Dr. M Fahim Khan
By November 2027, the world’s climate negotiators will come to Addis Ababa, a city that has been tweaking its climate policy since the early 2010s and has established climate action as a national practice. The 32nd United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP32) is officially being hosted in Ethiopia. Ethiopia’s emergence as a climate leader has lessons and opportunities for Pakistan, a country that is no stranger to the impact of climate change.
This is not a gesture of honour as an official host. It provides host countries with genuine control over the programme and Ethiopia gained the control through competition. It beat Nigeria’s offer on infrastructure, capacity and made itself the preferred option for Addis Ababa, which accepted the proposal. This was confirmed during COP30 in Belém, Brazil in November 2025.
It wasn’t just infrastructure that won the bid. It did record Ethiopia’s climate.It did indeed document Ethiopia’s climate. The African Group of Negotiators supported its choice with reference to the green initiatives like the Green Legacy Initiative and its substantial dependence on renewable energy, particularly the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). The Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called the Green Legacy Initiative as the most clear-cut evidence of the country’s commitment to climate change policies when announcing the bid.
The host country, Ethiopia, had also demonstrated its capacity to hold the continent to ransom. In September 2025, over 26,000 participants attended the Second Africa Climate Summit in Addis Ababa, which led to the adoption of the Addis Ababa Declaration, which is now the common position of the African continent in global climate talks. COP32 will be much bigger: Ethiopia anticipates over 60,000 delegates. Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos has been elected as President-Designate for COP32, to spearhead preparations.
Ethiopia’s core climate theme is the Green Legacy Initiative, arguably the largest reforestation project on the planet. It was launched in 2019 and it would be expected to restore degraded ecosystems, combat deforestation and soil erosion, expand forest cover, enhance air and water quality, and generate green jobs.
It’s an amazing scale. In 2019, Ethiopia planted approximately 4.7 billion seedlings, with the first campaign in 2019 targeting 4 billion. It was done in a single day using over 350 million seedlings, which turned heads around the world. Since then, Ethiopia has successfully planted over 48 billion seedlings and the 2026 campaign aims to plant another 8 billion, looking towards a goal of 65 billion trees planted for long term goals.
The programme is practically oriented, which is its distinctive feature. Indigenous species are cultivated with fruit trees, fodder crops and fuelwood species by the Ethiopians. The trees are not just carbon sinks, they nourish families and provide fodder for livestock, as well as securing farmland.
Ethiopia has also lent their money to their words. It dedicates 0.5 to 1 percent of the federal budget to a national restoration program that buffers it from fluctuations in budgets. It has also gone beyond borders in its generosity, with one billion seedlings donated to border countries in 2021, such as Kenya, Sudan and Somalia.
As for energy, Africa’s biggest hydropower dam, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, will aim to grow clean energy supply at home and for neighbouring countries.
Challenges must be recognised in an honest analysis. There has been some doubt about the rates of seedling survival, and even among Ethiopia’s partners there is emphasis on the need to make sure that seedlings grow into permanent forests. The GERD is still an issue of contention with down-stream Egypt and Sudan. These are not questions to deny Ethiopia’s accomplishments; they are part of the story.
There are many similarities between Pakistan and Ethiopia. They are both developing countries, which emit little and are vulnerable to climate change effects. The floods in Pakistan in 2022 covered one-third of the country and left damages more than 30 billion dollars, and Ethiopia has experienced several droughts. This common experience provides a natural setting for partnership and COP32 provides Pakistan with several opportunities.
The first is a lesson on national mobilisation. The Ten Billion Tree Tsunami in Pakistan proved that it is possible to plant in large quantity here. The Ethiopian model takes it one step further and encourages schools and businesses, and soldiers and religious organizations to plant trees every year as part of Ethiopia’s annual national effort. A similar annual campaign could be adopted in Pakistan which could be based on the monsoon season, with a focus on growing fruit and fodder trees, thus providing farmers with a tangible incentive to conserve them.
The second is a lesson in committed financing. The programme is immune from political and budget cycles because Ethiopia gets a fixed proportion of federal revenue for restoration work. Governments’ changing or the lack of financial resources often stalls Pakistan’s climate projects. A legally binding climate fund would provide continuity to Pakistan’s efforts which is missing at this time.
The third is diplomatic. An African presidency is likely to pursue with great vigour the areas in which Pakistan has the greatest interest, namely climate finance and green investment. Pakistan has played an active role in establishing the Loss and Damage Fund at COP27 in Egypt. It can function in conjunction with the African Group to ensure that that fund is adequately resourced and easily accessible to vulnerable countries, in Addis Ababa. The reduction in cost of capital, which is also scheduled to be part of the agenda for COP32, would directly benefit Pakistan as the cost of borrowing for the green projects is high.
The fourth is South-South cooperation. It is not necessary for Pakistan to import solutions from rich countries only. Research into drought tolerant crops, cooperation between forest departments and shared experience with managing water resources might help both countries. Pakistan’s flood recovery experience goes hand in hand with Ethiopia’s land restoration experience.
Finally, there is a lesson in the story. Ethiopia has strived to ensure the world’s perception of Africa as a victim of climate change has shifted and I am an agent of climate solutions. Ethiopia has been working to make sure the world sees Africa as an agent of climate solutions and not just a victim. Pakistan can too! Instead of coming to COPs as a disaster hit country and asking for help, it can feature a project like mangrove plantation in the coastal areas of Sindh and present itself as a partner with solutions to offer.
The COP32 in Addis Abba will not be just a diplomatic conference. It will be a reward to a country that makes climate action a priority even before it became a global stage. The message for Pakistan is loud and clear – ambition, continued support and engagement of the public can transform it into a climate leader. But if Islamabad is ready to act ahead of the curve, makes alliances with the African Group and brings its own success stories to COP32 in Addis Ababa, the 32nd convention might also be a turning point for Pakistan’s climate future.
Dr. Muhammad Fahim Khan
Assistant Professor, Department of International Relations ,Bahria University Islamabad
