Addis Ababa, July 19, 2023 (FBC) – The massive Green Legacy drive conducted on 17 July 2023 both at home and Ethiopian Diplomatic and Consular Missions overseas that successfully ended planting 566 million seedlings is part and parcel of Ethiopia’s wider green diplomacy imperative, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Ambassador Meles Alem, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in his bi-weekly media briefing on international relations and diplomatic issues, said by planting a total of 567 million trees both in Ethiopia and Ethiopian missions overseas in a single day fellow Ethiopians not only broke a previous national record but also made Ethiopia a role model in the efforts to forge climate resilience in Africa and beyond.
Spearheaded by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD), Ethiopians have planted a record 566 million tree seedlings on Monday, July 17.
Citing the fact that the 77th United Nations General Assembly adopted the GLI as a side agenda and a flagship project of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) among Member States, Amb. Meles said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is striving towards soliciting the support of the international community to grow its impact far and wide.
The GLI is Ethiopia’s continued commitment to championing green diplomacy on the world stage and combatting environmental degradation as well as its drastic effects and disasters borne of it in tandem with increasing agricultural productivity, he added. Amb. Meles also thanked Addis based diplomatic corps and member of various international organizations for partaking in the exercise.
On the other hand, Ambassador Meles said that Ethiopia’s path from conflict to peace has drawn the attention of various countries and boosted the profile of national image building activities.
Ethiopia’s transition from conflict to peace has drawn the attention of different countries at the 43rd Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union held in Nairobi, Kenya.
On the margins of the Executive Council meeting the DPM and FM has held fruitful bilateral meetings with close to a dozen foreign ministers and deputy foreign ministers on ways of further expediting cooperation in bilateral, regional and multilateral venues, Amb. Meles noted.
The Spokesperson said that the country has succeeded in formulating and implementing agendas and carrying out bilateral relations.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Meles asserted that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working to ensure that Ethiopians are represented at various regional, continental and international organisations.
Representation of Ethiopia as a country and through its nationals in these organisations has several advantages, the Spokesperson told the media corps.
Mentioning the fact that four Ethiopians have joined the ranks of various UN agencies after competing for the positions, Amb Meles said, the support of African countries was instrumental in gaining support and the MFA has undertaken a massive diplomatic effort to garner support in this regard.