Ethiopia

This report provides an overview of the current state of knowledge on how countries can achieve climate-resilient development. As climate resilience strategies are still in an early stage in most countries, it is too early for a comprehensive assessment of existing policies and measures. Rather, this report focuses on the enabling factors for integrating climate resilience and development planning. This is supported with in-depth reviews of the role of disaster risk management and the private sector. The report aims to inform both policy makers in developing countries and practitioners in development co-operation agencies.

Ethiopia’s objective of reducing its vulnerability to climate extremes and its ambitious growth plans have come together in its Climate-Resilient Green Economy initiative. The initiative aims to transform the country into a middle-income economy by 2025, without increasing net greenhouse gas emissions and while protecting itself against the negative impacts of climate change. This case study brings together the lessons from Ethiopia's experience to date. It discusses the links between climate and socio-economic development in Ethiopia, analyses the key enabling factors, and examines the entry points for building resilience in selected policy areas, focusing on the agricultural sector and macroeconomic management.

There is an urgent need for countries to improve their resilience to current climate variability and prepare for the consequences of future changes. Without this, climate change threatens to perpetuate poverty and slow – or even prevent – the achievement of development goals. Climate-resilient development aims to ensure that economic growth, poverty reduction and other development objectives can be sustained in a changing climate. This is more fundamental than “climate-proofing” of policies or programmes, instead re-examining the development choices that are shaping vulnerability to climate risks. This means addressing current vulnerabilities in a way that anticipates and adapts to future changes.

Climate-resilient development requires 1) political vision and leadership; 2) a development planning process that has climate resilience at its core; 3) an institutional structure that facilitates central co-ordination and targeted engagement; 4) a strong evidence base and methods for dealing with uncertainty; 5) sufficient financing, combining the effective use of domestic and international resources; and 6) mechanisms for monitoring, evaluating and learning including strong feedback between lessons learned and policy design. The chapter outlines experience to date in implementing these building blocks.

Countries have the potential to achieve a virtuous circle between climate resilience and development. Improvements in climate resilience can support development, while inclusive development can help to build climate resilience. Achieving this will not only mean climate-proofing existing development pathways, but also considering how the pathways themselves may need to change in light of the challenges posed by climate change. This chapter outlines the need for climate-resilient development, which provides a strategic approach to addressing current vulnerabilities while preparing for the effects of a changing climate.

Disaster risk management and private sector involvement are both important for climate resilience. Improved integration of disaster risk management and climate change adaptation is needed to address current risks while preparing for future challenges. The chapter suggests ways of integrating the two approaches into development planning, focusing on institutions, risk reduction, and financial instruments to reduce the long-term impacts of disasters. The private sector is another important piece in the climate resilience puzzle, given its fundamental role in securing economic growth, and its potential for investing in resilience measures. The second part of the chapter examines how public policy can support private sector climate resilience. Priorities for this include raising awareness, providing data, and ensuring that regulatory frameworks and spending policies are conducive to building resilience.

Ethiopia’s economy saw a ninth straight year of robust growth in 2012, which was estimated at 6.9%. The growth was broad based with an increasing role for services and industry. This momentum is expected to continue in 2013 and 2014, at a slower pace though.

En 2012, l’économie éthiopienne a enregistré une croissance solide, estimée à 6.9 %, pour la neuvième année consécutive. Cette croissance a reposé sur une large assise, le secteur industriel et les services jouant un rôle grandissant. La dynamique devrait se poursuivre en 2013 et 2014, quoiqu’à un rythme moins soutenu.