Somalia’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ali Omar, emphasized the continued collaborative efforts between Ethiopia and Somalia to realize shared development and peace.

This reaffirmation comes as a high-level Somali delegation concludes a working visit to Ethiopia, focused on bolstering bilateral relations in the wake of the Ankara Agreement.

Ethiopia’s State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Misganu Arga reiterated Ethiopia’s unwavering commitment to fully implement the Ankara Declaration.

A Somali delegation, led by State Minister Ali Omar, engaged in discussions with Ambassador Misganu Arga, marking the first such visit since the signing of the Ankara Agreement. The discussions centered on mechanisms for translating the accord into tangible progress.

State Minister Omar characterized the discussions with Ambassador Misganu as “fruitful,” emphasizing the importance of this initial visit following the Ankara agreement, stating, “…it is time now to look forward and not backward to overcome those historical issues and move forward.”

Lelise Neme, the Director General of Ethiopia’s Environmental Protection Authority, has committed to enhancing collaborative efforts aimed at significantly reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which are vital for promoting effective climate change mitigation.

In a recent development, the Authority formalized an agreement with seven key sector institutions to jointly establish a national framework for reducing, reporting, and verifying greenhouse gas emissions. The signatories include the Ministries of Transport and Logistics, Industry, Urban Development and Infrastructure, Agriculture, Mines, and the Ethiopian Forest Development Authority.

During the signing ceremony, Neme emphasized Ethiopia’s commitment to diminish greenhouse gas emissions by 68.8% by the year 2030, highlighting the importance of strong partnerships to achieve this ambitious target. She expressed confidence that this agreement will significantly contribute to the ongoing efforts towards constructing a sustainable green economy in Ethiopia.

The signing institutions have pledged to collaborate on the implementation of national policies, proclamations, regulations, and strategies related to emissions reduction.

The State of Libya has officially acceded to African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) Establishment Agreement, becoming the 53^rd nation to become a member / participating state and marking an important step towards full continental coverage and advancement of the continental integration agenda through trade and investments.

The accession document, signed by His Excellency Dr. Khaled Al-Mabrouk Abdullah, sets the stage for the Libyan government and Afreximbank to cooperate on key development projects in Libya, with a focus on trade facilitation, infrastructure development and financial support to the North African nation.

Some of the projects identified for cooperation include the financing of the development of the Misurata Free Zone, and construction of a road connecting the State of Libya, Chad and the Republic of Niger expected to significantly boost Intra-African trade. Afreximbank will also provide technical and financial assistance to the Sahel-Saharan Bank for Investment and Trade (BSIC) to expand its operations within East Africa, in addition to providing technical training and support to Libyan exporters to benefit from trade finance structuring and access to African markets.

The international award for women-driven environmental projects Green Future in the BRICS countries by the Council of the Eurasian Women’s Forum extends the application deadline until February 28, 2025. The goals of the competition are to identify successful practices in the field of ecology and sustainable development, promote and replicate the best environmental projects initiated by women in the BRICS countries. The award also aims at creating opportunities for the development of international ecological projects in Russia and forming a community for international environmental cooperation. The State Corporation Rosatom and the Council of the Eurasian Women’s Forum are the organizers of Green Future competition.

More than 550 projects from representatives of all the BRICS countries have already been submitted. The call for applications is open in five nominations. The most popular is Ecological Culture, about 40% of all the participants applied to this nomination. The second place is shared by the nominations Green Corporation and Environmental Protection (16% each). The third place is taken by the nomination GreenTech (15%).