On the 22nd of March 2017, the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) organized a conference at the European Parliament in Brussels entitled “Women’s Inferno in Ethiopia: The Plight of Women from Ogaden, Oromo, Benishangul-Gumuz, Gambella & Sidama”.

During this event, several individuals and organizations accused the Ethiopian government of being oppressive towards women. Representatives of the Ethiopian government participated in the meeting and provided facts showing that these accusations were false and that the government was making huge efforts to empower women in the society and in the economy, and to stop harmful practices against women.

However, the report published on the website of UNPO about the event fails to mention the statements by the representatives of the Ethiopian government. Our Embassy explicitly asked UNPO to report also about the testimonies given by Ethiopian representatives during the event. But this request was rejected on the motive that the report on UNPO’s website should be kept short.

It is unfortunate that the organisers of the event chose to report only about contributions fitting their one-sided vision of the situation, while omitting the statements that were not fitting their point of view. This not only lacks basic fairness, but also compromises further much-needed dialogue on this issue. 

Because UNPO refused to publish the point of view of the Embassy as it was expressed during the event, we publish the following text explaining the efforts of the Ethiopian government to improve the condition of women in several areas. Although a lot remains to be done on this topic, it is obvious that notable progress was achieved in the past decade.

Ethiopia’s open pledge to support full participation of women in society and defend their rights

Ensuring the full participation of women in the Ethiopian society is a core concern of the Ethiopian government and the society at large. To reach this objective, the government is actively working to bringing an end to all harmful practices against women, improve women’s health and providing social and financial support to empower them.

A new Federal Family Code, based on the principle of gender equality came into effect in July 2000. This family law was the first of its kind in the history of the nation. It cemented the irreversible equality of women not only before the law but also in the entire socio-economic fabric of the country. The Ethiopian Revised Penal code (2005) invariably criminalizes domestic violence and harmful traditional practices including early marriage, abduction and female genital mutilation.

Some key data are encouraging, such as women’s participation in the political life of the country. 38% of members of the Ethiopian national parliament are women. As a comparison, this proportion lays at 39% for Belgium and 26% for France.

In 2005, the Government upgraded the Office of Women’s Affairs in the Prime Minister’s office to the level of a full Ministry of Women’s Affairs with the mandate of ensuring that due consideration was given to gender issues across all sectoral policies.

The Government has also incorporated gender issues in different national policies including health, education and training, HIV/AIDS, population and other sector policies.

The formulation of the National Action Plan on Gender and Development ensures that gender is fully considered and incorporated in all the annual work plans; and the establishment of a gender focal person in each of the regional bureaus is evidence of the Government’s commitment to gender equality.

During the 2017 celebration of the International Women’s Day, Demitu Hambissa, Minister of Women and Children Affairs, announced that a government’s women’s development package had been prepared by incorporating new ideas so as to boost participation and benefits of women.

The country’s achievements and strong commitment for future political actions is demonstrated by its active dedication on improving five key issues for women: Ending Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) (1), Improving Maternal and Reproductive Health (2), Improving Access to Education for Girls and Women (3) Deploying Health Extension Workers across the counrty (4) and Supporting Women in Economy and Entrepreneurship (5)

1. Ending Female Genital Mutilation

The Government of Ethiopia has taken strategic and programmatic measures to eliminate FGM, first through the criminalization of the practice in the Ethiopian Penal Code, which was ratified in 2005. The Government has since shown a ground-breaking commitment to end FGM and child marriage by the year 2025

At the Girl’s Summit in London in 2014, the Ethiopian Government represented by his Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen, showed his position towards FGM by saying: “Our approach puts girls at the heart of our commitment, working closely with them, their families and communities, to end these practices for good and break the cycle of harmful traditional practices.” He said that Ethiopia would achieve its goal by 2025 through a strategic, multi-sectoral approach and highlighted four areas where the government has promised to take action:

1. Through incorporating relevant indicators in the National Plan and the National Data Collection Mechanisms including the 2015 Demographic and Health Survey to measure the situation of FGM and Child, Early and Forced Marriage (CEFM) and to establish a clear benchmark

2. Through enhancing the coordination and effectiveness of the National Alliance to End Child Marriage and the National Network to End FGM by engaging different actors with key expertise

3. Through strong, accountable mechanisms for effective law enforcement

Ethiopia has witnessed a steady reduction in FGM nationally over the past decade: as a whole, 74 percent of women and girls were mutilated according to 2005 statistics. A decade later, national prevalence of FGM had dropped to 65 percent. Mentalities are also evolving. According to a Unicef study, almost 97 percent of the people favored FGM in the southern region of Kembatta-Tembaro in 1999. By 2008, less than 5 percent supported the practice.

