Ethiopia

Stakeholder involvement

In Ethiopia, all stakeholders including Government,  Donors , CSOs, NGOs and communities agree that land degradation is a very serious problem in most agricultural zones of the country and one can now claim that Ethiopia is in a national emergency to combat the problem. In view of this,  coordinated and well organized campaigns were organized to address the problem. Ethiopia established a working group comprising of relevant government ministries/departments, universities, research institutions, civil organizations and private sector. The members inform the decisions and implementation of policies and set targets towards restoration of the degraded landscapes. 

A coordinating mechanism/platform

To oversee the implementation of the LDN targets cross sectors and other entities, the SLM coordination mechanism was established by the government in the Ministry of Agriculture to facilitate coordination of all SLM activities in Ethiopia so as to avoid duplication and promote synergies. Thus, this unit will also be involved in the implementation processes of programs and projects that will help to achieve LDN targets in Ethiopia. 

Capacity building

Ethiopia launched a training  program focusing on land use, titling and administration, security of land tenure and dispute resolution, public information and education, capacity building and monitoring, impact evaluation and special studies. Building the capacity of lower level implementing parties to properly and transparently implement the laws and regulations should be a continuous process and context specific in restoration. Trainings and workshops were also organized in Ethiopia and the majority of these activities were on restoration and tree plantation, with others focusing on market analysis and development and Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs). 

Partnership

The Government institutions, local and international non-governmental organizations found in the country are supporting the development activities of the government of Ethiopia through different programs and projects aligning with the government’s priorities. In a similar manner the NGOs working in different parts of the country are engaged in the projects and programs that will be implemented to achieve the LDN targets in the country. Partnership is created between the NGOs, Government institutions and MEF with their own respective roles and responsibilities. The main role and responsibility of NGOs will be directly implementing the different programs and projects designed to achieve the LDN targets and, reporting the progresses and achievements of the implementation process. On the other hand MEF is responsible to secure the budget required to implement these programs and projects, and put in place a stringent monitoring, reporting and verification system.