Healthy landscapes are vital for food security, water resources, biodiversity, livelihoods and climate resilience. But restoring landscapes at scale isn’t just about planting trees. It requires institutions, sectors, private-sector actors and communities all working together, supported by effective coordination mechanisms.In early July, WRI and the Ethiopian Forestry Development (EFD), alongside other partners, convened the 4th National Forest and Landscape Restoration (FLR) Platform Meeting. The FLR Platform was established to strengthen coordination, learning, resource mobilization and policy dialogue among government institutions, development partners, research organizations, civil society and the private sector working to restore Ethiopia’s degraded landscapes.It emerged from a national consultation the EFD and partners organized in October 2022, reflecting the understanding that no single institution could achieve Ethiopia’s ambitious restoration goals alone, including commitments under AFR100, the Bonn Challenge, the Green Legacy Initiative and national climate targets. These efforts span agriculture, forestry, water resources, energy, urban development, finance, climate action and rural livelihoods. Without a way to connect these sectors, restoration efforts risk remaining fragmented and less effective.The platform officially launched in May 2023, giving these groups a shared space to align priorities, foster collaboration, share knowledge and accelerate action toward Ethiopia’s restoration and sustainable development goals.How the Platform WorksThe FLR Platform operates under terms of reference (ToR) that define the platform’s objectives, membership, functions and operating procedures. The platform is governed through two structures: the General Assembly and the Executive Team. The General Assembly, comprising all registered members, is the highest decision-making body, responsible for setting priorities, approving plans and providing strategic direction for the platform.The Executive Team, comprising nine members, provides day-to-day leadership, coordination and support for implementation. It includes a chair from the Ethiopian Forestry Development (EFD), a co-chair representing the natural resource sector in the Ministry of Agriculture and a secretary who serves as the EFD technical focal person for the FLR Platform. The secretary is also responsible for the Green Legacy Initiative and the Landscape Restoration Division within EFD. The remaining six members are technical representatives.These six technical members represent three government institutions — the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Water and Energy and Ministry of Planning and Development — and three technical partners — WRI, GIZ and World Vision Ethiopia. Together, the Executive Team provides technical and strategic guidance, supports planning and resource mobilization, facilitates coordination among members and partners, and helps translate the priorities and decisions of the General Assembly into action. Participants gather at the 4th National Forest and Landscape Restoration Platform Meeting in July. Photo by Tsion Issayas/WRI WRI co-founded the platform and has been a technical partner since its launch. WRI supported the national consultation that led to its creation, helped develop its ToR and continues to co-convene annual platform meetings with EFD and other partners. WRI has helped plan and facilitate platform meetings, mobilize resources, engage stakeholders, document key discussions and recommendations, and monitor progress on agreed actions. WRI has also helped connect Ethiopia’s restoration efforts to global knowledge, innovation, funding and partnerships that can help scale those efforts and increase their impact.Turning Restoration Commitments into ActionSince its launch in 2019, the Green Legacy Initiative (GLI) has planted more than 32 billion seedlings, with a goal of reaching 50 billion trees by 2030. Seedling nurseries are key to Ethiopia’s restoration efforts, supplying millions of trees planted each year. Photo by Moti Tilahun/WRI As well as the number of trees planted and hectares restored, restoration is about rebuilding the ecological functions that support productive landscapes while improving the lives and livelihoods of the people who depend on them. This is where multistakeholder platforms can help.National commitments provide a vision for restoration, but they do not guarantee action on the ground. Scaling restoration means getting government agencies, research institutions, communities, development partners, businesses and civil society to work toward shared goals, even when priorities compete and resources are limited. The Ethiopia FLR Platform has become a key forum for restoration stakeholders to coordinate and learn from each other. It has built a shared governance framework, technical working groups and regional platform arrangements, giving government agencies, development partners, researchers, civil society and the private sector a regular forum to align priorities, work through policy and implementation challenges, and find ways to collaborate. Terraced hillsides show landscape restoration efforts underway in Ethiopia, where soil and water conservation measures help rebuild degraded slopes. Photo by Tsion Issayas/WRI The platform has brought together stakeholders to share research findings, restoration experiences and best practices on topics including restoration monitoring, community-led restoration, innovative financing mechanisms such as Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES), private-sector engagement and implementation of the GLI. It has also supported policy and program development by