The Ethiopian Messenger − October 2017 by The Ethiopian Messenger

The Ethiopian Messenger

ውድ አንባብያን!

Dear Readers,

መላው የሀገራችን ህዝቦችና መንግስት በዋነኛው ጠላታችን በሆነው ድህነትና ኋላ ቀርነት፣ ሙስና፣ መሐይምነት እንዲሁም የጤና እና የመስረተ ልማት ዝርጋታ ውስንነቶች ላይ እየተካሄደ ያለው ዘመቻ በብዙ መመዘኛዎች ውጤታማ በሆነ መልኩ በመፈፀም በተጠቀሱት ዘርፎች ተጨማጭ የሆኑ ስኬቶችን ማስመዝገብ ተችሏል። በዚህም የተነሳ ሀገራችን በዓለም አቀፉ መድረክ ያላት ሚና የጎላ እንዲሆን ከጎረቤት ሀገራት ስደተኞችን በመቀበል፣ በዓለም የሰላም ማስከበር ተልዕኮ ትልቅ አስተዋጽኦ በማበርከት እንዲሁም በኣለም አቀፍ፣ በክልላዊና አህጉራዊ የባለብዙ ተቋማት ንቁ ተሳትፎዎችን በማድረግ ላይ ትግኛለች በዚህ ዙሪያ በእዚህ ዕትም የቀረበውን ጽሁፍ ይመልከቱት። በሌላው ፅሁፋችን ሀገራችን ከአውሮፓ ህበረት ጋር ባላት ግንኙነት ስደተኞችን በተመለከተ የተከናወኑ ተግባራትና ውጤቱን በተመለከተ ጠቃሚ መረጃ ያገኛሉ። በመቀጠልም የሀገራችንን የሰብአዊ መብት ፖሊሲዎችንና ተያያዥ ተቋማት ላይ ያተኮረ ጽሑፍ ተጋብዘዋል።

Since 1991, the Ethiopian people and government have been fighting against their only real enemies: poverty, corruption, lack of education, lack of health infrastructure. This fight has been successful in many respects, and provoked huge changes inside the country: economic development, building of infrastructure, progression of health services and education. It has also enabled Ethiopia to regain an important role on the world stage, by hosting many refugees from neighboring countries, contributing to international peace missions and by actively taking responsibilities in multilateral institutions at regional and global levels. You can read more about this in our first article.

በዚህ ዕትማችን በኢኮኖሚና በመሰረተ ልማት ዝርጋታ ዘርፍ ሀገራችን እ.ኤ.አ. በ2025 የመካከለኛ ገቢ ያላቸው ሀገራት ተርታ ለመሰለፍ እያደረገች ያለችውን ጥረት ለማፋጠን የሚያስችል አስተዋጽኦ እያበረከቱ እንደሆነ የሚገመቱ አንደኛ ከ2015 ጀምሮ በፍጥነት እየተገነባ ያለውን የኢንዳስትሪያል ፓርክ ሂደትንነ እና በሀለተኛ ደረጃ የኢትዮጵያ አየር መንገድ ለሀራችን ዕድገት እያበረከተ ያለውን ድርሻ ያስቃኘናል። መጨረሻም የሀረርን ማራኪ መስዕብነት፣ ባህላዊና ኃይማኖታዊ እንዲሁም ታሪካዊ ዕሴቶችን በዝርዝር የሚዳስስ መረጃ ሲሆን በውጭ ያለው ኢትዮጵያዊና ትውልደ ኢትዮጵያዊ በዕውቅትና በቴክኖሎጂ ሽግግር ረገድ ለትውልድ ሀገሩ ሊበረክት የሚችለውን አስተዋጽኦ የሚያስቀኝ ፅሁፍ ቀርቧል። ውድ አንባብያን በመጨረሻም የዝግጅት ክፍሉ መልካም ንባብ እንዲሆንላችሁ እየተመኘን በመፅሔቱ ያላችሁን ማንኛውም አስተያየት እንድታደርሱን በማክበር እንጠይቃለን፡፡