Moreover, the Ethiopian government is working hand in hand with UNICEF and UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) in many areas in Ethiopia for the abandonment of FGM. One of the exemplary programme is located in Afar Region, which recorded pronounced success in facilitating declaration of abandonment of the practice in 6 districts in Afar Region, and eventually expanding to other districts in Afar and other regions.

2. Improving maternal and reproductive health

Maternal and reproductive health is an area were Ethiopia recorded its most stunning success.

Maternal, new born and child health (MNCH) is one of Ethiopia’s priority health programmes. For the period 1990 to 2013, WHO data show maternal mortality declined by 70%, from 1400 to 420 per 100,000 live births.

In terms of family planning, in 2000, only 6% of married women were using modern family planning services. Today, 42% are using modern family planning methods. Infant mortality rate fell by two-thirds from 1990 to 2015.

3. Improving access to education for girls and women

Although Ethiopian women have a low literacy rates, over the course of the last decade, the country has made strides in educating women between the ages of 15 and 19, where it achieved a 70% literacy rate by 2014.

Primary school. Though important disparities remain between primary school attendance of boys and girls in Ethiopia, primary school enrollment among Ethiopian girls increased by 42 percentage points, rising from 41 percent in 2000 to 83 percent in 2014.

Secondary school. While the gender gap has not been fully eliminated at the secondary education level, girls’ enrollment is quickly catching up. In 2008-09, the gap for grades 9–10 was 3.1 percentage points, with boys having a higher enrollment percentage than girls. For the years 2011-12 and 2012-13, however, girls’ enrollment rate had overtaken that of boys.

Higher education. Female enrollment in Technical and Vocational training remains almost equal to men’s, however the gap remains important in universities.

4. Health extension workers & Health Development Army

Starting 2009, 39,000 female health government-salaried extension workers were trained and deployed throughout the country. They are high school graduates with one-year training in essential health skills, recruited from the same communities where they go back to serve. Introducing a female health extension worker in every village has helped the country improve health outcomes.

In 2011, an initiative called the ‘Health Development Army’ was launched. This is an substantial team of three million women volunteers across the country, that is organised in small groups, to talks about their health, about the health of their children and how they can rally support to improve the health of the community members. This helped to increase the uptake of critical services around the country, especially as only 10% of Ethiopian women give birth within health facilities, according to the 2011 Ethiopia’s latest demographic health survey results. The figure is nevertheless a significant improvement on 6% in the previous survey, in 2005. The ministry is seeking to increase the number of women delivering in hospitals by tapping into those seeking antenatal care and providing sustained family planning services at the district level.

5. Empowering women in economy and entrepreneurship

During the first GTP period (2010- 2014), over 11 million women had received certificates of ownership for the farmlands they had legally owned and some 8.6 million women were able to engage in farm and off farm activities to improve their economic status and sustain the well-being of their families.

More than 6.6 million women were provided with access to credit and saving facilities in which they were able to save 2.2 billion birr in total. A total of 3.4 million women had access to energy saving technology which had enabled them to save time and improve their health.

Launched in 2013, the Women Entrepreneurship Development Project is the first financial intermediary loan (or two step loan) specifically targeting women in Africa. Each month, it provides about USD 2 million in loans to growth-oriented women entrepreneurs, financing access and training opportunities to companies owned or co-owned by women entrepreneurs in major cities with active economies in Ethiopia. It has the objectives of increasing profits for the target companies and increasing employment, thereby contributing to women’s social empowerment and development in the private sector. This project is co-financed by the World Bank and other bilateral donors. For women entrepreneurs, it is particularly difficult to find financing since houses and land, which are usually required for loan collateral, traditionally tend to be registered in the names of men in Ethiopia.

The first results of this initiative are encouraging. Two years of project’s implementation, more than 3,000 women entrepreneurs took loans and over 4,500 participated in business training. Participating female enterprises grew profits by 24% and employment by 17%, and repayment of loans stands at 99.4%. Moreover, data from loan applications indicate that enterprises will create 6000 new jobs by 2017, the majority of which will be for women.

