፩un ethiopia...to establish a framework for continental initiative on demographic dividend. this...

May 2015 Second ISSue


Message from the Resident coordinator

UN Resident Coordinator & Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr. Eugene Owusu

Quarterly Newsletter

Priorities for the next UNDAF

Climate Change Resilience in Africa

Ready to celebrate un70?

Interview with UNFPA Representative

Supplying water for 48 million people

Addressing human trafficing & smuggling

ebola- The road to reovery

Ethiopia - MDG 7C’s achievement

FAO’s work with Women Cooperatives

Ethiopia’s action against ivory stockpile

IKEA - brighter lives for refugees

Securing land rights - enhancing women’s rights

Inside this Issue

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UN Ethiopia፩ is a Geez symbol (Ethiopic script developed from the Sabaean script) representating the number one

Dear readers,

I hope you enjoy the second issue of UN Ethiopia, a newsletter that will share with our partners and the public, a glimpse some of the UN stories from Ethiopia.

Ethiopia is an engaging and complex country to work in for the UN. As such, innovation and focus on relevance are always at the top of our agenda as we scale up our intervention to deliver better develop-ment results and make the UN fit for purpose.

2015 is a unique opportunity in time for the global community- transitioning its focus from the Mil-lennium Development Goals to embrace the new development agenda set out in the Sustainable De-velopment Goals (SDGs). At the local level, Ethiopia is finalizes its five year development plan in 2015 and charting a new development roadmap for the coming years. The UN is also using 2015 to mark the end of the current United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), which has been in place for the past four years to guide and harmonize the work of the UN in Ethiopia.

As we usher in the next UNDAF, it is high time for us to reflect on our achievements and the lessons learnt so that we can scale up our policy interven-tions, technical assistance, capacity building, and service delivery.

The UN has played a vital role in contributing to sustainable economic growth and risk reduction in Ethiopia through initiatives targetted at improving agricultural production; supporting the mainstream-ing of CRGE into agricultural policies; encouraging the development of small and medium-sized enterprises; ensuring easy and improved access to the use of qual-ity health, education, nutrition and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services.

Our flagship Joint Programmes have focused our sup-port in the areas of gender, maternal health and the Developing Regional States (DRS). The work we have done to harmonize our operations has also greatly enhanced the effectiveness and efficiency of our interventions.

In October 2015 we will be celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. This global event, is even more poignant for us here in Ethiopia, a country that is one of the founding mem-bers of the UN. I believe the UN at 70 celebration reminds us to recommit ourselves to fully support Ethiopia to address development and humanitarian challenges that the country faces.

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uN agencies came together with government representatives and partners from the private sector as well as civil society to dialogue, debate

and strategize on the priority areas for the next four year uN Development assistance Framework (uNDaF 2016-2020) for Ethiopia. The new UNDAF is expected to be finalized and signed by October 2015.

Opening the two-day strategic meeting in Addis Ababa, UN Resident Coordinator, Mr. Eugene Owusu noted the impressive development gains Ethiopia has achieved over the last decade. He also underscored that the uNDaF can help overcome remaining challenges, including in building resilience to chronic vulnerabilities, promoting good governance, and strengthening the role of the private sector. “The pressure is on the UN from all sides to show value for money,” Mr. Owusu stressed, “We cannot be complacent and we have to deliver our results well.”

Speaking on behalf of the Ethiopian Government, Mr. Admassu Nebebe, Director of UN Agencies and Regional Economic Cooperation within the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development commended the UN’s contribution to the country’s development results, especially in the areas of pro-poor sectors, disaster risk management, and humanitarian areas.

He shed some light on the thinking behind the country’s next five year development plan that will replace the Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP) by the end of the year, highlighting, for example, plans to eradicate poverty and to focus on enhancing quality, productivity and competiveness of the manufacturing sector. The country is also expected to prioritize access to cheap and clean energy to help build the capacity of the private sector. GTP II is expected to have nine pillars, two more pillars than the current GTP.

Mr. Admassu Nebebe underlined the following basic principles for the UN to keep in mind as it drafted priority areas for the new UNDAF: country ownership and use of national system; sustainability of interventions; the need to be realistic in terms of capacity to mobilise resources; focus on bigger impacts and avoid fragmentation; timely responsiveness to the needs of the country; and building national and local systems and institutions.

Agreeing on Priorities for the UN’s Next UNDAF for Ethiopia

The workshop was also presented a list of the proposed clusters for the UN’s work going forward. These were determined on the basis of national priorities ; the emerging SDG agenda at the global level; a detailed country analysis which was prepared examining progress and challenges in Ethiopia; as well as through consultations with various stakeholders to determine the UN’s comparative advantages in Ethiopia. The five proposed clusters focus areas included: inclusive growth and structural transformation; resilience and green Economy; Investing in human capital and expanded access to quality, equitable basic social services; good governance and participation; and equality and Empowerment.

