Ethiopia Hosting One of Most Consequential COPs in Human Story, Says UN-Habitat

Addis Ababa, November 3, 2026 (ENA)— Ethiopia’s hosting of the global COP summit presents an unprecedented opportunity to amplify Africa's voice in international climate diplomacy and rebuild multilateral solidarity, UN-Habitat Regional Director for Africa Oumar Sylla said.

In an exclusive interview with ENA, the Regional Director underscored that the upcoming conference comes at a critical juncture in global geopolitics, positioning Africa to demonstrate tangible progress in combating climate change and driving green investment.

Ethiopia has been officially selected to host the 32nd UN Climate Change Conference (COP32) in Addis Ababa in November 2027, following the conclusion of COP30 in Belém, Brazil.

Its selection demonstrates the country's practical commitment to implementing its climate change policies and strategies, it was learned.

"We are all excited to see Ethiopia hosting one of the most critical and most important COP in the human story," Sylla asserted.

He  highlighted that Ethiopia, as the host nation and the seat of the African Union, offers a pivotal platform for African leaders, mayors, and ministers to forge a common action agenda while leveraging shared experiences to address climate vulnerabilities. 

"This COP happening in Africa, in Ethiopia, is a real opportunity for Africa to be more vocal, but also at the same time to build the solidarity we need," Sylla noted.

 

The Director added that multilateralism faces pressing global challenges that require unified continental leadership.  

With Africa experiencing the fastest rate of urbanization globally, Sylla stressed the urgency of securing international partnership, adaptation funding, and mitigation support to build resilient African cities.

Sylla reaffirmed UN-Habitat's readiness to support the Ethiopian Government in successfully hosting the conference, adding that the organization had already engaged with the COP presidencies.

Furthermore, he noted that UN-Habitat is working with the city of Addis Ababa to ensure that urban development and climate resilience receive due attention in the COP32 process.

Regarding Ethiopia's growing role, Sylla commended the country's leadership and ongoing initiatives aimed at reducing emissions and promoting green development.

 

He particularly highlighted Ethiopia's efforts in clean cooking, cleaner energy for vehicles, the development of green corridors and large-scale tree-planting initiatives.

Talking about leadership, he said "We can only commend the leadership of Ethiopia on those measures to curb emissions in the country, from clean cooking to cleaner energy for vehicles, all those green corridors as well with the goal of planting millions of trees in Ethiopia," he said.

Sylla described these initiatives as valuable experiences that other African countries, cities and policymakers could learn from and replicate in their respective contexts.

 

He also pointed to Ethiopia's urban regeneration, greening and urban transformation efforts as important areas through which the country could demonstrate its development experiences during the conference.

"We need to see what is happening in Ethiopia and how we can replicate it in our countries elsewhere in Africa," Sylla emphasized.

Ethiopia’s proactive and ambitious domestic policies have positioned the nation as a prominent leader in continental and global climate action.

The East African nation has made major progress in advancing its climate resilience and green economy framework through large-scale national initiatives and policy milestones, reports indicate.