Sources

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2014/0725/In-Ethiopia-family-planning-increasingly-an-article-of-faith-video

https://www.devex.com/news/what-it-means-to-create-a-women-s-health-development-army-88240

http://www.mfa.gov.et/web/guest/news/-/asset_publisher/5jKH9lQTWEUf/content/prime-minister-hailemariam-at-the-launch-of-the-global-strategy-for-women-children-and-adolescent-health

http://www.mfa.gov.et/news/-/asset_publisher/5jKH9lQTWEUf/content/high-level-roundtable-discussion-on-financing-health-and-education-girl-s-driving-development-in-new-york

https://www.jica.go.jp/english/news/press/2016/170227_01.html

http://www.afro.who.int/en/ethiopia/country-programmes/topics/4459-maternal-health.html

http://allafrica.com/stories/201601191548.html

http://www.aho.afro.who.int/profiles_information/index.php/Ethiopia:MDG_Goal_3:_Promote_gender_equality_and_empower_women

http://www.who.int/workforcealliance/knowledge/case_studies/Ethiopia.pdf

http://owsd.ictp.it/sites/default/files/National%20Assessment%20on%20Gender%20and%20STI%20-%20Ethiopia.pdf

http://allafrica.com/stories/201601271372.html

On Saturday 1st of April 2017, members of the Ethiopian diaspora living in the Netherlands gathered in Rotterdam. The participants established an Ethiopian Renaissance Council aimed at mobilizing Ethiopians living in the Netherlands to contribute to the renaissance and image building of the country.

H.E. Teshome Toga, Ambassador of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to the Benelux and Baltic countries and to the European Union, briefed the participants about the latest developments in Ethiopia. During the program, the participants also raised questions and discussed issues related to the development of Ethiopia on its way to renaissance. During the meeting, the sixth anniversary of the start of the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam was also celebrated.

Finally, the guests enjoyed some Ethiopian traditional food and music.

See all the pictures on Facebook

See all the pictures on Facebook

Ethiopia’s House of Peoples’ Representatives voted to extend the State of Emergency by four months on Wednesday (March 29), passing a bill entitled “State of Emergency Proclamation for the Maintenance of Public Peace and Security Renewal”.

This extends the proclamation decreed in October last year. The Minister of Defense and Secretary of the Command Post responsible for enforcing the State of Emergency, Siraj Fegessa, told Parliament that the Command Post, chaired by Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn, wanted to see the emergency decree extended to reinforce “the peace and stability which has been gained since Parliament declared the State of the Emergency.

The State of Emergency has been amended twice since October, with the lifting of the curfews imposed on areas close to industrial sites and major development projects. More recently, it has also ended the arrest of suspects without court warrants, and lifted travel restrictions for diplomats.

The vote this week follows the Prime Minister’s statement to Parliament two weeks ago that “the majority of people surveyed by the government wanted to see the emergency law extended.”

The European Union Business Forum in Ethiopia (EUBFE) celebrated its official launching on Wednesday, following its formal registration as ‘Foreign Investors Association’ under Ethiopian law.

The registration will facilitate the work towards achieving EUBFE’s main mission: to improve the business environment in Ethiopia in order to enhance commercial and economic ties between the EU and Ethiopia.

This article was published on the 27th of March 2017 on the website of NABC

The outlook for Ethiopia remains positive, Ethiopian Minister Arkebe Oqubay, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister, has said. The minister was speaking during the ‘Doing Business in Ethiopia Seminar’ that was organised by the Netherlands-African Business Council on behalf of the Ethiopian Embassy in Brussels and the Common Fund for Commodities. 

The Ethiopian delegation, led by Dr. Oqubay, informed the 70 participants of the seminar about recent developments in the Ethiopia, both economically and socially. Dr. Oqubay recommended Dutch companies to set up enterprises at the Hawassa Industrial Park. “In 2025 we want to be the largest manufacturing hub in Africa. We have to create millions of jobs for our fast-growing population,” said Dr. Oqubay.

The minister lauded the recent cooperation between The Netherlands and Ethiopia. “Together with the Dutch, we have built a horticulture sector within ten years,” Mr Oqubay said. “We want to capitalize on this and we are inviting more companies to invest in horticulture in Ethiopia.”

‘Unrest overcome’

The Ethiopian Government is on an international investment drive. Before their visit to The Netherlands, trade delegations visited Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. This drive comes roughly half a year after a period of social unrest that took place in Ethiopia in September and October, during which dissenting groups took to the streets and attacked foreign firms, including six Dutch flower farms.