Cross cutting issues to be addressed across all clusters included gender equality, human rights, environment, strategic capacity development including data development, HIV/AIDS, youth, ICT, and migration.

After all of these were discussed and refined, the workshop then broke into working groups arranged by cluster, during which time efforts were made to articulate outcomes under each of the clusters. Each cluster working group was co-chaired by an UN and Government counterpart.

“This is a journey,” Mr. Eugene Owusu, UN Resident Coordinator told participants at the end of the two-day workshop, “we have put down markers. We have all the ingredients to come up with a strategic and yet comprehensive UNDAF that is bold, realistic as well aligned to national priorities.“

UNDAF participants @UNDP Ethiopia/2015/Mogus


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The UN agencies in Ethiopia are preparing for the historic moment to celebrate the achievements of the organization while recommitting itself

to support the country in tackling problems assoiated with climate change, poverty, education, health, children, refugees, and conflict prevention.

The UN turn 70 this year. Learn about its history & how it continues to make a difference:

http://www.un.org/un70/en

@un

Celebrate with us the UN’s 70th Anniversary

the conversation on twitter #un70JoIn

See the UN Secretary General’s message for UN70 http://www.un.org/un70/en/content/sgmessage

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STRONG UN! BETTER WORLD!

1. How do you describe the phenomenon of Demographic Dividend?

Mr. Faustin Yao: The “Demographic Dividend” is the accelerated economic growth that arises when mortality and fertility rates decline rapidly and the ratio of working-age adults significantly increases relative to dependents. When fertility rates decrease substantially, the population age structure shifts from one with more children to one with more working-age adults. This change can accelerate economic growth through increased productivity if the workforce is well educated and skilled and the economy is able to generate adequate quality jobs for them. The demographic dividend has three drivers: improvements in health status, especially children and women health, contributing to a decrease in the number of children born to each family; the educational investment in the resulting youth bulge; and an economic environment where the educated cohort/bulge can find well-paying jobs.

2. How do you put Demographic Dividend into context with development roadmaps such as the Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union Agenda 2063?

Mr. Faustin Yao: With an estimated population of 2.8 billion by 2063, for which over 60 per cent will be under 25, Africa’s potential demographic dividend is especially important in the context of the post 2015 development agenda. This is because today’s African children aged 10 will be adults of 25 in 2030 (the target year for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals).

Agenda 2063 is set to be Africa’s blueprint for an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena. The vision, amongst others, is premised on the ability of Africa to harness one of its biggest assets - its youthful population, for the next 50 years.

This issue of demographic dividend is central to Africa’s development agenda as testified by the call to establish a framework for continental initiative on demographic dividend. This is reaffirmed in the Common African Position on Post-2015 Development Agenda which positions demographic dividend as a critical tool to achieve Africa’s sustainable development.

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Mr. Faustin Yao, UNFPA Representative in Ethiopia

Guest Interview

Shading Light on the Demographic DividendInterview with UNFPA Representative in Ethiopia, Mr. Faustin Yao


3. What are the potential gains of harnessing the Demographic Dividend in Africa?

Mr. Faustin Yao: The expected youth bulge in Africa has implications for the socioeconomic development prospects of the continent. African economies are growing and are projected to continue growing. Sub-Saharan Africa has the potential to reap an annual dividend of 500 billion dollars for up to 30 years if it implements appropriate public policies and investments before or during demographic transition. But creating this window of opportunity is time bound and requires immediate actions.

4. What policies need to be put in place to realize the Demographic Dividend?

Mr. Faustin Yao: If African countries can facilitate a decline in fertility and help women and their partners have fewer children, then the fertility in Africa will reduce. If this is coupled with investments in socioeconomic sectors such as education, health, governance and job creation, then Africa has the impetus to achieve its socioeconomic development goals. These investments need to be broad-based, for the benefit of all, so that they can reverse trends towards rising inequality and provide a basis for individual opportunities and inclusive, durable economic growth. This means targeted investments in adolescent girls and empowering our women because they face more

obstacles than young men and boys in building their capabilities, seizing opportunities and enjoying their rights.

4. Will you please say something how the issue of Demographic Dividend was treated at the African Ministers of Finance and Development in April this year?

