Ethiopia and UNICEF Collaborate on a New $808.5 Million Program to Aid Vulnerable Populations

ADDIS ABABA: The Ethiopian government and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) have recently held a validation meeting in Addis Ababa to finalize the UNICEF Country Program Document (CPD) for 2025-2030. High-level federal and regional representatives reviewed the ambitious program aimed at improving health, education, child protection, and climate resilience across Ethiopia.According to Ethiopian News Agency, the meeting opened with remarks from Aboubacar Kampo, the UNICEF Representative in Ethiopia, followed by a detailed presentation of the proposed Country Program by Mariko Kagoshima, UNICEF Deputy Representative. The program, which is designed to prioritize support for Ethiopia's most vulnerable groups, was then discussed by attendees, including various government officials.Semereta Sewasew, State Minister of Finance, emphasized that the program's focus on expanding access to essential services underlines the strong cooperative relationship between Ethiopia and UNICEF. The proposed program, awa iting endorsement by UNICEF's Executive Board in New York in February 2025, outlines key intervention areas and allocates a substantial budget of $808.5 million for implementation across all regional governments from 2025 to 2030.This collaborative effort marks a significant commitment to addressing critical developmental challenges in Ethiopia, aiming to enhance the livelihoods of its most at-risk populations through targeted interventions in health, education, and social protection.