Minister Oqubay gave his view of the situation. “The expectance of the youth is high,” he said, referring to the protestors. Admitting that “democracy is a major challenge,” the minister asked for patience, saying that Western countries have experimented with democracy for hundreds of years, compared to Ethiopia that saw its first constitution only in 1995. “I firmly believe that an unfortunate incident like this won’t happen again,” Dr. Oqubay assured, adding that “the affected farms have received a certain compensation.”

Tax holidays for flower firms

The Ethiopian delegation promotes four different regions that have been earmarked for large-scale horticultural activity: the Alage, Bahir Dar, Arbaminch and Hawassa Hubs. The total size of the areas ranges from 900 to 2.500 hectares of land. In the Bahir Dar region, the government promises that land will be provided free for lease for 30 years, while other incentives for Horticulture hubs include Zero tax on export and an exemption from income tax for 8 to 10 years. NABC is ready to continue working with the Ethiopian Embassy and is considering an outgoing trade mission to the country.

This article was published on the 27th of March 2017 on the website of NABC

On Monday 27th of March 2017, more than 100 tourism professionals, tour operators, journalists, diplomats and investors gathered at the Press Club Brussels Europe to learn more about Ethiopia’s cultural and tourism developments, as well as about the emerging wine sector in the country.  The event, organized by the Embassy of Ethiopia in Brussels in collaboration with Forbes Africa Magazine and the Brussels Press Club, aimed at promoting a good image of Ethiopia in Europe. It was also the occasion to unveil the new tourism brand of Ethiopia dubbed as “Ethiopia, The Land Of Origins.” After an informative program on Ethiopian tourism destinations, the guests enjoyed Ethiopian wine, a cultural show, an Ethiopian coffee ceremony and Ethiopian traditional cuisine.

In his statement, H.E. Teshome Toga, Ambassador of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, to the Benelux, Baltic States and EU, reminded guests about Ethiopia’s distinct history and vivid culture, as well as of the country’s economic and social progress during the last 25 years. Moreover, although there were some unrests in some parts of the country last year, the situation was and remains completely safe for tourists. Past achievements and current efforts have contributed to march forward on the country’s aim to become a leading tourism destination. A sign for this commitment is the establishment of a tourism policy, as well as a National Tourism Council chaired by the Prime Minister, which enabled a big push in this sector, and also an Ethiopian Tourism Organization which mandate is to promote and develop the sector. The Ambassador also thanked the guests for their efforts to promote Ethiopia as a tourism destination and hoped for further collaboration in the future.

Mr. Luc Deckers, Guide and Accompanying Staff at the Tour Operator Voyages ICTAM, gave a detailed testimony about his experience in the country. Mr. Deckers, who visits Ethiopia with groups from Belgium several times a year, emphasized how easy it is to move around the country compared to other countries, thanks to the very good infrastructure. He also said the hotel accommodation has improved spectacularly in the last years. He added that participants to his trips were often eager to visit the country a second and even a third time to make sure they explore all the attractions Ethiopia has to offer.

Mr. Szymon Jagiello, EU Correspondent of the Forbes Afrique Magazine, also testified about the massive transformation the country had undergone in recent years based on efficient development policies.

Mr. Jean Paul Blavier, who run and monitores the Castel Winery project in Ethiopia, then explained how Castel’s 20-million euros investment was carried out starting 2007 and the way it positively contributed to change the image of Ethiopia in the whole world. Several factors explain the success story of this winery, among others the professionalism of this project in terms of human resources and technology transfer. Today, 283 Ethiopians are working in the winery, which covers 120 ha and produced 1.4 million bottles in 2016. Mrs Debritu-Lusteau, who works in  Benelux countries to sell their production, explained that Castle wine produced in Ethiopia is being sold in Europe since April 2015. It can mainly be found in Ethiopian restaurants in Europe at the moment, and the next step will be to make it available in European supermarkets.

Mr Bisrat Tedla, General Manager of Ethiopian Airlines Benelux, Office gave some insights about Ethiopian’s modern fleet and services, both in terms of international and domestic flights. Ethiopian Airlines is currently Africa’s largest airline in terms of revenue. Other specific features of Ethiopian Airlines are excellent on-time performance, high-quality on-board service and interesting fares for group travel.

Finally, a return ticket to Addis Ababa was handed over by H.E. Ambassador Teshome Toga and Mr. Bisrat Tedla to Mr. Mihai Contiu, winner of the lottery organized at Ethiopia’s exhibition stand the Brussels holiday fair Salon des Vacances last February.

