Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — 27 October 2025: The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance (MoF), today jointly launched their new Country Programmes, which will be implemented during the period 2025–2030.

The joint launch underscores a renewed commitment to advancing Ethiopia’s national development agenda. Firmly anchored in the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework and aligned with the Government of Ethiopia’s Ten-Year Development Plan and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Country Programmes will focus on several key areas: strengthening human capital development, advancing gender equality, addressing geographical disparities, promoting resilience, and ensuring that no one is left behind.

Speaking on the occasion, H.E. Semereta Sewasew, State Minister of Finance for Economic Cooperation, stated that the event is a crucial testament to the strong partnership between the government and the agencies. She also ascertained that “the new country programs are designed in alignment with Ethiopia’s 10-year development plan and the Home-Grown Economic Reform 2.0’ which is a testament to our deep collaboration with the UN system in making contributions for the national and international development commitments.”

The Government of Ethiopia remains committed to inclusive and sustainable development for all, achieved through macroeconomic reforms and effective management of the global aid system. She further noted that ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, advancing gender equality, and ending harmful practices are integral to this vision. Empowering women and girls and protecting their rights are characterized as both a moral duty and a key driver of Ethiopia’s sustainable, peaceful, and prosperous future.

UNFPA’s Country Programme is guided by its mission of “Delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled”. The programme will focus on achieving the Three Plus One (3+1) strategic pillars: ending preventable maternal deaths; ending unmet need for family planning; ending gender-based violence (GBV) and harmful practices against women and girls; and ending the sexual transmission of HIV infections.

Mr. Koffi Kouame, UNFPA Country Representative, stated that UNFPA, in its new Country Programme, will support the Government and partners to strengthen systems, institutions, and communities to deliver high-quality, comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services, maternal health, as well as essential services to address gender-based violence and harmful practices. Mr. Kouame added that their focus is on evidence-driven interventions, equitable access, and survivor-centred care to ensure that every woman and girl can be safe and live with dignity and free from harm. UNFPA's 10th Country Programme aims to reach selected districts in ten regions and one city administration in Ethiopia. During the implementation period until June 2030, the programme targets more than 21 million women and young people with rights-based life-saving sexual and reproductive health information and services.

At the same time, UNDP’s Country Programme with an estimated budget of $279.3 m will emphasize three key areas:

• Strengthening governance and accelerating inclusive economic growth.
• Advancing climate resilience.
• Promoting innovation and gender equality.
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Mr. Samuel Doe, UNDP Resident Representative, outlined that while maintaining its three core programme pillars, UNDP will continue to build on flagship initiatives such as the world’s largest demobilisation and reintegration programme, and a milestone national dialogue, and will maintain core support areas, including electoral assistance. He noted that this new programme is designed to respond to emerging needs and opportunities. Mr. Doe added that UNDP aims to increasingly harness the catalytic power of innovation and artificial intelligence to scale up solutions in climate action, governance expansion, and job creation—particularly for youth and women.