President Taye Bids Farewell to Outgoing UN Assistant Secretary-General in Ethiopia

Addis  Ababa, July  9, 2025 (ENA)— President Taye Atske Selassie has bid farewell today to the outgoing UN Assistant Secretary-General, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia, Ramiz Alakbarov.

During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on strengthening the enduring partnership between Ethiopia and the United Nations.

They discussed future avenues for cooperation and ways to deepen the collaborative efforts that have contributed to Ethiopia's development and humanitarian endeavors.

President Taye expressed his sincere appreciation to Alakbarov for his instrumental role in enhancing UN-Ethiopia relations during his tenure.

 Taye also acknowledged the lasting contributions made by the UN official in advancing mutual goals and supporting Ethiopia’s national priorities.

Approached by ENA, Alakbarov reflected on his time in Ethiopia, describing it as both meaningful and inspiring. He lauded Ethiopia’s remarkable progress in development, noting impactful transformations in both urban centers and rural communities.

He said, “For the last two years that I have been in Ethiopia, I must admit I have seen an amazing transformation happening in this country. If you see Addis Ababa or regional cities, you could see strong changes in the way the cities operate. The city corridor development project has transformed the capital and regional cities.

I was very impressed with one the largest and probably the largest environmental initiative called green legacy. I have never seen any other country where billions of trees are planted.”

The outgoing assistant secretary-general reaffirmed that the collaborative partnership between Ethiopia and the United Nations will further be strengthened in the coming years.

He further stated that: “I have been very much honored to be able to sign with Ethiopia our 5 years partnership plan. It happened a couple of weeks ago. This plan has envisaged partnerships towards the agenda 2030.

By the year 2030, this 5 years plan will be over. It amounts to 6 billion dollars. We have five transformative areas where we are working through.”