After this formal program, participants had the chance to witness and participate to Ethiopian traditional dances carried out by enthusiastic dancers dressed in traditional costumes, to admire an Ethiopian coffee ceremony and taste authentic Ethiopian cuisine, along with the unique Ethiopian Rift Valley wine. Through the evening, guests had the opportunity to get a genuine taste of Ethiopian culture and get a glimpse of what Ethiopia has to offer, and why it is a unique tourism destination.

Seminars in the Netherlands on Sustainable business in Ethiopia, with a focus on horticulture and Doing Business in Ethiopia 

An Ethiopian High-Level delegation made a working visit to the Netherlands including two promotional seminars on sustainable business with a focus on horticulture and doing business in Ethiopia. The objectives of the visit and seminars were to inform to the Dutch public sector and private sector about the present situation, new vision and economic trends of the country and seek the support of the Dutch government to encourage the private sector in investing in Ethiopia. Another objective was to inform the Dutch private sector about the current business opportunities and invite to participate in the economic development of the country by way of investment, knowledge and technology transfer and benefits out of it.

Working visit and seminar on sustainable business in Ethiopia, with a focus on horticulture

From 18 March-21 March, 2017, with the support of the Dutch Government, A High- Level Ethiopian Delegation led by H.E. Dr. Arkebe Oqubay Metiku, Sr. Government Minister and Special Advisor to the Prime Minister made a working visit and seminar on promoting sustainable business in Ethiopia, with a focus on horticulture.

During the visit, the delegation made a field visit to Schiphol-Cargo, Royal VOPAK, and world’s leading independent tank storage company, exchange of information with Mr. Jeroen Verheul, Ambassador at large for Netherlands Foreign Trade and Development and discussion with development agents and knowledge institutions: EP-Nuffic, Solidaridad Europe and Landscape and Wageningen University Research Station. Flying Swans also gave presentation on the cool cargo chain followed by discussion.

The delegation also held talk with Mr. Kees van Baar, Human rights Ambassador of the Netherlands on human rights in business and investments and her Excellency Ploumen, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation on bilateral economic cooperation, assistance with sustainable land management and initiatives and tangible long-term sustainability. In addition, the delegation had a guided tour at Royal Floraholand and at Aasmeer, the largest trading center for plants and flowers in the world and a field visit at Kuehne-nagel, one of the leading global providers of innovative and fully integrated supply chain solutions and Evofendex and Waterwatch Cooperative dealing with trade facilitation and information services with satellite technology for Agrifood accessible and affordable to all actors in the value chain respectively.

The incoming mission had also a seminar on business opportunities in horticulture: integrated development of horticulture site Hawassa in Ethiopia, at Robobank-Westland. The seminar was kicked off by Mr. Sjaak van de Tak, Mayar of Westland with more than 70 participants from the public and private sectors. Following this, Dr. Arkebe gave presentation on the new vision and economic trends of Ethiopia and Mr. Zelalem Meles, Ethiopian Diaspora investor in horticulture and Chairman of the Ethiopian Horticulture Association gave presentation on the performance and opportunities of the Ethiopian horticulture sector, the new horticulture hubs, incentives applicable to the hubs and his testimonials as an investor.

Mr. Peter Niekus gave presentation on how Rabobank supports Dutch business in Africa, Mr Jan-Erik Visscher, and Account Manager Ethiopia FloraHolland on perspectives in horticulture and two Dutch investors on horticulture in Ethiopia also gave their testimonials on the Ethiopian Horticulture industry. The seminar was rounded by question and answer session and business networking.

Seminar on Doing Business in Ethiopia

On 22 March 2017, a high-level seminar on ‘Doing Business in Ethiopia’ was jointly organized by the Embassy of Ethiopia in Brussels and the Netherlands-African Business Council (NABC) at the Common Fund for Commodities in Amsterdam.

The seminar was kicked off by the opening remark of the host, Mr. Alex Gruber, Chief Operations Officer at Common Fund for Commodities (CFC).