Another article will give you an overview of what has been achieved in the relation between Ethiopia and its EU partner regarding the question of migration. Two years after the peak of the European migration crisis, many steps are still to be taken. A further article also draws your attention to Ethiopia’s governmental and institutional human rights policy. On the economic and infrastructure level, we analyse two very successful areas of development which are expected to accelerate the growth of the Ethiopian economy and enable the country to reach the status of a middle-income economy by 2025. The first of these articles assesses the fast planning and construction of industrial parks since 2015. The second article analyses Ethiopian Airlines’ contribution to the development of the Ethiopian economy. At the end of this magazine, you will also have the opportunity to discover several aspects of Harar. This city has an exceptional architectural, cultural, religious and historical value, and you should not wait any more to visit it. We hope you will enjoy this issue of The Ethiopian Messenger. Please send us your feedback and contribution for our future issues! Most sincerely,

የአርትኦት ኮሚቴ

The Editorial Team

Content

Ethiopia’s Post-war Renaissance and Fight against Poverty

Ethiopia welcomes the EU decision to support the Nile Basin Initiative

EU-Africa relations, two years after the migrant crisis

Ethiopia’s governmental and institutional Human Rights policy

Industrial parks and the transformation of Ethiopia’s economy

Ethiopian Airlines’ contribution to the development of Ethiopia’s economy

Harar Jugal: Fortified Citadel and Africa’s Mecca

የዕውቀትና ቴክኖሎጂ ሽግግር ለአገር ዕድገት

Quarterly magazine of the Embassy of Ethiopia in Brussels. Editor: Embassy of Ethiopia in Brussels, Avenue de Tervuren 64, 1040 Etterbeek, Belgium. info@ethiopianembassy.be +32 2 771 32 94.

October - November - December 2017

Development

Ethiopia’s Post-war Renaissance and Fight against Poverty The current developmental efforts of Ethiopia dates back from the end of the Derg regime, when a coalition of resistance fighters overthrew the oppressive and brutal communist junta which divided the country and failed to lead to create a stable and prosperous nation. Since the establishment of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in 1991 and the adoption of the 1995 Constitution, the country has been fighting against its only real enemies: poverty and the lack of good governance. lives of millions of innocent civilians, considerably damaged their environments and destroyed their young economies. From the 1970s to the late 1990s, the accumulation of grievances fostered nationalism and tensions on many countries, which resulted in some of the bloodiest civil wars in human history and forced the international community to adopt self-determination as an integral part of the international law. Sadly, while a high number of emerging and developing countries being integrated into the global market and making technological progress, the African continent is still not entirely immune from the evils of civil war, destruction and displacement.

What went wrong? For decades, Ethiopia suffered from the evils of totalitarianism, which resulted in a three-decade-long bloody civil war. The conflict did not only cripple the politicoeconomic apparatus of the country, but also impacted its territorial sovereignty with the secession of Eritrea in 1991. Prior to the end of the civil war, neither the Derg regime, who took power from Emperor Haile Selessaie in 1978, nor the Imperial regime tolerated opposition or dissidents.

Late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi (1955-2012), who developped and implemented the Agricultural-led Industrialization policy. Image by WEF/Monika Flueckiger

The post-Cold War Era’s surge in conflicts and civil wars that fragmented weak states in smaller entities has often been simplistically blamed on ethnic or religious strife. However, countries like Ethiopia demonstrate that dysfunctional governance, inefficient institution and societal frustrations are much more lethal than cultural or ethnic diversity. After the end of the Cold war, the African continent was particularly affected by protracted wars which claimed the

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The suppression and oppression of ethnic identities in the country borne armed liberation struggles, particularly in the northern part of the country, with the creation of the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The North’s initial struggle progressively came to engulf all major ethnic groups of the country to stand in line with the TPLF. The Derg regime waged a full-scale, fratricide war for years against the various nationalities of the country, with fellow countrymen fighting each other because of their divergent views for the future of Ethiopia. Peace negotiations failed one after another, as the regime chose to crush the liberation movement by deploying its considerable military strength, as the Communist Derg regime had been working for years on building one of the strongest military power in Africa.

