UN, African Forestry Experts Describe Ethiopia’s GLI Continental Benchmark

Addis Ababa, October 7, 2026 (ENA)— United Nations (UN) and African forestry experts have praised Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative (GLI)  as a leading model of large-scale environmental restoration in Africa. 

The experts also emphasized that its science-based policies and agroforestry are essential to sustaining its gains and improving community livelihoods.

Juliette Biao, Director of the Secretariat of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF), described the Green Legacy Initiative as a highly ambitious undertaking and emphasized the importance of drawing lessons from past experiences to ensure its long-term success.

“The Green Legacy Initiative (GLI) is a good ambition, but what we cannot afford is to repeat the mistakes of the past. If we can learn lessons from the past, I think that will be wonderful not only for Ethiopia, but for the world,” Biao said.

Biao recalled her earlier involvement in the initiative, noting that she was Regional Director for Africa at the United Nations Environment Programme when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched the Green Legacy Initiative in 2019.

“As a matter of fact, I was the Regional Director for Africa at the United Nations Environment Programme when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched the initiative in 2019, and we provided our support,” she said.

She also highlighted Africa’s efforts to strengthen the link between scientific knowledge and policymaking, particularly through its hosting of the first Science Policy Information Network (SPIN) for Africa regional dialogue on forestry.

“What will be really recommendable is to take the outcomes of SPIN Africa and customize them to the Ethiopian context,” She said.

Biao stressed that tree planting should form part of a broader land restoration strategy, cautioning that planting trees alone would not be sufficient to reverse land degradation.

“I am sure that the GLI will succeed. However, what we must learn from the past is that simply planting trees for the sake of planting trees can never reverse land degradation,” she said.

She recommended greater use of agroforestry, which can combine environmental restoration with economic opportunities for rural communities. Such an approach, she said, can enable communities to benefit from restored landscapes while contributing to forest conservation and land rehabilitation.

Ethiopia’s GLI has increasingly incorporated economically valuable crops and trees, including avocado, mango, apple and papaya, alongside coffee and other agricultural activities. 

This approach has strengthened the connection between environmental restoration, food production and household incomes.

Doris Mutta, a forest scientist and Senior Program Officer at the African Forest Forum (AFF), similarly described Ethiopia’s GLI  as one of Africa’s prominent examples of large-scale environmental restoration.

“We noted that a lot of mobilization has been done to generate seedlings and to plant millions of seedlings. There has been a clear improvement in forest cover because of this initiative, which is very positive,” Mutta said.

She said Ethiopia’s experience could offer valuable lessons to other African countries pursuing ambitious programs to restore degraded landscapes, expand forest cover and strengthen climate resilience.

“For Africa, the Green Legacy Initiative is one of the flagship projects that we are monitoring very closely through the SPIN for Africa,” she said.

The first SPIN Africa Regional Science Policy Dialogue on forestry, hosted by Ethiopia, brought together policymakers, scientists and forestry experts to strengthen the integration of scientific evidence into forest management and restoration policies.

The experts’ assessment underscores the growing significance of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative beyond its national environmental objectives. 

With continued emphasis on science-based restoration, agroforestry and community participation, the initiative could provide practical lessons for African countries seeking to advance forest restoration while strengthening food production, livelihoods and climate resilience.

Over the past eight years of planting campaigns, communities, institutions and technical experts have planted 56 billion trees and agroforestry seedlings across different ecological zones.