Islamabad (GNP): Ethiopian Ambassador to Pakistan Oumer Hussien Oba reaffirmed his country’s commitment to deepening climate resilience cooperation with Pakistan, saying Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative holds valuable insights for Pakistan’s own climate journey.
He was addressing a seminar titled “Pakistan-Ethiopia Climate Resilience Cooperation: From Tree Planting to Green Jobs and Inclusive Growth,” hosted by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI).
Calling the event a meaningful step in strengthening ties between the two countries, the ambassador said climate change is largely a human-driven phenomenon and that the moment calls for tangible action rather than further warnings. He described how Ethiopia’s leadership took ownership of mobilizing the population behind the Green Legacy Initiative, noting that with 80 to 85 percent of Ethiopians dependent on agriculture, the program prioritized scale from the outset — engaging roughly eight million men and women in seedling-planting efforts nationwide and generating substantial employment along the way.
He credited the initiative’s success not to rhetoric but to unity, collaboration and partnership, adding that Ethiopia’s climate momentum, which began in 2019, played a role in its selection as host of COP32. He said Ethiopia is now looking to share these lessons with partner nations, including Pakistan, noting that the program has drawn on government bodies, research institutions, academics and professionals, with government-run nurseries supplying most of the seedlings.
Dr. Sajid Amin Javed, SDPI’s Deputy Executive Director (Research), said Pakistanis hold deep respect for Ethiopia, making geographic distance no obstacle to cooperation given the challenges and opportunities the two nations share. He called for joint efforts on youth development and agriculture, pointing to SDPI’s recent study on South-South cooperation between Pakistan and Brazil as a possible model for similar work with Ethiopia. He noted that SDPI already collaborates closely with the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme and said environmental challenges create broad space for sustained, mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries under a South-South framework.
Dr. Shafqat Munir, SDPI’s Deputy Executive Director (Policy), called it an honor to host the ambassador, describing the planting of 40 billion seedlings under the Green Legacy Initiative as a remarkable feat that has left a strong impression in Pakistan. He noted that Pakistan has built its own climate diplomacy credentials, pointing to its advocacy around the Loss and Damage Fund at COP27, and acknowledged Ethiopia’s vocal support for Pakistan on that issue. He said SDPI would assist the Ethiopian embassy on technical aspects of bilateral cooperation and, given its standing in regional climate networks, could help with COP32 preparations. He added that Ethiopia’s experience managing floods, droughts and food system transformation could benefit Pakistan, while Pakistan’s National Emergencies Operation Centre, under the National Disaster Management Authority, could offer useful lessons for Ethiopia in turn.
Speaking via video link, Prof. Adefris Worku, Chair of the Green Legacy Initiative Technical Committee in Ethiopia, described the program, launched in 2019, as one of 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 native species, creating hundreds of thousands of green jobs. He noted that forest cover has risen from 17 to 23.6 percent nationally, while annual land degradation has dropped from 92,000 to 30,000 hectares, arguing that developing nations must shift from being viewed as victims of climate change to becoming implementers of nature-based solutions.
Arif Goheer, Executive Director of the Global Change Impact Studies Centre (GCISC), said Pakistan and Ethiopia face many of the same climate vulnerabilities — water stress, flooding, food insecurity and land degradation — and proposed the two countries collaborate at COP side events to jointly represent climate-vulnerable nations, particularly on adaptation issues.
Zainab Naeem, Head of Ecological Sustainability and Circular Economy at SDPI, framed climate change as a gender issue, noting that an estimated 158 million women in the Global South could be pushed into poverty due to its impacts. She pointed out that both countries have developed Climate Gender Action Plans and adopted climate budget tagging, offering a foundation for expanded joint work, and called on developing nations to speak with one voice in climate finance talks, stressing that they seek justice, not charity.
Dr. Athar Hussain of COMSATS noted that Pakistan’s temperature is rising roughly a third of a degree per decade faster than the global average, despite the country contributing less than one percent of global emissions, and suggested solar geoengineering could benefit both nations. Referencing potential flood-mitigation applications along Ethiopia’s Akaki River, he said both countries, situated in subtropical risk zones, have strong potential for collaboration in this area.
Water and climate expert Dr. Shahid Iqbal outlined three pillars for cooperation: hydro-climatic modeling, given both nations’ vulnerability to flash floods and drought; nature-based solutions, which he called a necessity rather than a luxury; and empowering women, whom he identified as the most effective managers of water resources.
The session closed with a screening of a documentary on Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative, presented by the Ethiopian Embassy.
o-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.
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