War games before Development Under the leadership of Mengistu Hailemariam, the Derg managed to establish powerful military capabilities at the expense of the socio-economic well-being of its citizens. All policy direction, as well as bilateral and multilateral cooperation during that time were mainly defined by the war, with the exclusive objective of crushing the rebellion. Eventually, this obsession jeopardized the very existence of the country, which was affected by its deadliest famine in the 1980s, adding thousands of deaths to the lives already lost in the scourge of civil war. The “Everything to the war front” motto of the regime weakened Ethiopia’s energy and its meager economic resources that otherwise could have been directed to the development of the country. Too busy dealing with the fierce struggle movement in the northern part of the country, the Derg regime neglected institutions and infrastructure crucial for development and failed to create a stable and prosperous nation. In addition to destabilizing the country itself, the Communist junta was also a major destabilizing power in the Horn of Africa, in a similar way as the incumbent regime of Eritrea. The country was exposed to all sort evils of maladministration. Poverty, ethnic cleansing and arbitrary killing were common under the Derg regime. Conscription and political torture pushed many of Ethiopia’s children to leave the country, taking with them knowledge and qualifications essential for its development.

Missing Rights The concepts of democracy and development were also alien to this administration whose main preoccupation was terrorizing its own people. Both the real or perceived relations of power and subordination among the peoples of Ethiopia led to systematic abuse and injustice. Human rights, democratization and freedom of religion were completely suppressed, placing a one-man political structure over the rule of law. Executing and imprisoning tens of thousands of its opponents without trial, designating neighboring countries and imperialism as the enemies of the country and supporting irredentist movements in the Horn of Africa were other characteristics of the regime. Assessing the

fragile situation of the country, the government of Somalia led by Mohamed Siad Barre waged full-scale war against Ethiopia in 1977-78. However, the contribution of the Derg in strengthening PanAfricanism is worth mentioning. The late PM Meles Zenawi himself noted that “irrespective of what government ruled Ethiopia, Ethiopia has always been committed … Internally Mengestu was a butcher, but on the issue of Africa, Mengstu was as solid as Haile Selassie was”. The regime also has a good track record of reducing the illiteracy rate via basic education. But these qualities do not compensate for the years of development lost by the regime’s leadership until it was overthrown by the EPRDF and ELF in 1991.

The Prospects of Ethiopian revival The toppling of the Derg’s powerful army by the liberation movement created worry as to the future of the country. After decades of civil war, few Ethiopians could perceive the hope and possibilities offered by the new government. Various experts even predicted the full-scale disintegration of the country. As a first step toward normalcy and stability, popular consultations were made to integrate the views of the people into the future of Ethiopia. Federalism came to be the political prescription to heal the wounds of a nation inflicted to years of suppression of its multicultural nature. The proclaimed Constitution of 1995 established not only the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, but also guaranteed all political, social and economic rights of the people, which had been denied for long.

Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia adopted in 1995

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Poverty, a common enemy The new structures of the state were established to respect the free will of the Ethiopian people determined and create one political and economic community. Self-governance and determination up to secession, decentralization of power and human rights are the salient features of the Constitution. After dedicating the first post-war decade to the stabilization of the country, the government was able to turn itself towards economic development. The new state had inherited from the Derg a troubled, poor and devastated country. The EPRDF leadership had no choice but to face the undeniable and sad reality of the country.

Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam from their own coffers. The peaceful atmosphere of the country is allowing its citizens to tirelessly working to make Ethiopia great again. The consecutive double-digits economic growth of the last fifteen years enabled the country to inject its own finance into drought relief efforts, which was previously carried solely by the international aid. Amid stiff global competition to attract FDI, Ethiopia is now a country that managed to attract investors and create job opportunities for its nationals. While taking part in shouldering Africa’s peace and development and being vocal on the global stage, Ethiopia is sheltering over 800,000 migrants fleeing from neighboring countries.

The road ahead

“The persistence of poverty and the absence of good governance and democracy were quickly identified as the sole enemies of Ethiopia” In these conditions, the persistence of poverty and the absence of good governance and democracy were quickly identified as the sole enemies of Ethiopia, and like in any war against a foreign enemy, winning these evils was considered as a matter of survival. The depth of this war was best expressed by former Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who stated: “If we must shoot and kill, we chose to shoot at poverty.” Over the years, the Agriculturalled Industrialization policy, taking the state investment and private sector as the engine of the economy, pushing for industrial development, attracting investments and heavily investing in education and health policies started to bear fruits as millions were lifted from the quagmire of poverty, as proved by Ethiopia’s MDG’s achievements. As a country, Ethiopia managed to register impressive economic developments and attracted FDI.

