The REDD+ Investment Program Phase II (RIP II) supports Ethiopia in advancing forest conservation, climate mitigation, and sustainable livelihoods. Building on earlier successes, the project strengthens forest sector transformation while enabling carbon finance through structured transactions of Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) from the Oromia Forested Landscape Program. Funded by Norway and supported by EDF and CIFOR, GGGI provides technical, financial, and policy advisory services to enhance institutional capacity and attract private sector engagement. The project promotes biodiversity conservation, landscape restoration, and improved forest value chains, contributing to Ethiopia’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and green growth ambitions. 

The project aims to support Ethiopia in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing forest cover, and enhancing economic growth through sustainable forest management and carbon finance. It seeks to strengthen institutional capacity, scale up forest conservation and restoration, and facilitate carbon transactions that mobilize climate finance while improving livelihoods for communities dependent on forest ecosystems. 

Ethiopia has made significant progress in forest conservation through initiatives such as the Oromia Forested Landscape Program (OFLP), which has generated Certified Emission Reductions (CERs). To fully benefit from these carbon assets, the Government is working to establish structured carbon transactions and attract international buyers. The second phase of the REDD+ Investment Program (RIP II) builds on lessons from Phase I, scaling up successful approaches and introducing innovative practices to accelerate impact. 

With support from the Norwegian International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI), GGGI and CIFOR provide technical advisory services to the Ministry of Finance and Ethiopian Forestry Development. The program also collaborates with the Environmental Defense Fund to ensure legal and financial due diligence in carbon transactions. RIP II focuses on bridging policy, finance, and technical gaps while strengthening institutional systems and promoting sustainable forest-based livelihoods. 

RIP II strengthens forest sector governance, enhances private sector engagement, and scales up conservation of biodiversity-rich forests. It supports restoration of degraded landscapes and establishment of diverse plantations while improving REDD+ monitoring, reporting, and verification systems. The project also advances results-based payments and carbon transaction readiness, contributing to emissions reduction, increased forest cover, and improved livelihoods for forest-dependent communities.