GJEC was established to respond to nine interconnected challenges facing communities in Ethiopia.
01
Environmental Degradation and Climate Change Vulnerability
Ethiopia, if not the world, faces increasing challenges of environmental degradation and climate change vulnerability. This has resulted in profound economic, social, ecosystem and public health crises. These challenges primarily arise from persistent deficiencies in designing and implementing community-based, ecosystem-centered approaches to environmental protection and climate resilience.
02
Need for a Just Energy Transition
Energy, especially renewable energy, is vital for sustainable development and the well-being of livelihoods. However, numerous studies highlight significant disparities in access to renewable energy solutions, particularly among rural and marginalized populations in Ethiopia. This inequity perpetuates energy poverty and excludes segments of society from the advantages of national energy transitions, which underscores the urgent need for targeted interventions.
03
Need for Responsible Land and Natural Resource Governance
Land and landed resources are among the most crucial assets in Ethiopia, bearing significant economic, social, environmental, and political importance. Unfortunately, a critical gap exists in recognizing, administering, and securing land rights, which undermines tenure security, exacerbates land-based conflicts, and marginalizes community management of natural resources. These and other related problems in the area call for urgent intervention.
04
Access to Justice and Legal Empowerment Deficit
Justice is often considered a hallmark of fair legal systems and public administrations. This is why access to justice has been recognized in numerous international, regional, and national human rights instruments. However, in Ethiopia, a significant justice gap persists due to the complexity and inaccessibility of formal legal systems, particularly for women, pastoralists, and rural communities who lack the resources and knowledge to claim their rights, thereby justifying urgent and actionable interventions.
05
Democratic Deficit in Multi-Level Governance
Governance, particularly at the local level, plays a pivotal role in advancing development and sustaining democratic stability. Local governance comprises a complex network of actors, including local governments, citizens, civil society organizations, the private sector, and, at times, national and international entities. However, in Ethiopia, existing studies reveal a persistent structural gap in participatory governance, whereby key stakeholders—notably local communities—are frequently excluded from decision-making processes that significantly affect their livelihoods and development priorities. Moreover, local governments, which assume a central leadership and coordinating role, are not autonomous or adequately empowered. This exclusion, combined with the lack of empowerment measures, undermines the quality, legitimacy, and sustainability of governance, thereby necessitating urgent and well-studied remedial interventions.
06
Necessity for Bottom-Up Policy and Legal Reform
Alongside the importance of multi-actor local governance, bottom-up policy and legal reforms have become the order of the day. However, in Ethiopia, a significant gap persists in inclusive policymaking, and grassroots voices are seldom incorporated into policy and legislative processes. This gap often leads to reforms that are misaligned with local realities. Bridging this gap requires the active engagement and strategic intervention of civil society organizations.
07
The Importance of Environmental Peacebuilding and Social Cohesion
As climate change and environmental degradation are increasingly causing conflict between communities by depleting natural resources such as water and fertile land, the Center promotes the equitable management of these common resources and fosters a culture of shared care, using environmental conservation activities as a platform for social cohesion and trust-building, enabling communities to stand together for their common good and build lasting peace.
08
Human Rights Violations in Development
As involuntary displacements caused by large-scale development projects, lack of adequate compensation, and environmental pollution caused by toxic waste from factories violate the human rights of communities to live in a healthy environment and have access to clean water, the Center challenges the legal and policy framework to ensure that any development work respects the rights of local indigenous peoples, ensures their active participation, and adheres to ‘green justice’.
09
Imperative for Cross-Sectoral Collaboration and Partnerships
All the above gaps call for coordinated action and partnerships among all stakeholders, both national and international. Unfortunately, coordination gaps persist, hindering the development of integrated, multi-actor solutions to complex environmental and governance challenges. This underscores the need to foster and institutionalize collaboration and partnerships as a critical area of intervention.