at the Signing Ceremony for the Bilateral Document for Low Carbon Growth Partnership between Japan and Ethiopia at MOFED on 27 May, 2013

Your Excellency Ato Ahmed Shide, State Minister of Finance and Economic Development,
Dr. Tewolde-birhan Gebre-egzeabher,  Director General of the Environmental Protection Athority,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good Morning!  Endemen Arefedachehu!

It is a great pleasure for me to be here to sign a Bilateral Document for Low Carbon Growth Partnership between Japan and Ethiopia.  This is the first Japanese framework of cooperation of this sort in Africa and the third in the world.  To date, Japan has concluded the same type of document with Mongolia and Bangladesh.  In line with the ultimate objective of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and in pursuit of achieving sustainable development, our two governments have agreed on a low carbon growth partnership after having had a series of intensive consultations.

Through this partnership, we promote investment and use of low carbon technologies, products, systems, services and infrastructure to achieve low carbon growth in Ethiopia.  For this purpose, our first task is to establish a Joint Committee and to work out the rules and procedures of the Committee and develop the rules and guidelines for a Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM).  Once the JCM starts to function, the Committee will evaluate its implementation.

Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen,

In Ethiopia, environmental issues including climate change are among the top policy priorities in the Growth and Transformation Plan.  The Ethiopian Government is committed to achieving zero emission of green house gases by 2025.  To that end, Ethiopia is pursuing renewable energy sources for power generation such as hydro, wind and geothermal.  In rural areas, technological innovations in agriculture and cattle raising are being pursued together with reforestation.  The same can be said of the transportation and industrial sectors.  These strong initiatives leading to a climate-resilient green economy are laudable.

Japan, for its part, has been eager to work with Ethiopia in its efforts to cope with climate change, both adaptation to climate change and mitigation in emission of green house gases.   For three years since 2010, Japan has extended 64 million USD for various projects in Ethiopia including forest preservation, food security, rural water supply and geothermal energy development.

Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Climate change is a long-term global challenge facing us all.  In addressing this issue, Japan is dedicated to supporting developing countries in meeting their development aspiration to follow a path of low carbon growth.  In 2009, Japan announced a Fast Start Finance program of 15 billion USD for three years to help developing countries to adapt to climate change and mitigate the emissions of green house gases.  This program was fully implemented, and 986 projects in 110 countries were funded through this Japanese program, amounting to 17.4 billion USD by the end of 2012.  To facilitate the use of low carbon technologies, products, systems, services and infrastructure, Japan also provides support for capacity building and advisory services to developing countries, in particular to the least developed and land-locked countries.  This Low Carbon Growth Partnership with Ethiopia will help facilitate global actions for reducing the emissions of green house gases as well.

In concluding, I would like to share my own hope that this bilateral document will provide a useful framework for our two countries to work closely to pursue a low carbon green economy.  Japan will facilitate financial and technological cooperation as well as support for capacity building.  In this connection, I assure you that Japan remains committed to supporting Ethiopia in implementing the GTP, one of the focuses of which is a climate-resilient green economy.

Thank you for your attention!  Amesegenalehu!