Climate Risk Management in Finnish Development Cooperation - Gaia

the progress and to date no CDM projects have been registered in Ethiopia. 44 Taking note that
sustainable land and water management will among a.o. require considerable reforestation and recultivation
activities, several stakeholders have expressed an interest to investigate the potential for
gaining additional project finance through carbon markets. The climate negotiations at Copenhagen
in December 2009 should provide guidance on LULUCF (Land use, land-use change and forestry) and
REDD/REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) activities and
increase the possibilities for carbon funding in Ethiopia. Getting access to this additional layer of
funding will however, require further decisive institutional and capacity strengthening efforts.
The German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) has a long history on sustainable development activities in
Ethiopia and is very committed to various activities, in particular under the SLM. The GTZ funded
activities will also include specific climate screening exercises as well as training activities during
2009. Several NGOs, including OXFAM have promoted the establishment of the National Climate
Change Forum, which could serve as a driver for climate mainstreaming on national level. Within the
Nile Basin Initiative, ENTRO (Eastern Nile Technical Regional Office) has taken an active approach to
integrate climate risks into its work. Japan has also recently pledged significant support for a climate
adaptation programme in Ethiopia.
While there is clearly a great interest among the international partners to better integrate climate
risks into their development cooperation, systematic climate mainstreaming is only in its initial
phases in Ethiopia. Mirroring the lack of a strong national focal point for climate change, the efforts
by the international community on climate mainstreaming have been rather patchy. A stronger
coordination and sharing of climate information and lessons learned would accelerate the
integration of climate risks into development cooperation. The on-going UNDAF (United Nations
Development Assistance Framework, 2007-2011) mid-term review, to be completed in summer 2009,
should highlight the need to strengthen climate change related actions under the UNDAF. This would
provide a required incentive for more coordinated efforts by international partners.
The Climate Information for Development in Africa initiative, ClimDev-Africa 45 has received initial
funding (incl. AfDB, DFID, Norway, Sweden, EU) for launching its activities, including funding to its
policy arm i.e. the African Climate Policy Center (ACPC) to be established. Despite being in its startup
phase, this regional initiative can be expected to provide important climate information and
lessons learned from other African countries. It is important still to note, that despite evident data
and capacity gaps in Ethiopia, the currently available data on climate change provides already a
sufficient basis for national authorities 46 as well as international partners to initiate climate
mainstreaming of their development efforts.
44
By 1 July only one project was in validation (reforestation project in the region Southern Nations with some 180 000 CERs
expected by 2012). The UNEP Risoe CDM/JI Pipeline Overview, 1.7.2009. Prepared by J Fenhann: www.CDMpipeline.org
45
A joint initiative of the African Union Commission (AUC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)
and the African Development Bank (AfDB)
46
The priorities of the national policies, sector strategies and programmes of the Ethiopian government are primarily
targeted at promoting rural and agricultural development and poverty reduction. Consequently, climate change and
adaptation issues are often treated indirectly in sector specific policies and programmes since climate impacts are
considered as a sub-component of the overall development goal.
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