Africa-Press – Ethiopia. Government of Ethiopia has reaffirmed commitment to building climate-friendly and resilient cities at the Ministerial Meeting held on Urbanization and Climate Change at COP28 in Dubai.
The meeting, that brought together ministers, government officials, and experts from around the world to discuss the challenges and opportunities of urbanization in the context of climate change, was held on the sidelines of COP28, the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
Ethiopia’s Minister of Urban and Infrastructure, Chaltu Sani, who delivered a speech at the meeting, said that Ethiopia is undergoing rapid urbanization and is facing the onslaught of the climate crisis.
She stated that cities are centers of economic growth but are facing the challenges of extreme and slow-onset events that have compromised urban infrastructure.
Chaltu said that Ethiopia is committed to overcoming these challenges by promoting urban cooling, sustainable buildings, transport systems, and construction.
Ethiopia is working with development partners to strengthen the regulatory and legal framework and institutional coordination mechanisms to integrate these initiatives within urban systems, Chaltu added.
She also highlighted the Green Legacy Initiative of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, which has planted 32.5 billion trees both in cities and rural areas.
The minister said that this initiative is making cities better and is a nature-based solution that stores carbon, reduces energy use, and protects from extreme weather events.
The Ethiopian minister further called on international development partners to enhance their cooperation in the realization of the Urbanization and Climate Change Agenda in Africa as a whole and in Ethiopia in particular.
The Ministerial Meeting on Urbanization and Climate Change was a valuable opportunity for sharing knowledge and best practices on how to build climate-friendly and resilient cities.
The meeting also helped to raise awareness of the importance of urbanization in the context of climate change.
Urbanization is a major driver of climate change, but it can also be a part of the solution. Cities need to be more resilient to climate change impacts, such as extreme weather events and sea level rise, it was indicated.
International cooperation is essential to address the challenges of urbanization and climate change.
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