Opening to the world Thanks to this remarkable transformation, today’s Ethiopia is not anymore the weakened Ethiopia of the 1980s. Imperialism and our neighboring countries are no more seen as our enemies. Contrary to past governments where all attention focused on challenges at home and minimizing external threats in relation to it, Ethiopia is now investing in mutually beneficial relationships and regional economic integration to enhance its own and its neighbors’ peace and security. Its foreign policy direction is centered on Business and Economic diplomacy. Peace and security were also prioritized to swipe our fight against poverty and backwardness. The Ethiopian people is now capable of managing gigantic projects such as the

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However, Ethiopia’s path to economic development and democratization is not a smooth sail and difficulties remain. Both the internal and external situations affected Ethiopia’s struggle towards creating a strong nation. We have learned from our history and even from the invasion by the Eritrean government that our own internal situation determines its survival. Being located in the Horn of Africa in itself is a major challenge. The fragility of Somalia, South Sudan, Eritrea, the situation in Yemen and the recent Gulf crisis all pose a serious threat to Ethiopia. The government is well aware that sustaining our peace and development internally will not be sufficient unless it is reinforced by the stability and development of our respective neighbors. Internally, the issues related to good governance, corruption, abuse of political power and mismanagement, extremism and terrorism remains our Achilles heel. The policies we have pursuing are still bearing fruits. However, there are visible hiccups in their implementation. The sporadic unrest that claimed the lives of our nationals and destructed properties in the country is mainly linked to this matter despite some external involvement. Taking this into account, the government swiftly evaluated itself and came up with deep renewals measures coupled with mass consultation. The deep renewal measures intend to address the shortcomings witnessed in terms of socio-economic and political challenges. More than ever, the political dialogue between the government and political parties is progressing to expand the political space and deepen our determination for democratization. The government is also taking fierce measures on its incompetent or corrupt leadership. If the country manages to implement these deep renewal measures with determination, nothing will stand in our way to progress and democracy. The country’s Growth and Transformation Plan and the overall results registered so far are clear manifestations of our zealous vision in realizing the Renaissance of our country and ultimately creating one Political and Economic Community. We hope our partners will be able to see and share this ambitious project through their bilateral and multilateral cooperation they are pursuing with Ethiopia.

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Regional affairs

Ethiopia welcomes the EU decision to support the Nile Basin Initiative In the summer of 2017, the European Union decided to support the Nile Basin Initiative through its international development cooperation instrument, the European Development Fund. This decision demonstrates Europe’s interest and readiness to support the NBI and the establishment of the Nile Basin Commission. Ethiopia took this opportunity to renew its commitment to work towards ensuring an equitable utilization of the Nile river water resources. This decision from the EU came after a summit held from 2022 June 2017 in Entebbe, Uganda, between all 10 riparian countries to discuss how to equitably use the Nile waters. The heads of the delegations at the Summit underlined the achievements of the Nile Basin Initiative as an effective platform for the Nile Basin countries over the last 18 years. They expressed the need to establish the Nile Basin River Commission to further consolidate these objectives as soon as possible. More than 300 million people across 11 countries rely on the waters of the Nile, a much-needed resource, among others for drinkable water, agriculture and generation of energy. The increasing population and growing economy of the region will even further drive the demand. Another challenge that needs to be addressed collectively is the impact of climate change on the flow of the Nile, which is likely to become more irregular. A recent report produced in April 2017 by researchers of the world-famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology detailed in their conclusions that climate change may drastically increase the variability of the Nile’s annual output (“Climate change enhances interannual variability of the Nile river flow”, Nature Climate Change, 24 April 2017, link) projects a major increase in flow variation from year to year. “We think that climate change is pointing to the need for more storage capacity in the future”, the authors said. There can be no doubt that the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam would be extremely important and valuable in this connection.

investments for the benefit of all the inhabitants of the riparian countries. Its headquarters are located in Entebbe, Uganda. The riparian countries negotiated the Nile Cooperative Framework Agreement – as a basis for the Nile River Basin Commission which is expected to be established on a permanent basis. Beyond political cooperation, the NBI is focusing on technical issues, training and knowledge-sharing. The NBI organisation is also gathering and analysing technical data on water resource development plans of the riparian countries. The Initiative is also involved a Collaborative Water Assessment Process which helps to model different scenarios of the water resource levels and impacts of investments made around the river.

