Driving a Just Transition towards Sustainable and Inclusive Development in Ethiopia

On 02 December 2024, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Ethiopia, in partnership with International Labour Organization (ILO), and ActionAid Ethiopia (AAE) organized a conference of experts on “Driving a Just Transition towards Sustainable and Inclusive Development in Ethiopia”. The conference brought together Just Transition experts from government, trade unions, civil society actors, and academia.

The conference aimed to find out about the Ethiopian discourse on “Just transition”, gathered experiences and identified relevant concerns and areas of collaboration between different stakeholders.  The concept of a Just Transition seeks to balance environmental sustainability with social equity. The necessity of embracing Just Transition in Ethiopia results from its ambition towards economic growth and development, combined with its vulnerability to climate change impacts, like extreme weather events, and the need for social protection.

Presenters from five organizations, including FES Ethiopia, ILO, ActionAid Ethiopia (AAE), SouthSouthNorth (SSN), and Policy Studies Institute (PSI) shared their definitions of Just Transition, their practical experiences, challenges they face on a political level, and the stakeholders they engage with. These discussions helped to clarify the diverse approaches to Just Transition in Ethiopia and the areas where cooperation could be fostered.

One interesting discussion during the conference focused on Ethiopia’s Climate Change Policies and how they relate to Just Transition. A plenary discussion explored “how to promote Just Transition on a policy level in Ethiopia” and “how and in which areas stakeholders could cooperate and advocate for possible policy changes”. Participants mentioned the importance of evidence-based advocacy, gap analysis, stakeholders mapping, creating more space for dialogues, capacity building, experience sharing and discussion platforms, as well as gender-sensitive policies in ensuring equitable participation in Just Transition.

The workshop served as a platform for new partnerships with stakeholders, committing to work together on future initiatives including organizing national dialogues on Just Transition.