Ethiopia Pushes for Greater Global Commitment As Africa Prepares for Crucial Climate Talks

Addis Ababa, July 9, 2025 (ENA)— Ethiopia’s Minister of Planning and Development, Fitsum Assefa, today urged the international community to align its actions with Africa’s bold climate ambitions by providing concrete financial resources, technology transfer, and capacity-building support.

Furthermore, Minister Fitsum underscored the continent’s acute vulnerability to climate change, despite its minimal contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions.

Speaking at a high-level consultation in Addis Ababa ahead of the Second Africa Climate Summit, Minister Fitsum Assefa emphasized that climate change poses an existential threat to millions across the continent, citing intensifying droughts, floods, landslides, and a sharp decline in agricultural productivity.

“Africa’s contribution to global emissions is negligible, yet paradoxically our continent bears a disproportionate share of the impacts,” the Minister noted.

Emphasizing that the impacts of climate change are far from abstract, Fitsum highlighted how climate-induced shocks are devastating crops, livestock, and livelihoods—particularly in southern and eastern Ethiopia—underscoring the urgent need for concrete and practical action.

Calling for fair climate finance, the Minister stressed that while climate funds exist globally, many remain out of reach for African nations due to limited technical capacity.

The Minister urged developed countries to triple their commitments under the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement and ensure Africa has access to the means of implementation — finance, technology transfer, and capacity-building — to adapt and grow sustainably.

Underscoring Ethiopia’s role as a frontrunner in climate action, she outlined key national initiatives such as the planting of more than 40 billion trees in six years under the Green Legacy Initiative. She added that Ethiopia is advancing a forward-looking transport strategy that promotes electric mobility, reinforced by a bold decision to ban the import of fossil fuel vehicles.

She also mentioned Ethiopia’s ambitious corridor development program to build climate-resilient as well as inclusive cities across Africa.

“Many African nations have developed effective, locally grounded climate solutions,” the Minister said, “but these must be recognized, scaled up, and properly supported.”

Ethiopia will host the Second Africa Climate Summit and the Africa Climate Week in Addis Ababa this September, providing a critical platform for elevating African-led climate solutions and securing stronger global partnerships.

And Ethiopia is calling on governments, the private sector, and financial institutions to forge transformative partnerships and scale up investments in Africa’s green transition. The country further urged all stakeholders to seize the upcoming Summit as a pivotal moment to reshape the global climate architecture in a more equitable and action-oriented direction.

“Together, let us deliver a legacy of ambition, unity, and resilience for Africa — and for the world,” the Minister concluded.

The forthcoming Second Africa Climate Summit is determined to move beyond dialogue and deliver concrete, results-oriented climate action, it was learned.