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In this context of economic, social and natural changes, and in order to optimize an equitable use of the Nile resource by all riparian countries, the enhanced international dialogue between the concerned countries provided by the NBI is crucial. A better cooperation could create a stabilising, economic-growth-friendly atmosphere in the Nile region. If this cooperation bears fruits, this organisation could become an example for some of the many other international basins throughout the world, where water resources are shared between several states. The NBI is a ten-country organisation set up in 1999 to facilitate cooperation around Nile River Basin policies and

October - November - December 2017

Political affairs

EU-Africa relations, two years after the migrant crisis More than two years since migrant flows reached their peak in the EU, managing migration is more than ever a thorn in Europe’s side, threatening its unity and integrity. As no single solution will be enough to tackle this complex issue, there is still work to do to establish a real partnership with African countries, which will be the key to a sustainable decrease illegal migration to Europe. More than two years since migrant flows reached their peak in the EU, managing migration is more than ever a thorn in Europe’s side, threatening its unity and integrity. Migration is one of the policy priorities of greatest concern to EU citizens, along with security and economic governance, and the issue has received constant attention from the Heads of State or Government. In 2016 alone, half of the conclusions of the six European Council meetings were dedicated to migration. Considerable work has been made to address the many aspects of this multidimensional challenge and reduce flows, protect EU’s borders and tackle the root causes of migration. Despite this attention and promising steps, recent decisions reveal a lack of coherent and longterm strategy on the part of the EU to have a real impact on the problem, while African priorities have sometimes been sidelined. As no single solution will be enough to tackle this complex issue, there is still work to do to establish a real partnership with African countries, which will be the key to a sustainable decrease illegal migration to Europe. Blocking African migration. Over recent years, the EU has developed several tools to handle migration from Africa. When the newly appointed Juncker Commission took office in 2014, a position of EU migration commissioner, indicating that migration would be the number one priority for its mandate. In 2012, a European Union Special Representative for the Horn of Africa was appointed by the European External Action Service, followed in 2015 by the nomination of an EU Special Representative for the Sahel. The establishment of these two positions aimed to enhance the quality, intensity and impact of the EU’s engagement in these strategic regions. Following the first phase of the response to the crisis, which culminated in March 2016 with the signing of an agreement with Turkey, the European Union shifted its focus from the Western Balkans route to the Central Mediterranean, where the migratory pressure coming from Sub-Saharan Africa was far from being under control. EU leaders vowed to reduce the continuing high number of predominantly economic migrants through the implementation of partnership frameworks of cooperation with individual countries of origin and transit. Since then, the EU has been pursuing a double objective: relieving the immediate

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migration pressure through formal agreements with African states to return economic migrants to their home countries, while making a deeper investment in tackling root causes of irregular migration and open opportunities for regular migration.

In late August, African and European leaders meeting in Paris in another effort to stop illegal migration discussed the possibility to set up reception centres in Chad and Niger to identify refugees that are in a situation giving them a right to asylum, hence starting the asylum procedure on African territory and allowing women and men to avoid a dangerous journey. In addition, some 50 million euros were released to finance an African joint military task force aiming at cracking down on human trafficking, drug smuggling, weapon smuggling, and terrorism – another important step in tackling the root causes of migration. In theory, these small steps forward should be seen as hopeful signs for Africans migrants and European governments. However, in practice, in the absence of firm commitments for fresh investment or EU countries taking in more refugees, the current status quo is likely to continue, especially as previous problems have not been addressed.

Unfinished business and growing tensions While European countries are still at odds over how to deal with the number of migrants making the journey from North Africa to Italy and Spain, many decisions taken in 2015 still have to be implemented, mainly due to the security and political contexts of many European States. The refugee quota plan proposed by the Commission in September 2015 was bitterly opposed by central European countries, and so far only about one quarter of the 160,000 people the EU promised to disperse have been found a home. Fresh tensions have been rising over Austrian Defence Minister threatening to close its border with Italy, and send soldiers to guard it, while the Mediterranean country has taken in nearly 85 per cent of this year’s arrivals and has pleaded for help from other European Union nations. The question of terrorism and its intersection with illegal migration from North Africa is high on the list of concerns for many European countries, in light of the recent attacks in Spain. Germany, for its part, is determined to stop illegal migration from Africa and wants the EU to use development aid to strike border control deals with African nations in an effort

