Haramaya University Law Students Win National Climate Justice Essay Competition
Haramaya University’s College of Law is celebrating a significant achievement as two of its students, Mr. Gutema Tsegaye and Mr. Girma Fikadu, have won a national essay competition on climate justice.
The fourth-year students will now participate in the prestigious Nairobi Summer School on Climate Justice.
The competition, titled the “Climate Litigation Essay Competition,” was organized by the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU ARO), a German NGO, and Eco-Justice Ethiopia.
According to Dr. Richard Wintezel, the Dean of HU’s College of Law, the students’ winning essay was titled “Africa at the ICJ: The African Union’s Role in the Climate-Change Hearing and Ethiopia’s Potential Legal and Policy Contribution.”
For their achievement, the students received a monetary award and a fully sponsored trip to the 5th Nairobi Summer School on Climate Justice.
The event, which brought together young climate advocates from 53 countries, was held from August 25 to September 4, 2025, at Addis Ababa University.
The competition was open to all undergraduate students in Ethiopia. From the many submissions, only the top ten were chosen to make oral presentations on August 9-10, 2025, to a panel of international climate experts. Based on their combined written and oral submissions, Mr. Gutema Tsegaye was ranked first and Mr. Girma Fikadu third in the country.
This accomplishment highlights the students’ passion for climate justice, academic excellence, and their commitment to elevating Ethiopia’s role in the global climate change discussion. Dr. Richard noted that the College of Law is “immensely proud” of their achievements and believes they will become future international leaders in climate change negotiations.
Haramaya University Public & International Relations Directorate
Tags: Academic Excellence, Climate Justice, Environmental Law, Essay Competition, Ethiopia, Haramaya University, Law Students, Legal Education, National Contest, Student Achievement