Minister of Planning and Development Fitsum Asefa discussed with Deputy Representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to Ethiopia Mariko Kagonshima the impact of climate change on vulnerable groups, in particular children in Ethiopia.
During the meeting, the two officials discussed Ethiopia’s climate change priorities, including its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.
They also discussed the impact of climate change on women and children, and the need for increased investment in climate adaptation measures.
UNICEF Deputy Representative to Ethiopia Mariko Kagonshima said that the organization is working on several programs to address the challenges posed by climate change, including monitoring and evaluation, education, sanitation, and food protection.
She also highlighted the importance of changing behaviors to address issues such as child marriage, FGM, disability, and gender inequality.
Minister Fitsum Asefa expressed appreciation for the work that UNICEF is doing in Ethiopia, particularly on vulnerable groups.
She said that the Ministry of Planning and Development is fully committed to working with UNICEF to address the challenges of climate change.
The two sides discussed several specific areas of cooperation, including: Conducting studies on the impact of climate change on women and children in Ethiopia, developing programs to mitigate the negative effects of climate change, raising awareness of climate change among women and children, building the capacity of government and community actors to address climate change.
The Minister and the UNICEF representative agreed to hold regular meetings to discuss progress on these and other initiatives.
During the occasion, Fitsum raised Ethiopia’s preparations for the upcoming African Climate Summit to be held Nairobi, Kenya in September 4-8, 2023 and COP28 climate conference, which will be held in Dubai, in November 2023 requesting UNICEF’s support for Ethiopia’s participation in the conference.
Kagonshima said that UNICEF is committed to supporting Ethiopia’s climate change efforts highlighting UNICEF’s work on climate-smart agriculture, water management, and disaster risk reduction.
She also said that UNICEF is working to strengthen the resilience of women and children to the impacts of climate change.
In addition to climate change, the two sides also discussed other issues of mutual interest, such as the education of girls, the protection of children from violence, and the promotion of gender equality.
The two officials agreed to continue their cooperation on climate change mitigation and adaptation and to work together to ensure that Ethiopia’s participation in COP28 is successful, according to information obtained from the ministry.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency