FSS Hosts Workshop to Validate Capacity Needs Assessment Findings
The Forum for Social Studies (FSS) convened a workshop on Friday, December 19, 2025, at its headquarters in Addis Ababa to present and validate key findings from the Capacity Needs Assessment conducted under the GCAN initiative. The session ran from 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM.
The workshop opened with a welcoming address by Dr. Yeraswork Admassie, Executive Director of FSS. This was followed by two key presentations:
- Dr. Tadesse Zerfu, Senior Research Fellow at IFPRI, provided an overview of the GCAN project and shared survey results from the capacity needs assessment across five countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Senegal, Nigeria, and India.
- Dr. Selam Esayas, GCAN Ethiopia Initiative Lead, presented Ethiopia-specific findings of the qualitative assessment highlighting capacity challenges and strengths at both organizational and system levels, along with actionable recommendations for support.
After the presentations, participants drawn from government agencies, civil society, academia, and media engaged in a dynamic discussion chaired by Dr. Selam. Towards the end of the workshop, attendees were divided into two groups to reflect on identified gaps, priority skills for strengthening, and additional suggestions to complement the assessment’s recommendations.
The workshop, attended by about 20 stakeholders, generated valuable insights that will refine the assessment and guide next steps in capacity development efforts under the GCAN Ethiopia initiative
FSS Holds Multi-stakeholder Workshop of the Gender, Climate Change and Nutrition (GCAN) Initiative
FSS held the second Multi-Stakeholder Platform (MSP) Workshop under the Gender, Climate Change and Nutrition (GCAN) Initiative on Tuesday, October 21, 2025. The event brought together key stakeholders to promote dialogue and collaboration on the intersections of gender, climate change, and nutrition.
The GCAN Initiative—implemented by FSS in partnership with We-Action, a local civil society organization—aims to integrate gender equality, climate resilience, and nutrition considerations into policies, programs, and research at both organizational and system levels. The initiative is part of a broader collaborative effort led by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) to ensure agricultural investments, policies, and climate actions fully incorporate women’s empowerment and nutrition objectives.
The workshop began with a welcoming address by Dr. Yeraswork Admassie, who also provided participants with a brief overview of the Forum for Social Studies (FSS), highlighting its mission, vision, and strategic objectives. Following this, Dr. Selam Esayas, the initiative’s coordinator at FSS, introduced the global GCAN initiative, with particular emphasis on the Ethiopia project—its aims, objectives, and activities implemented so far.
The focus of this workshop was “Gender and Climate Change.” To inform discussions, Dr. Tirsit Sahledengel of the Institute of Ethiopian Studies (IES), Addis Ababa University, presented a discussion paper titled “The Nexus between Climate Change, Gender and Mobility in Southern Ethiopia.”
Following Dr. Tirsit’s presentation, an engaging discussion session chaired by Dr. Selam Esayas, the GCAN Project Coordinator, provided participants the opportunity to exchange perspectives, ask questions, and offer constructive comments. The dialogue generated valuable insights that will inform the ongoing implementation of the project’s objectives.
The workshop brought together 22 participants from a range of stakeholder institutions, including government agencies, civil society organizations, academia, and the media.
As part of its commitment to fostering multi-sector collaboration, FSS and WE-Action plan to continue organizing dialogue forums and capacity-building programs to strengthen the integration of gender, climate, and nutrition perspectives in national development initiatives.