, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want.

Expected Impact

Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative has multiple targets as it naturally touches on various targets of the 2030 Agenda. Contribution to food security is one of the objectives of the Initiative. In 2022 alone, more than 500 million seedlings were plants that have premium values in local and international markets such as avocadoes, mangoes, apples and papayas. This directly feeds into the current drive of becoming food self-sufficient by promoting sustainable agriculture as envisaged in Sustainable Development Goal 2. The Initiative is a major flagship project that will help attain its adaptation goals as set in the National Adaptation Plan. Ethiopia is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. Frequent droughts, floods and locust infestations are some of the manifestations of the extreme of climate events. Over the past four decades, the average annual temperate in Ethiopia is estimated to have risen by 0.37 degrees Celsius each decade. Directly linked to Goal 13 of the SDGs, this Initiative complements Ethiopia’s efforts to reduce its vulnerability. Moreover, forest conservation, reforestation, restoration of degraded land and soil as well as the promotion of sustainable management of forests. Ethiopia’s forest coverage has been declining for decades at an alarming rate. Between 2000 to 2013, the net loss of forest cover was 72,000 hectares a year which is equivalent to 100,840 football fields. The Initiative intends to reverse this as this is unsustainable in a country where 85 per cent of the population depends on rainfed agriculture. Overall, the innovative aspect of the Initiative lies in its potential to address multiple objectives. This entails enormous benefits in environmental protection, restoration of overexploited and degraded natural resources such as surface soil and water, halting desertification and many other interrelated objectives. The enormity of the interlinkages will significantly contribute to Ethiopia’s efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

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Entity
Office of the Prime Minister, Ethiopia
SDGs
Region
  1. Africa
Other beneficiaries

The Initiative is expected to benefit the Ethiopian society at large by reducing its the vulnerability to climate change and other environmental losses, and help Ethiopia achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2063 of the African Union. There is also a long term plan to expand the initiative to Ethiopia's neighbouring countries.

Countries
Ethiopia
Ethiopia
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