Signing ceremony of a joint Declaration for a Common Agenda on Migration and Mobility (CAMM) by Hailemariam Desalegn and Jean-Claude Juncker, in the presence of Jean Asselborn, and Federica Mogherini. Image: Tiziana Fabi

to placate right-leaning German voters ahead of September’s federal election. But more worrying are the failings in Europe’s long-term efforts to tackle the root causes of migration through development aid, opening up safe and legal pathways for genuine refugees. The Partnership Framework signed in June 2016 with five African countries (Ethiopia, Niger, Mali, Senegal and Nigeria) has little to show for, as European funds to infrastructure projects in exchange for return and readmission have led to few concrete projects. Development policy is, increasingly, in the service of migration policy, which would have been considered scandalous in the last few years, and many EU countries have been reporting the costs for hosting refugees as ODA, reducing funding available for development programs abroad and causing a drop in spending for the poorest nations. Another crucial piece of the puzzle in achieving this is opening up safe and legal pathways for genuine refugees. Yet EU states trail behind the rest of the world in terms of resettlement from Africa. Of the almost 39,000 people resettled from Africa in 2016, only around 1,800 ended up in Europe. There is therefore little hope for the Commission’s grand resettlement campaign proposed in July 2017, offering to pay member states €10,000 for every person resettled from Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, Niger and Sudan.

Time for a long-term vision Compared to the chaos that took Europe by surprise in 2015, a more united approach for dealing with migration has emerged. But the absence of a long-term vision on migration at the European level raises questions, as all studies predict a population explosion in Africa in the coming decades. The decisions taken in 2015 and 2016 were made in response

to the urgency, but EU and African leaders alike need to start thinking about what a sound migration policy should be for the next thirty years. Understanding the challenges, promises and realities of African migration is fundamental for the EU, as Europe’s security and prosperity depends heavily on what is happening in Africa. At the moment, the vast majority of African migrants are still located in Africa, where human dams are forming in countries hosting large numbers of refugees. Economic development is the main challenge in the region and the EU despite being the world’s biggest donor, has failed to listen to Africa’s priorities, such as industrialization and infrastructure, focusing on humanitarian assistance instead. Similarly, recent EU proposals focusing on transit countries rather than countries of origins revealed that the EU’s first objective is to stop people from reaching Europe rather than keeping them from leaving their countries. The EU’s newfound will to use its visa policy as leverage to encourage third countries to speed up the readmission of migrants arriving in Italy is a further illustration of this fact. Moreover, the strengthening of controls at the Union’s external borders and returning illegal immigrants seems to be the only subjects on which consensus has been reached in Europe when it comes to migration, while a clear distinction between “good migrants”, who would be the refugees, and the “bad” economic migrants” has emerged in the European leadership. One can only hope that these conceptions will not keep the two continents from avoiding mass displacements, saving lives at sea and put in place a real cooperation.

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Human Rights

Ethiopia’s governmental and institutional Human Rights policy Ethiopia embarked upon the long journey of democratisation by adopting a democratic Constitution in 1995 that recognised all rights, both democratic and human, without any limitations.

Ethiopian Human Rights Commission presents its investigation findings concerning the past chaos happened from June to October 2016 in some zones of the Oromia, Amhara and Gedio zone of southern Nations, Nationalities and People region to the House of People Representatives(HoPR) on 18 April 2017

Ethiopia’s Constitution states that “Human rights and freedoms, emanating from the nature of mankind, are inviolable and inalienable” (Article 10.1) and that “Human and democratic rights of citizens and peoples shall be respected” (Article 10.2). After adopting this Constitution, focus was therefore given by the Ethiopian government to the essential elements of the democratisation process: creating democratic institutions, formulating appropriate policies and strategies and instituting legal frameworks. Prime Minister Hailemariam said that the Ethiopian democracy, “which is now at an infant stage, is not immune from defects due to lack of awareness of law enforcement bodies, maladministration and other problems related to backward thinking”. Since 2013, the Human Rights Action Plans I and II have addressed some of these challenges facing human rights implementation. Promotion of human rights and democratic dialogue is also addressed in international consultations, among others with the European Union in the framework of the Ethiopia-EU partnership.