A High Level Ministerial Dialogue was organized under the theme Harnessing the Demographic Dividend for Agenda 2063. The dialogue where Ministers from various African countries were present dwelled on how the African continent could derive maximum benefit from the occurring demographic transition. The dialogue underscored that the window of opportunity to harness the demographic dividend is time bound and requires immediate investments. It was agreed that critical investments needed to be made on the youth,

especially on adolescent girls, as regards sexual and reproductive health, quality education, along with infrastructure developments and the right governance structure.

Recognizing the challenges of resource constraints in reaping the benefits of the demographic

dividend, it was noted extra efforts are needed in mobilizing internal resources reducing undue dependence on foreign aid and cutting illicit flight of funds. The outcomes of the High Level Ministerial Dialogue will be presented at upcoming strategic meetings such as the African Heads-of-State Summit and the International Financing for Development Conference to push the agenda of Demographic Dividend further.

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The Ebo clean water project benefits 27, 000 people in seven villages including 15,000 school children, with clean water in their school and households. Young girls now can attend school regularly without spending more time looking for water. ©UNICEF Ethiopia/2015/Bizuwerk

ethiopia recently celebrated the reaching of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 7c target for drinking water. What does this

mean? Put simply, it means 57 percent of the country’s population now is drinking water from an improved water supply such as a tap or hand pump, rather than from an open stream. By drinking water from an improved water supply, Ethiopia has greatly improved the health of many women and children and has managed to cut under 5 child mortality by two-thirds and significantly reduce child stunting.

And why is it such a big achievement? Well in the base year of the MDGs (1990), only 6.9 million Ethiopians used an improved water supply. However, in the last 25 years, Ethiopia has managed to supply water to 55 million people, which is twice, or even thrice the population of most other African countries.

The key to Ethiopia’s success during these years has been a combination of strong government leadership, persistent donor investment and the development of strong periodic policy instruments. In the year 2000, Ethiopia developed a Water Sector Strategy and Water Sector Development Programme, which paved the way for the progress.

Government committed funds to the water supply sector and encouraged donors to invest in lower cost technologies to boost coverage levels. A total of US$ 2 billion has been invested by the Government, development partners, NGOs and the private sector in water supply since 1990. Over the last 25 years, UNICEF has “concept proofed” a number of key innovations that have helped the Government of Ethiopia and its development partners reach the goal of MDG 7c. These have included the introduction of India-made hand pumps; importation of deep-well drilling machines from the UK; and more recently the exploration of high-end scientific remote sensing technologies to identify extremely deep groundwater in water insecure districts, followed by the building piped water supplies which interconnect towns and villages and benefit women, children, households, institutions, small-scale agriculture and livestock.

Such innovations help mitigate the potential impact of water and food insecurity and reduce the drivers of undernutrition and stunting. A good example of this is the Ebo multi-village scheme built and commissioned with UNICEF support in the Tigray region between 2013 and 2015.

How Ethiopia Managed to Supply Water to 48 million People


and donor investments.It will involve the scaling up of innovative interventions such as Ebo to ensure resilient water supplies in remote, water scarce areas of the country. UNICEF will focus on ensuring that the hardest to reach populations and water-scarce and emerging unplanned urban settlements are a priority for water supply investment, so that no child is left behind and unable to access safe and clean water.

by Samuel Godfrey (Chief of WASH, UNICEF Ethiopia)

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Residents fetch water at a water point in Amari Yewebesh Kebele in Amhara Region of Ethiopia.©UNICEF/ETHA20130098/Ose

The Ebo village scheme is a long term solution in water-stressed areas of the country that have been prone to drought and have been reliant on emergency water trucking as their sole means of water supply.

The UNICEF Ethiopia Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme is UNICEF’s largest WASH programme in the world. UNICEF has provided technical leadership to not only build water supplies for 10 million Ethiopians in villages, towns and cities but also advised the government on the development of all the key WASH policy decisions over the last 25 years. Since 1990, the MDG baseline, UNICEF has contributed over US$ 300 million from its core resources and in partnership with other key donors to ensure that Ethiopian women and children received life-saving water and sanitation support in both emergency and non-emergency situations.

Going forward, Ethiopia has developed a ONEWASH programme to ensure that all the remaining people in the country receive access to water supply by 2020. The plan has a budget of US$ 2.4 billion and involves the collective contribution of public, private, NGO

Every year thousands of Ethiopians and people all over the world fall into the hands of smuggling and trafficking networks. With a view to

combat that scourge, the Ethiopian Government has committed itself to boost the national laws against human trafficking and migrant smuggling. And it has created an inter-ministerial team to that end, which kicked off its first training and work session, facilitated by United Nations Office for Drug and Control (UNODC) in March.

