Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene September - October 2016 Vol. 11 No.4 | Page 22
Diplomacy
UN Environment Head Visits Ethiopia
U.N. Environment Chief Erik Solheim with African Union’s Chairperson Mme Dlamini Zuma
U
N Environment Chief Erik Solheim concluded on
Tuesday Augut 26, 2016 a two-day visit to Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia, where he met with officials of the
Government of Ethiopia, heads and representatives of
key regional institutions as well as strategic partners in the
region.
Mr. Solheim’s visit to Ethiopia, his first mission in
Africa since taking the helm of UN Environment, was
an opportunity to reiterate UN Environment’s support
for the region, and to enhance cooperation with the
African Union and other partners towards the swift
implementation of Sustainable Development Goals and
the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
Meeting with Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, Mr.
Solheim reiterated UN’s support for Ethiopia’s efforts to
increase its forest cover and to green its economy.
He commended the country’s significant investments in
renewable energy and encouraged Ethiopians to share
their experiences with the rest of Africa. Mr. Desalegn
requested further UN Environment support on sustainable
chemicals management.
Speaking with the African Union’s Chairperson,
Mme Dlamini Zuma, Mr. Solheim reaffirmed
UN Environment’s support for Africa’s efforts to
20
Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene • September - October 2016
achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the
continent’s Agenda 2063, stressing the centrality of
environment to both agendas. The leaders discussed
strengthening collaboration to address the continent’s
major environmental issues, such as air quality, loss of
biodiversity, illegal trade in wildlife and environmental
degradation during conflicts. Mme Zuma thanked UN
Environment for its input to the operationalization of
the African Renewable Energy Initiative and requested
continued support for the initiative.
At a meeting with the African Diplomatic Corps, Mr.
Solheim emphasized the role of diplomacy in enabling
progress on the continent and urged the diplomats to
do more to empower governments and businesses to
fast-track growth and sustainable development in the
continent.
Meeting with the Head of UN Economic Commission
for Africa, Dr. Carlos Lopes, Mr. Solheim noted that full
integration of environment and development is a core
focus of his mandate and added that UN Environment
is keen on supporting Africa’s industrialization through
environmentally friendly investments and initiatives.
Mr. Solheim concluded his stay by visiting one of Africa’s
largest wind farms - the Adama II Wind Power Project.
Built by a Chinese company and operated by Ethiopian
engineers, the wind farm has a capacity of 153 megawatts.