UNDP Ethiopia has launched of a new six-year project entitled Climate Change Adaptation in the Lowland Ecosystems of Ethiopia. The USD six million project is funded by the Least Developed Country Fund and will be implemented together with the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Commission. 

The main problems that the project tries to address are linked to the fact that the Ethiopian lowland ecosystems are particularly and increasingly vulnerable to climate change. The land users in these areas view climate change as a threat that has resulted in food insecurity and dependence on food aid, but at the same time have limited awareness of the long-term risks that climate change poses and may not be familiar with climate smart solutions to build their resilience and adaptive capacity. As a result, land users in these areas follow unsustainable, climate sensitive livelihood practices. This lack of access to timely and credible weather and climate forecasts has left land users with no option except to rely on traditional methods of weather prediction, which has proved ineffective in the context of a changing climate. 

The project intends to reach 60,000 project beneficiaries (52% women and 48% men), across 12 woredas in six regions. As a result of the project’s implementation, the beneficiaries will have:

i)                    an increased understanding of key adaptation issues, including community-based adaptation techniques as a basis for incorporating climate smart technologies and good practices through a practical learning-by-doing approach;

ii)                   an enhanced capability to respond to ongoing and emerging threats through the development of climate adaptive action plans by utilizing early warning, downscaled weather information and climate change knowledge products and

iii)                 an enhanced capacity to create, improve and sustain diversified livelihood options at the same time as rehabilitating degraded watersheds.

On August 25, 2021 UNDP and its partners officially launched the project in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where the first steering committee meeting was also held.

The project is in direct support of the UN's United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Ethiopia (2020–2025) and UNDP's Country Programme Outcome that seeks to help all people in Ethiopia to live in a society resilient to environmental risks and adapted to climate change, by 2025. Similarly, the project contributes to the global SDG agenda, particularly for SDG13 Climate Action, SDG1 No poverty, SDG11 Sustainable cities and communities and SDG 15 Life on Land.