UNODC trained the team on pivotal concepts of the international protocols on human trafficking and migrant smuggling. These are expected to be fully incorporated into national law. “Once it gets adopted, the legislation will further increase Ethiopia’s capacity to fight traffickers and smugglers and dismantle organised crime groups in the region”, stressed Ms. Maria Temesvari, Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer in UNODC. Ethiopia is both a country of origin and transit for trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants. It is estimated that over 90,000 migrants mainly from Ethiopia and Somalia were smuggled into Yemen in 2014.

Tempted by job prospects abroad, in the Gulf countries and elsewhere, many migrants use smugglers for “a trip that is very dangerous,” Ms. Temesvari explained. Smuggled migrants suffer from hunger, thirst, and “many of them from serious human rights violations, physical, sexual violence and torture throughout their journey, or become victims of trafficking. Some women and girls are actually sold for sexual exploitation.”

That is why we need “a legislation in place that criminalize the two forms, trafficking and smuggling, and ensures assistance to trafficking victims and vulnerable migrants”, she added.

Combating the issue comprehensively entails acting on several fronts, ranging from investigation to effective prosecution and witness protection. For this reason, the drafting team responsible for revamping the legislation is made up of representatives of different institutions, such as the Ministries of Justice, Labour and Social Affairs, Women, Children and Youth Affairs,

and the Federal Police Commission of Ethiopia. UNODC will assist and provide technical expertise to the Government of Ethiopia throughout the drafting process. The project is supported by the European Union and the U.S. State Department.

What Role does Injecting Drug Use Play in the Spread of HIV?

It is a well- known fact that HIV spreads quickly among people who inject drugs. But what is exactly the contribution of injecting drug use to HIV transmission in Ethiopia?

Answering that question has not been possible so far owing to the lack of reliable data. But for the first time, a research study launched by UNODC and the Ethiopian Public Health Institute on 30 March is set to provide a response.

“Right now we have zero data in the country on this issue,” says Dires Desyibelew, National Programme Officer in UNODC. And even as the number of people who inject drugs in Addis Ababa is believed to be on the rise, “the issue is not yet well studied and documented.”

The survey, which will unfold from April to May in Addis Ababa, will be “the first to fill that knowledge gap,” in the words of Mr. Desyibelew. And the strategic information it generates will be “crucial” for implementing evidence-based interventions to reduce the impact of drugs in fuelling HIV spread in Ethiopia.

After all, people who inject drugs “have the right to access basic services and should not be left behind,” he concludes. “But in order to get sound and appropriate programmes, we need to gather evidence that allows us to work.”

Fighting Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling

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News and Updates

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the African Union joined the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in organizing an Ebola side event as part of the

2015 Ministerial meeting at the United Nations Conference Center. The two-hour side event was held with the theme “Towards the Recovery of the Most Ebola-affected Countries”.

The purpose of the Event is to share information about ongoing efforts aimed at supporting the Ebola-affected countries in their quest not only to eradicate the disease but also in their recovery efforts. The event is also expected to open ways to funding opportunities and implementing strategies to support affected countries in their recovery phase.

The last kilometer to eradicate the Ebola Virus Disease will be challenging as the outbreak is by no more over until there are zero cases. However, with the epidemic residing, there is a need to move towards the socio-economic recovery of these affected countries.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Ayodele Odusola, Chief Economist at the UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa, said that, “The magnitude of the impact of the current Ebola outbreak is huge, and could take more than 5 years to fully address the damage done. Hence, the recovery strategies should ensure that countries not only go back to the pre-crisis path, but actually embark on more robust and rapid post-crisis development path.”

The event brought together representatives from member states, AU, ECOWAS, UN System Bilateral and multilateral partners engaged in the most affected countries. Panelists include Minister of Economy and Finance of Guinea, Minister of Planning of Guinea, Deputy Minister of Finance and Development Planning of Liberia and Ambassador of Sierra Leone.

As the key note speaker, Dr. Dimitri Sanga, Director of West African Office at the Economic Commission for Africa said, “The international community should put their hands in to ending the epidemic of Ebola Virus in the region. He stressed while preparing for recovery, there is a need to address structural vulnerabilities that exacerbated the disease outbreak in the most affected countries.” He recommended external debt cancellation to the three most affected countries (Guinea, Liberia and SierraLeone) to give them a breathing space to recover from short-term economic and social challenges resulted from the disease outbreak.

Sharing some of the lessons learned from the recent outbreak, Dr. Munir Siaplay, Deputy Minister of Finance and Development Planning in Liberia commented, “Decentralization is important in effectively responding to public health problems.” He also spoke about the focus of Liberia’s recovery plan to revitalize the economy and strengthen the provision of basic services to the poor.”

