UNOPS Stresses Need for Expanding Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative across Africa

Africa-Press – Ethiopia. United Nation Office for Project Services (UNOPS) Ethiopia Country Director, Worknesh Mekonnen, underscored the need to exert efforts to expand the Green Legacy Initiative across Africa.

It is to be recalledthat Ethiopia had launched the Green Legacy Initiative in 2019 to addressvarious environmental challenges by promoting a green culture. The plan was toplant 20 billion trees across the country over four years.

The nation has alreadyplanted 18 billion trees with the participation of 20 million citizens over thelast three years.

In an exclusiveinterview with ENA, UNOPS Ethiopia Country Director, Worknesh Mekonnen said “weshould transfer this kind of positive culture across Africa. In Addition, weneed to do more in terms of building that culture.”

Worknesh stated thatUNOPS had been actively participating in the previous tree planting campaignsnoting the plan to continue planting trees for this year’s campaign.

“Every year, we planttrees as UNOPS. Last year we planted around Entoto and before last year we haveplanted in Adama. And this year we also have a similar plan to plant trees. Weare just choosing the right place where we need to plant. We try to put ourmark in terms of the green legacy and we are very much support the initiative”.

The Country Directorappreciated the Green Legacy Initiative being carried out in Ethiopia pledgingto provide support to its accomplishment.

The Ethiopian GreenLegacy Initiative is one of the best mechanisms to curbing environmentalchallenges caused due to climate change that has been affecting the globalcommunity including Ethiopia, she said.

“I think it’s a publicsecret in terms of the climate’s impact. Ethiopia is not any unique it’s aglobal challenge that we’re facing globally in all aspects. the heat wave nowwe’re going through for example in Europe and other places whatever the summeris going on and you can see the increasing floods in every place that there israin including countries like Ethiopia. So I think, to be honest, it’s one ofthe best initiative that we’re very much supportive”.

She further expressed hope that the whole of Africa will really take it seriously to averting the challenges of climate change.

“Climate is real and it’s with us and it’s about time for us to wake up and do something about it,” the Country Director urged.

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