Addis Ababa, November 14, 2026 (FMC) – Turning national climate plans into investable projects and concrete results took centre stage as Ethiopia’s Minister of Finance and COP32 Chief Negotiator, Fitsum Assefa (PhD), joined the high-level launch of the Climate Implementation Bridge (BRIDGE), a legacy initiative of the COP31 Presidency.
The initiative is designed to help countries move from climate commitments to implementation by connecting national priorities with investment opportunities, financing and technical support.
At the launch, Fitsum joined ministers from the initiative’s first group of participating countries, alongside representatives of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and multilateral development banks, for a strategic roundtable on BRIDGE’s priorities and joint commitments.
In the discussions, the Minister emphasized the importance of aligning countries’ climate and development priorities with the finance, investment and technical assistance needed to put them into practice.
For Ethiopia, this approach offers a way to narrow the gap between climate ambition and delivery by turning national plans into bankable investment opportunities and tangible development outcomes.
The engagement also enabled Ethiopia to exchange perspectives with international partners on strengthening country-led cooperation and sustaining climate implementation beyond COP31.