The current outbreak of the Ebola virus disease in the biggest outbreak in history. It has killed thousands of people and left many more without family members and guardians. According to the monthly report of the World Health Organization dates March 6, 2015, a total number of 24,014 cases of patients infected with the Ebola virus have been recorded in the three countries, of which there were 9,840 deaths, with 2,147 in Guinea, 4,117 in Liberia and 3,576 in Sierra Leone.

Mr. Ayodele Odusola (right), Chief Economist at the UNDP RBA ©UNDP Ethiopia/2015/Mengesha

The Road to Recovery for Ebola Affected Countries

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On March 23rd, the Government of Ethiopia announced a remarkable achievement in the Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene

(WASH) sector as it met Target 10 of the MDG 7c for access to drinking water supply. The announcement was made in the presence of H.E Dr Mulatu Teshome, President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, H.E Engineer Wondimu Tekle, State Minister on behalf of His Excellency the Minister Ato Alemayehu Tegenu, Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy, Senior Government Officials, Ambassadors, UN representatives, WASH partners and members of the media.

Dr. Mulatu Teshome, President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia on the occasion said. “I would like to congratulate you of this great achievement of meeting the Water Supply MDG target and ensure you of the commitment of Ethiopian Government to make realistic its responsibility of providing access to safe water supply and sanitation services at appropriate service level to all its citizens. I call upon all of you to continue joining hands with the Government on reaching to the unreached”.

The 2015 assessment report by the UNICEF/WHO Global Joint Monitoring Programme for Water and Sanitation (JMP) indicates that Ethiopia has met the target of 57 per cent[1] of the population using safe drinking water and has attained the target by halving the number of people without access to safe water since 1990.

H.E Engineer Wondimu Tekle, State Minister on behalf of His Excellency Ato Alemayehu Tegenu, Minister, Ministry of Water, Irrigation and

Energy said, “Thanks to the great leadership of the government, the diligent effort of WASH actors in particular and Ethiopian communities at large for reaching the have-nots in water supply; the country has achieved MDG 7c target”.

“Today’s event represents a great milestone to us, development partners, civil society, NGO,

bilateral, multilateral, public and private sector professionals as we have joined hands to make this achievement a reality. It is also a historic moment, where Ethiopia demonstrates its politicalcommitment to resolving challenges in the Water and Sanitation Sector,” he added.

Ethiopia has embarked on an ambitious Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP) which placed water supply at the core of all future development agenda. The Government’s heavy investment in the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) fund combined with increased donor contribution enabled the rapid acceleration of water supply coverage in many parts of the country. In addition, Ethiopia has developed a ONEWASH programme designed to ensure universal access to WASH services by 2015. The plan has a budget of US$ 2.4 billion and involves the collective contribution of public, private, NGO and donor investments.

Ms Leila Pakkala, UNICEF Regional Director, Eastern and Southern Africa, speaking on behalf of the Joint Monitoring Programme said, “In 1990 only 6 million people had access safe water. Today, over 55 million people access clean and safe water.

Group photo with all partners who helped achieve Ethiopia meet MDG target for drinking water. ©UNICEF Ethiopia/2015/Sewunet

Ethiopia Meets MDG Target for Drinking Water


The progress that has been made has been impressive, to say the least. But we know that the progress we are celebrating today comes as a result of many years of consistent investment, time and resources at all levels. It has not been an easy achievement”.

The JMP estimates for Ethiopia were updated following a joint mission to Addis Ababa from 26-27 November 2014 and include data from the most recent nationally representative surveys. The current JMP estimates show that in the 1990 baseline year access to drinking water was 14 per cent and access to sanitation was 3 per cent. This means that Ethiopia’s MDG target for drinking water was 57 per cent and for sanitation was 52 per cent. The current JMP estimates show that by 2015 access to improved drinking water has increased to 57 per cent and access to improved sanitation has increased to 28 per cent.

Accordingly to the JMP, the total population reached with safe water between 1990 and 2015 is 48 million. There are still 42 million Ethiopians without access to safe water. Of the 42 million Ethiopians who are not using improved water supplies, an estimated 33 million people are residing in rural areas and peri urban communities and 9 million are living within towns and cities.

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Ms Leila Pakkala, Regional Director, Eastern and Southern Africa, speaking on behalf of the Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP)

during the celebration event of Ethiopia’s MDG achievement on drinking water supply. ©UNICEF Ethiopia/2015/Sewunet

Ethiopia meets MDG ...Cont’d

Jars of cactus pear jam produced in Ethiopia thanks to a partnership between FAO and Italian food store Eataly have reached the

shelves of the store in Rome.