The Human Rights Commission The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission is an independent body established by the House of Peoples’ Representatives

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for the purpose of promoting respect and protection of human rights in Ethiopia. Its mission is to educate the public, make sure human rights are protected, respected and fully enforced, as well as have the necessary measures taken where they are found to have been violated. The Commission has the responsibility and duty to conduct investigations in case of abuse and violation of human rights, either in response to complaints, or acting on its own initiative. In April 2017, the Commission published an independent inquiry on the protests and clashes which cost hundreds of lives in Oromia and Amhara regions during the year 2016. The report said that “Too many human lives have perished, many suffered physical injury and so much property was destroyed.” After consulting the victims and their families, officials, elders, religious leaders, representatives of the community, the investigation concluded that lack of good governance was the main cause for the violence. Lack of response to questions raised by the public, problems of land management, and rent seeking were also mentioned as reasons for the violence. The Commission also found out that in some cases, regional security forces used excessive force on some part of the population. Therefore, the EHRC recommended solutions to ensure good governance, create

employment opportunities for young people, rehabilitate those affected by the unrest, avert ethnic-based attacks, bring responsible security forces to justice, respect and promote people’s rights and prevent movement of illegal weapons.

The work of the EHRC is central for the advancement in the implementation of the human rights in Ethiopia The work of the EHRC is central for the advancement in the implementation of the human rights in Ethiopia and the long-term progress of the country in this way through the recommendations it makes to the Parliament.

The Human Rights Action Plan Dr. Addisu Gebregziabher, Head of the Ethiopian Human Right Commission, said at an event in Washington on 20 July 2017 that “while successes have been registered so far in improving the human rights situation in the country, certain challenges do still remain. The primary challenge emanates from resource constraints and lack of capacity.” Therefore, in accordance with its own Constitution, but also with international targets set, among others, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948, at the World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna in 1993 and by the Universal Periodic Review of the UN Human Rights Council, Ethiopia has developed a Human Rights Action Plan to identify and close gaps in this field. The main objective of the Human Rights Action Plan is to develop a comprehensive and structured mechanism to advance the respect, protection and fulfillment of human and democratic rights enshrined in the Ethiopian Constitution. The Action Plan reviews the current human rights situation of the country, identifies potential problems, and sets feasible solutions. The specific objectives of the Action Plan are to indicate the strategic guidelines to promote human and democratic rights in the country; set forth comprehensive, structured and sustainable strategies to respect and protect human rights in the coming years; define means to raise public awareness of human rights and indicate strategies on how the Government could work in collaboration with NGOs legally entitled to work on human and democratic rights, development partners, civil societies and other international stakeholders. The first version of the plan was presented in October 2013 and gave 60 recommendations to cover existing gaps in areas such as education, justice, police, prisons, etc. On 27 April 2017, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn launched the second Human Rights Action Plan. This updated version encompasses civil and political rights, economic, social and cultural rights of vulnerable groups and the rights to clean environment and development. According to the Prime Minister, the plan will help to sustainably improve human rights conditions and build democracy in the country. The implementation of the second action plan will give a

meaningful response to the ever-growing demands of the people for development and good governance. The action plan is prepared in line with the laws, policies, strategies and the second Growth and Transformation Plan. It establishes a new and strong implementation procedure based on the lessons learned from the first Plan. A series of training for public officials, implementers, CSOs, professional associations and NGOs will be provided to ensure its effective implementation.

Defending women’s rights The respect of human rights towards women requires a special attention. Therefore, respecting women’s rights in the Ethiopian society is a core concern of the Ethiopian government. To reach this objective, the government is actively working to bringing an end to all harmful practices against women. 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. The Government has since shown a groundbreaking commitment to end FGM and child marriage by 2025.

High-level dialogue with the EU: The continuation of a strong partnership Ethiopia and the EU have enjoyed over 40 years of strong and enduring partnership and cooperation on a range of bilateral, regional and international issues. The importance of this relationship has been underlined in the Ethio-EU Strategic Engagement Agreement (2016). Ethiopia is also an increasingly important partner in terms of migration, as demonstrated by the signature of a Declaration on a Common Agenda on Migration and Mobility (CAMM). In April 2017, the first Annual Human Rights and Governance Consultation took place in Addis Ababa. This Consultation is one of the six pillars of the Ethio-EU Strategic Engagement. During the first consultation, the two sides dealt at length on how to further ensure the respect of fundamental human and democratic rights including ensuring rule of law, due process of law, promoting youth employment, ensuring respect of children’s and women’s rights, widening the political space in Ethiopia and expanding cooperation in the fight against human trafficking. Despite protests in some parts of the country in 2016, which in some cases led to confrontations and violence, necessary steps were taken to ensure safety of the public and of property with the imposition of a state of emergency between October 2016 and August 2017. Besides, the government launched wide-ranging reforms to address the legitimate grievances of the public as identified by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, through job investments plans and an increased fight against maladministration and corruption, and to support the political dialogue. These efforts by the government and the civil society are also meant to serve a more democratic and prosperous society, and a better implementation of human rights in Ethiopia.

