Government to establish green tribunal

The Ethiopian Government is drafting a proclamation to establish a green tribunal which will preside over environmental issues. The Addis Fortune reports that the new proclamation, the first of its kind, was drafted by the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Commission and has now been made available to stakeholders. The Police Commission, the Supreme and High courts, and the Office of the Attorney-General will deliberate on the Bill for the next six months. The tribunal will review cases that involve compensation and rehabilitation issues. The proclamation follows the new 10-year policy dubbed the Ethiopian National Environmental Law Development and Enforcement Programme. The policy calls for Ethiopia to have an environmental tribunal operational by 2023. Developing and laying out the working plan for the tribunal is expected to take three years for the formulation of rules and procedures.