FAO and Eataly supported the women’s cooperative from Ethiopia’s Tigray region in producing over 1,500 kg of cactus pear jam that are fully in line with both Ethiopian and European food safety standards. The marmalade, packaged in 4,000 jars, is now being retailed by Eataly in Rome.

Marmalade preparation demonstration (Ethiopia) ©/FAO/Eddy DonkengDongmo

Collaboration with Women’s Cooperatives in Ethiopia

The jam jars are an example of the powerful role that such creative partnerships can make in empowering family farmers and facilitating their access to global markets.

“We are here to recognize the role of family farmers and especially the role of women who are key to achieving food security in Africa,” said FAO Director-

General Graziano da Silva at an event held at the Eataly outlet to acknowledge the successful implementation of the partnership, also supported by the Italian Development Cooperation agency.

“FAO is grateful to Eataly which is giving the opportunity to this product to be distributed as a gourmet product here in Europe,” he added.

FAO and Eataly joined forces in 2013 to support family farmers around the globe in boosting their production and finding ways to reach new overseas customers. The work with the women’s cooperative is one example of this collaboration.

According to Lapo Pistelli, deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy, “these little jars hold many messages, first of all the cooperation behind them, between FAO, Eataly, the Italian Government and the Government of Ethiopia; the role of women in building sustainable models and in defense of the right to food; finally the opportunity for small farmers to reach the international market with quality products.”

Ethiopia’s Ambassodor to Itay, Mulugeta Alemseged Gessese, highlighted how this kind of work can open new horizons and inspire small-scale producers in developing countries to aim high. “This is a breakthrough project. Who could imagine that a small group of women from a remote village could get to the European market”, he said.

“It is a positive message for all women in Ethiopia, since it shows that it is possible for them to access the international market and get revenues, provided they are given proper assistance, training and know how,” he added.

The teamwork with Eataly is an example of FAO’s focus on partnerships. Since 2013, the Organization has signed over 60 agreements with a wide range of different stakeholders, including the private sector, civil society, non-governmental organizations, cooperatives and academia.

Collaboration with ...Cont’d

Women’s Cooperatives producing Marmelade in Ethiopia, now on sale at Eataly.©FAO/Giulio Napolitano

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Lighting the Fire of Commitment: Ethiopia Gets Rid of its Ivory Stockpile

Smoke rose high from the lush compound of the Ethiopia’s Botanical Gardens as Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen walked away having lit the torch that would burn down around 6.1 tons of illegal trafficked ivory.

According to the deputy prime minister, the move to counter the blackmarket trading of ivory and help Ethiopia’s efforts to conserve its wildlife. Ethiopia is estimated to have only 1800 elephants left in the country. It is also estimated that elephants are illegally killed every 15 minutes in Africa for their ivory.

Back in February 2014 in London, Ethiopian Foreign Minister H.E. Minister Tedros Adhanom had remarked that his country had the intention to destroy the national ivory stocks in the near future.

“As we all know, East Africa has been highlighted by INTERPOL as one of the key priority regions to receive assistance to strengthen law enforcement response to elephant ivory trafficking.” UNDP Ethiopia Country Director Mr. Samuel Bwayla noted at the ceremony, underlining, “This clearly gives us an idea of the magnitude of the problem faced by Ethiopia and its neighbors.”The ceremonial burning of the ivory stockpile, mostly taken from smugglers using the country as a transit point, marked the launch of Ethiopia’s National Elephant Action Plan for 2015-2025.

Back in September 2014 UNDP Administrator, Ms. Helen Clark, noted UNDP stood firm in its

support to countries, such as Ethiopia, as they work on developing and implementing anti-poaching strategies; promoting livelihoods and involving communities as stewards of wildlife; and working to eradicate demand for wildlife products.

UNDP has already engaged effectively here in Ethiopia on this issue, supporting the establishment of the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority. UNDP’s ongoing project on the Sustainable

Development of Protected Areas is helping to build national capacity and strengthen the implementation of policies, such as the one on tackling illegal wildlife trafficking that has led to today’s event.

The Protected Areas of Ethiopia plays a significant role in the country’s economic development, helping strengthen livelihoods and increasing the tourism potential of the country. Towards this end, UNDP has assisted Ethiopia to revise its existing wildlife policy, develop its wildlife marketing strategy; support the establishment of the Ethiopian Tourism Transformation Council and the Ethiopian Tourism Organization, which works under it.