facilitating dialogue on Ethiopia’s Forest Development, Management and Utilization Regulation, the National Framework for the Implementation of the GLI Special Fund, governance frameworks for subnational FLR platforms and the integration of gender and social inclusion considerations into restoration initiatives.One notable result has been a dedicated technical task force for the GLI Special Fund. It brings together government institutions, development partners and technical experts to support the fund’s operations and help establish it. The task force has identified 10 priority gaps requiring urgent technical, institutional, financial and policy support to ensure the fund is effectively deployed. The group meets monthly through virtual meetings and quarterly in person to address implementation challenges, mobilize expertise and provide coordinated support to advance Ethiopia’s landscape restoration ambitions under the GLI.Key Emerging Issues from the 4th National FLR Platform MeetingGender and social inclusion: Mainstreaming gender and social inclusion within forest and landscape restoration initiatives, including the need to better understand the role of cooperatives, community institutions and benefit-sharing from an inclusion and equity perspective, is essential for successful restoration.Innovative restoration financing mechanisms: Participants explored the role of PES, carbon finance and the GLI Special Fund as ways to mobilize long-term investments in restoration. The Ethiopian Strategic Investment Framework (ESIF-II) was presented as the overarching national framework for sustainable landscape management over the next 15 years. Discussions helped raise awareness of its strategic objectives, implementation components, governance arrangements and financing requirements, while emphasizing its potential to align restoration investments across sectors and partners. The meeting also underscored the strategic importance of high-quality and traceable tree seed systems as a foundational requirement for successful restoration, carbon finance, PES and emerging outcome-based financing (OBF) approaches.Urban nature-based solutions: The meeting highlighted growing interest in establishing a dedicated urban nature-based solutions platform and working group under the FLR Platform to address rapid urbanization, climate resilience and urban greening challenges. Participants agreed that urban landscapes should be an integral part of Ethiopia’s restoration agenda and discussed ways to link municipal governments with the broader restoration community.Stronger coordination: A key issue was the increasing number of restoration-related platforms operating at thematic, geographic and institutional levels, including the CRGE Forestry Task Force, the Ethiopian Land Restoration Platform, regional FLR platforms and the GLI Special Fund Technical Task Force. Discussions emphasized the need for clearer mandates and better information sharing among these platforms to avoid duplication.Sustainable forest management: Participants explored opportunities to strengthen sustainable forest management and market access through Ethiopia Forest Certification Standards, which could improve forest governance, attract investment, open access to premium markets and support long-term conservation.Collectively, these discussions demonstrated a shift from restoration planning toward building the policy, financing, institutional and technical systems required to scale restoration and deliver measurable results.Lessons on Sustaining a National Restoration PlatformSeveral factors have contributed to the continued functioning and effectiveness of Ethiopia’s National FLR Platform. Strong government ownership and institutional anchoring have been central to its sustainability. The platform is guided by a jointly developed and widely owned terms of reference and anchored within government institutions, particularly the EFD and the Ministry of Agriculture, with support from development partners.Joint planning and shared ownership have strengthened commitment among members. Platform activities, particularly annual meetings, are planned collaboratively, with partners contributing to technical content, facilitation, logistics and documentation. This has fostered collective responsibility and reduced reliance on a single institution.Maintaining practical and relevant priorities has helped sustain member engagement. The platform provides a space to address key restoration issues, including policy and institutional coordination, financing, research and knowledge, implementation, monitoring and landscape planning, and gender and social equity.Early and thoughtful planning has also been important. Annual meetings are planned well in advance to allow senior officials, technical experts and partners to schedule their participation. Meeting locations and logistics are selected with consideration for participants’ convenience and opportunities to showcase restoration experiences.Finally, consistent facilitation, documentation and follow-up have helped maintain continuity and institutional memory. Clear agendas, documentation of recommendations and follow-up on agreed actions ensure that each convening builds on previous engagements.Ethiopia’s FLR Platform experience demonstrates that sustaining a national restoration platform depends on strong government ownership, shared responsibility, continued relevance to members, inclusive planning, thoughtful engagement of participants and consistent coordination and follow-up.Through collaboration, knowledge sharing and new partnerships, the platform has grown from a dialogue forum into a trusted platform that coordinates restoration efforts across Ethiopia.