Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, December 9, 2025 – The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) Ethiopia, in a strategic collaboration with Pathfinder International and the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) Ethiopia, successfully hosted a high-level hybrid webinar on December 9, 2025, focused on “Climate Change and Health in Ethiopia.” This critical event convened key stakeholders to catalyze support and action for the nation’s urgent climate-resilient health agenda.  

The discussion highlighted the severe public health threat posed by climate change in Ethiopia; while the country contributes minimally to global greenhouse gas emissions, it is acutely vulnerable, facing increased risks of infectious diseases, malnutrition, water scarcity, and extreme weather events, which collectively strain the health system and undermine progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

Ethiopia has demonstrated strong national commitment through its Health National Adaptation Plan (HNAP-II, 2024–2028) and the Building Climate Resilient Health System (CRHS) Guidance. GGGI and Pathfinder International co-hosted the webinar specifically to advance the operationalization of these critical national frameworks, drawing on Pathfinder’s Women and Youth-Led Climate Resilience (WYLCR) approach and GGGI’s expertise in green growth.  

(Left) Panel discussion (Right) Mr. Daniel Ogbonnaya making an opening remark

Opening the session, Okechukwu Daniel Ogbonnaya, GGGI Ethiopia Country Representative, recognized the government’s proactive stance, stating, “Ethiopia has the leadership to respond to these climate change related health challenges, which is shown in introducing comprehensive policy frameworks. The session is important to boost collaboration among key stakeholders for more integration with the government,” and stressed GGGI’s commitment to strengthening its support in this regard. 

The high-level discussion, attended by representatives from UNICEF, Africa CDC, Green Health Africa, HISP, Addis Ababa University, and government stakeholders, emphasized several critical thematic areas necessary for building a resilient health system. These included strengthening advocacy for climate and health integration, enhancing multi-sectoral partnership and coordination, mobilizing climate financing and optimizing resources, improving evidence generation, operational research, and data systems, and supporting resilient health services with a focus on women- and youth-led initiatives and community engagement. 

Dr. Tariku Bogale, Pathfinder International’s Ethiopia Country Manager, underscored the critical and timely nature of the topic, emphasizing the role of key stakeholders to “engage in rigorous research to inform policies and collaborate on joint resource mobilization.” 

Further commending the initiative, Alemu Kejela, WASH and Environmental Health Head at the Ministry of Health of Ethiopia, highlighted the platform’s value, saying that “it is an important platform for stakeholders to come together and support the ongoing initiatives by the government.” He affirmed that Ethiopia is determined to address these challenges by building its readiness and resilience, though he noted that “capacity remains a challenge. Such collaborations should aim for capacity building interventions as well.”  

The presentations and subsequent panel discussion explored the health challenges climate change poses, Ethiopia’s readiness, early warning systems, and the imperative for inclusivity. The event successfully fostered a robust dialogue, sharing best practices and mobilizing commitments to overcome systemic barriers such as weak governance, limited climate data integration, and funding shortages that hinder effective implementation of the HNAP-II. 

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Media Contact: 

Tesfagebriel Tekola, Ethiopia 

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