“We hope with the introduction of this transformational initiative that Ethiopia will get a bigger slice of a global industry worth six trillion dollars and generating 260 million jobs – 1 in every 11 jobs in the world,” said Samuel Bwalya.

The stock of ivory that was burned ©UNDP Ethiopia/2015/Mogus

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The IKEA Brighter Lives for Refugees Campaign

UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, thanks IKEA customers and co-workers for supporting ‘Brighter Lives for Refugees’, a global cause-related campaign that raised €10.8 million for refugees this year. The campaign ran in IKEA stores globally from 1 February to 29 March 2015. During this period, for every LED light bulb purchased by an IKEA customer, the IKEA Foundation donated €1 to UNHCR. The funds raised by the campaign will help improve the lives of 380,000 refugees in Ethiopia, Chad, Bangladesh and Jordan by providing education opportunities, solar street lights, solar lanterns and other renewable energy solutions.

In Ethiopia, over 40,000 families living in refugee camps around Dollo Ado will have a life after dark as 40,000 solar lanterns and 240 street lights are being delivered to the five camps hosting more than 200,000 Somali refugees.

The solar lanterns and street lights will greatly contribute to the reduction of the risk of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), whilst supporting students to study and do their homework at night and safeguarding the environment at the same time.

Brighter Lives for Refugees 2015 represents year two of the three-year campaign commitment. This

latest campaign is part of the $95million partnership between UNHCR and the IKEA Foundation (UNHCR’s largest corporate donor), which since 2010 has supported UNHCR’s work with refugees globally.

In year one (2014) of the Brighter Lives for Refugees, the campaign raised €7.7million, enabling UNHCR to bring sustainable lighting and energy to over 350,000 children and families living in refugee camps in Ethiopia, Chad, Bangladesh and Jordan.

“The number of displaced people worldwide has, for the first time since World War II, exceeded 50 million people, including 13 million refugees who are under UNHCR’s care. In this context, the engagement of the public worldwide through our long-standing partner the IKEA Foundation has never been more important. I greatly appreciate the efforts of IKEA co-workers and the support of the customers who participated in this global campaign so that we can make the lives of thousands of refugees better and brighter,” said UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees T. Alexander Aleinikoff.

Per Heggenes, CEO of the IKEA Foundation added, “thanks to IKEA’s co-workers and customers, thousands of refugee children and families will now have access to sustainable energy and lighting. Simple activities like sharing a family meal, doing homework and important social gatherings will now be possible for some of the most vulnerable people on our planet.”

Ethiopia is host to the largest number of refugees in Africa, with more than 682,000 refugees sheltered in 24 refugee camps across five Regional States. As at the end of March 2015, the largest refugee groups in the country are South Sudanese (261,643), Somalis (246,206), Eritreans (133,348) and Sudanese (36,275).

IKEA bulbs in Jijiga©UNHCR Ethiopia/2015

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uN Women Ethiopia in collaboration with the Government of Ethiopia organized a joint event on the Status of Women showcasing

the Ethiopian example of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) through the provision of land rights to women. Bringing together the Minister of Women, Children and Youth Affairs of Ethiopia, H.E. Ms. Zenebu Tadesse, Ms. Lakshmi Puri, Assistant Secretary General and Deputy Executive Director of UN Women and Ms. Tarikwa Bezu, Leader of Women Cooperative of Melkan Women Group, amongst others. The panel provided an opportunity to share a practical example of how women’s land rights can be an entry point to making gender equality a reality.

Speeding up the development progress through women’s empowerment is a key strategy for Ethiopia “Today, millions of women in Ethiopia have land entitlements “ H.E the Minister highlights. Moreover, women’s land rights contribute to overall poverty eradication by increasing the country’s productivity, which includes that food consumption for the whole population can now be covered. Due to efforts by the government, today 9.11 million women in Ethiopia have joint land holding certificates and therefore guaranteed land rights that protect their land ownership in the case of divorce or their spouse’s death. “I now have a joint land certificate with my husband” she says, emphasizing how this and other capacity building initiatives she participates in, like an adult literacy programme, have contributed to her decision-making power in and outside the house.

