Addis Ababa, July 11, 2026 (ENA) —Delegates attending the International Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum have joined Ethiopia’s flagship Green Legacy Initiative by planting tree seedlings at the compound of the House of People’s Representatives.

Their participation was considered as a symbolic demonstration of their shared commitment to environmental sustainability and climate action.

The tree-planting event brought together members of the international delegation, including Robert Pittenger, Founder and Chairman of the Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum, alongside Speaker of the House of People’s Representatives Tagesse Chafo and Deputy Speaker Lomi Bedo.

 

By participating in the initiative, the delegates left a lasting green footprint while expressing solidarity with Ethiopia’s nationwide campaign to restore degraded landscapes and combat climate change.

The two-day forum, hosted by Ethiopia’s House of People’s Representatives in Addis Ababa, has convened lawmakers, intelligence chiefs, cybersecurity experts, policymakers and representatives of international organizations from across the globe to deliberate on evolving global security challenges.

The gathering also brought together heads of intelligence and security institutions, senior cybersecurity specialists, representatives of international financial institutions and technology companies to strengthen parliamentary cooperation and promote collective responses to emerging security threats.

Ethiopia was selected to host the high-level forum in recognition of its growing diplomatic influence in Africa’s peace and security architecture, as well as its expanding leadership in digital transformation, cybersecurity and technology governance.

The East African nation is only the second African nation, after Kenya, to host the international event.

 

According to the House of People’s Representatives, the program extended beyond discussions on security and public policy, offering participants a unique opportunity to experience firsthand Ethiopia’s practical approach to climate action through the Green Legacy Initiative.

Launched in 2019, the Green Legacy Initiative has become one of the world’s largest national reforestation and ecosystem restoration programs.

Since its inception, Ethiopia has planted more than 48 billion tree seedlings nationwide.

 

As part of the 2026 Green Legacy campaign, the country aims to plant more than 8 billion seedlings during the current rainy season, reinforcing its commitment to environmental restoration, biodiversity conservation and climate resilience while advancing global efforts to combat climate change.