Mr. Tesfaye Tadesse, Minister Councellor at the Embassy of Ethiopia in Brussels, on behalf of Mr. Teshome Toga, Ethiopian Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador to the Benelux, also made a welcoming remark and explained about the Ethio-Netherlands political and economic relations and the alignment of Ethiopian economic diplomacy anchored foreign and national security policy and strategy with the Dutch economic cooperation policy of trade, aid and investment. He also mentioned the pivotal role of the private sectors of the two sisterly countries for the enhancement of the relation and the policy measures taken by the two Governments and cited the Double Taxation Avoidance Treaties (DTs) and Bilateral Investment Guarantee Treaties (BITs) concluded between the two Governments. Furthermore, he indicated about 135 Dutch companies active in investment mostly in horticulture in the country and the incoming and outgoing trade missions concluded on our priority areas in the past years and the Ethio-Netherlands Business event held in Nov/2015 based on the business opportunity reports of the two sisterly countries.  Both were concluded in collaboration with the Ethiopian Embassy in Brussels, the Dutch Embassy in Addis and NABC, with the full support of the governments of the two sisterly countries.

During the seminar Dr. Arkebe updated the participants about the current situation, the new vision and economic trends in Ethiopia. The Minister emphasized on the stability and economic growth of the country and mentioned about the commitment of the government in dedicating more than 60% of its annual budget to infrastructure, energy and education and the competitive advantage of the country to foreign direct investment. He also briefed to participants about the extensive developments of 10 world class eco-industrial parks in the country dedicated for specific sectors such as textile and apparel, leather and leather products, pharmaceuticals, agro-products etc, and aimed at commodities production along value chains. He also mentioned that the parks are surrounded by infrastructure such as airport, railway lines, dry airports, universities etc. and elaborated about the incentives given to manufacturers and developers. The Minister, as an example indicated the recently inaugurated Hawassa Industrial Park specialized in textile with I billion USD annual export revenue generating capacity employing 60,000 employees.

Dr. Belachew Mekuria, Deputy Commissioner of the Ethiopian Investment Commission on his part briefed the participants about the current investment climate, investment incentives and services provided by the Commission to investors. Ato Yakob Yala, Director of the Ethiopian Horticulture and Agriculture Authority also briefed about the responsibility of the organization he represents, the Ethiopian horticulture sector development and the new horticulture hubs at Hawassa, Alagae, Arbaminch and Bahir Dar and incentives applicable to the hubs. Question and answer sessions were also entertained following the presentations.

As representatives of the Dutch private sector in Ethiopia, Jeroen Beijers (General Manager Africa Bavaria), Willem van Noort (CEO Kagan Spices) and Andy Kers (General Manager Steder Logistics) gave presentations and testimonials to the audience about their activities and the business opportunities in Ethiopia.

Network meetings with the delegation members and one-to-one meetings with Dr. Arkebe, Dr Belachew and Mr. Yacob Yala were also organized during the event.

In a nut shell, the working visit and the promotional seminars were successful for the objectives they were planned for.

Picture: Arne Doornebal/NABC

Picture: Arne Doornebal/NABC

Picture: Arne Doornebal/NABC

Picture: Arne Doornebal/NABC

Picture: Arne Doornebal/NABC

Picture: Arne Doornebal/NABC

Picture: Arne Doornebal/NABC

Picture: Arne Doornebal/NABC

Picture: Arne Doornebal/NABC

Picture: Arne Doornebal/NABC

The Secretariat of the Command Post of the State of Emergency on Wednesday (March 15) announced that it has lifted parts of the State of Emergency imposed in October following the “restoration of law and order in many parts of the country”.

Secretariat of the Comand Post and Minister of National Defense, Siraj Fegessa said that arbitrary arrests without court orders and searches without court papers have been terminated. The curfew that was imposed on movements around major infrastructural facilities from 6:00 P.M to 6:00 A.M for security reasons is among the lifted restrictions.

Siraj added that the article on restricting and controlling messages on radio, TV, literature, pictures, photographs, theater and film productions have also been lifted. It was also said that some of the articles in the two directives previously issued to implement the state of emergency have been cancelled because the country is back on normal state of affairs.

State Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Mrs. Hirut Zemene met a high-level delegation of the Africa Working Party of the Council of the European Union (COAFR) this morning (March 17, 2017).

The State Minister briefed the delegation on national issues and developments in the region.

Praising the overall strategic partnership between Ethiopia and the EU, Mrs. Hirut said the two parties are working closely on implementing the strategic engagement Agreement in general and cooperating across issues of human rights and Good governance in particular. 

The State Minister called on the delegation to work on the implementation of Job Compact initiative which she emphasized would benefit thousands of youth migrants. 

She also underlined the need for a continued comprehensive support from international partners like the EU for countries in the region, including South Sudan and Somalia.

Please consider these two invitations for the members of the Ethiopian diaspora living in the Netherlands and in Belgium (please click on the invitation to see the full-size document):