UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator meets UN regional leadership to strengthen collaboration in support of Ethiopia’s development priorities

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — The newly appointed UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator (RC/HC) for Ethiopia and UN Assistant Secretary-General Mr. Ozonnia Ojielo, has begun his tenure with a series of high-level engagements with UN regional leadership based in Addis Ababa. The discussions focused on deepening cooperation, enhancing coherence across the UN system, and aligning efforts to support Ethiopia’s national development priorities.

Mr. Ojielo held a meeting with Mr. Claver Gatete, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), exchanging views on how to leverage UNECA’s role as a continental policy think tank.

The two leaders emphasized the importance of stronger regional–country collaboration to deliver coherent, knowledge-driven, and impactful results. They highlighted opportunities to align UNECA’s analytical expertise with UN Ethiopia’s programming to better support inclusive economic growth, sustainable development, and evidence-based policymaking in Ethiopia.

Mr. Ojielo also met with Mr. Yacoub Ali El Hillo, the UN Development Coordination Office (UNDCO) Regional Director for Africa. Their discussion focused on operationalizing the UN’s commitment to accelerating UN development system reform and reinforcing coordination among UN agencies operating in Ethiopia.

Both sides reaffirmed their shared priority of ensuring the UN system delivers more integrated and results-oriented support to advance Ethiopia’s development agenda, with an emphasis on partnership, accountability, and strengthened collective impact.

In an engagement with Mr. Guang Cong, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa (OSE-HoA), the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator explored areas of collaboration aimed at promoting peace, stability, and resilience across Ethiopia and the wider region.

The meeting underscored the UN’s commitment to supporting regional peacebuilding initiatives, advancing conflict prevention efforts, and contributing to sustainable development pathways that address the root causes of fragility.

The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator also held productive exchanges with Mr. Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General to the African Union and Head of the UN Office to the AU (UNOAU). Discussions centered on strengthening coordinated UN support to Ethiopia and enhancing collaboration across Africa.

The leaders reaffirmed their shared resolve to support implementation of Agenda 2030 and Agenda 2063, emphasizing integrated approaches that bring together humanitarian, development, and peace efforts.

Through these strategic engagements, the new UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator demonstrated the UN Ethiopia’s strong commitment to fostering collaboration across UN regional entities to deliver coherent, coordinated, and impactful support to Ethiopia.