Tarikwa Bezu is a woman participant in UN Joint Programme on Gender Equality and Women’s empowerment lead by UN Women in support of the Government. The government has also provided 17 hectares of land to a group of women farmers,

which enabled women’s increased income. “I had nothing and was not able to send my children to school, was not able to have three meals a day or seek health services” says Tarikwa. As a result of the programme, the life of Tarikwa and many other women and families has significantly changed and she is now able to send her children to school, have three meals a day and seek health services.“This event has relevance for the whole of

Africa, relevance for some key sectors and critical areas of the BPfA” ASG Puri says showing the linkage of the BPfA and land rights. Ms. Puri who visited the joint programme supported by UN Women in Ethiopia stresses that “if anybody is asking what the BPfA means – this is what it means”. “Ethiopia is where actions and change are happening” says Letty Chiwara, UN Women Representative to Ethiopia and the African Union. “Economic empowerment is the key to any other development you can think of. If the SDGs are to succeed – give the economic power to women” Ms. Chiwara stresses. Ethiopia shows that development through gender equality “is a mission possible” Puri highlights emphasizing the effect of legal provisions coupled with the right structures for implementation.

Participants highlighted the need for enhanced communication of solutions and ways to make gender equality happen. “As African women 2015 is our year and now is our time to stop talking about our problems, but show the world what we can do to make the SDGs and Agenda 2063 a reality for women” Ms. Chiwara underscores in closing the meeting.

Enhancing Women’s Rights by Securing Land Rights for Women

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World Health Day 2015: Food Safety

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unsafe food is linked to the deaths of an esti-mated 2 million people annually – including many children. Food containing harmful

bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances is responsible for more than 200 diseases, ranging from diarrhoea to cancers.

New threats to food safety are constantly emerging. Changes in food production, distribution and con-sumption; changes to the environment; new and emerging pathogens; antimicrobial resistance - all pose challenges to national food safety systems. Increases in travel and trade enhance the likelihood that contamination can spread internationally.

As our food supply becomes increasingly globalized, the need to strengthen food safety systems in and between all countries is becoming more and more evident. That is why the WHO is promoting efforts to improve food safety, from farm to plate (and every-where in between) on World Health Day, 7 April 2015.

WHO helps countries prevent, detect and respond to foodborne disease outbreaks - in line with the Co-dex Alimentarius, a collection of international food standards, guidelines and codes of practice covering all the main foods and processes. Together with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), WHO alerts countries to food safety emergencies through an international information network. Five keys to safer food

Food safety is a shared responsibility. It is important to work all along the food production chain – from farmers and manufacturers to vendors and consum-ers. For example, WHO’s Five keys to safer food offer practical guidance to vendors and consumers for handling and preparing food:

Key 1: Keep cleanKey 2: Separate raw and cooked foodKey 3: Cook food thoroughlyKey 4: Keep food at safe temperaturesKey 5: Use safe water and raw materials.

World Health Day 2015 is an opportunity to alert people working in different government sectors, farmers, manufacturers, retailers, health practition-ers – as well as consumers – about the importance of food safety, and the part each can play in ensuring that everyone can feel confident that the food on their plate is safe to eat.

World Health Day Poster©WHO/2015


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Better Buildings for Climate Change Resilience in AfricaGreen Schools in Ethiopia as a starting Point to Prepare for Climate Change

Many compartments in Africa suffer from a lack of adequate water supply, electricity supply and an increasing overload of household

waste. In the face of expected climate changes these problems will most likely worsen.

UNESCO in partnership with the Development Arm of the Orthodox Church (EOC-DICAC) and financially supported by the Manfred-Hermsen-Stiftung, developed a proposal. This has the aim to retro-fit an existing school-building inside the planned Lake Tana Biosphere Reserve. Technical support will be provided by Ethiopia’s Regional Eco-Hydrology Center and the Ethiopian Youth Climate Change Movement (EYCCM). The overall aim is to build a Green School by enhancing access to clean water, providing environmentally friendly energy and reducing and recycling waste.

UNESCO has also embarked on a dialogue with the Ethiopian Muslim Development Agency (EMDA) on the same subject. A proposal for a Green School close to the UNESCO World Heritage site in the old city of Harar has been developed.

Experiences of Green School projects in such different climatic regions will enhance our knowledge on best design and implementation in future projects.

Green schools solar panel ©UNESCO/Ethiopia/2015

Green schools lake ©UNESCO/Ethiopia/2015

UNESCO biosphere reserves and human settlement are the ideal places for this activity. They already enjoy the attention and support of environmental science authorities and the involvement of local communities.

UNESCO is in discussion with some embassies (Germany, USA, Britain, Franch, Ireland) to implement the green building concept on their premises and to establish a model green school in Addis Ababa. The German embassy already decided to support this concept by contributing to the implementation of a rainwater harvesting system and a recycling initiative at Bole preparatory school in Addis Ababa.

Furthermore UNESCO has discussed this idea with the African Union as a major partner. UNECA and other UN agencies have been informed and will be invited for their support,

in order to benefit the people of the whole African continent.

[email protected]

@UNEthiopia OneUNEthiopia

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