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Economy

Industrial parks and the transformation of Ethiopia’s economy Ethiopia is increasingly being recognized as a major investment destination because of its fast-paced economic progress, its unique location, cheap labor and a huge market potential. The industrial park strategy of the country is expected to give a considerable boost of the development of the economy and transform Ethiopia into a light manufacturing hub.

Hawassa Industrial Park, inaugurated in 2016

Ethiopia is increasingly being recognized as a major investment destination because of its fast-paced economic progress, its unique location, for the booming business opportunities it provides, the cheap provision of labor and energy, and for its attractive investment incentives. The country is located at the crossroads between Africa, the Middle East and Asia. It has a stable political, economic and regulatory environment. Thanks to its large population, Ethiopia is also potentially one of the largest domestic markets in Africa. By virtue of its membership of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), embracing 19 countries with a population of over 400 million, Ethiopia also enjoys preferential market access to these countries, and it also qualifies for preferential access to European Union market under the EU’s EverythingBut-Arms (EBA) initiative and to USA markets under the

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African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA). Moreover, competitive investment incentive packages including tax holidays are offered to investors. Ethiopia envisions to become a middle-income country by 2025. The Second Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP II), a policy framework which outlines the development and transformation of Ethiopia’s economy between 2015 and 2020, is oriented at this end. Besides the construction of infrastructure, one of the core strategies of the GTP II is the establishment of industrial parks. The manufacturing sector is expected to grow by 25% per year for the next decade and could secure 30 billion USD from the textiles sector by 2030. The goal is that the manufacturing sector would contribute 20 percent of Ethiopia’s GDP and 50 percent of the export volume by 2025.

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The development and construction of industrial parks started in 2014 when the Ethiopian Industrial Parks Development Corporation (IPDC) was established. It gained momentum in 2015 with the Industrial Parks proclamation 886/2015. In less than three years, several industrial parks were built, inaugurated and started operations. Bole Lemi I and Hawassa industrial parks were inaugurated in 2016. More recently, on 8 and 9 July 2017, Ethiopia inaugurated two additional parks in Kombolcha and Mekele. Together, these two new sites are expected to create around 40,000 new jobs. About 10 more parks are under construction and are expected to be operational within the next months, and the total number of industrial parks should reach 15 by June 2018. In addition, industrial parks developed by private investors, such as the Huajian Group which developed a shoe cluster industrial park, are being built throughout the country.

Fast pace of industrial Park inaugurations Hawassa Industrial Park was inaugurated in 2016, in the presence of the Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and 18 companies from 11 countries. It is the biggest industrial park of its kind in Africa. It will host textile and apparel industries on a total of 140 hectares once fully operational. 10,000 employees are already working on the site today, but this number could soon reach 60,000 workers. The park is fitted with a Zero Liquid Discharge technology facility with a daily processing capacity of 11 million liters of effluent, a system which is also expected to be replicated to other industrial parks across the country, which could accelerate Ethiopia’s pace in developing a green economy. The industries hosted in the park started to export products in March 2017.

By attracting FDIs, the industrial parks have already provided thousands of direct and indirect jobs for the local population The Mekele and Kombolcha industrial parks, inaugurated in the summer of 2017, were both built by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) at a cost of 100 million U.S. dollars and 90 million dollars respectively. They also host textile and apparel industries. The Kombolcha industrial park will house 13 factory sheds. It is expected to create a total of 10,000 jobs. The Mekele Industrial Park houses 15 factory sheds, about half of which were handed over to high-profile textile manufacturers. The Tigray Small and Medium Manufacturing Industries Development Agency has recruited over 10,000 job seekers

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from the region, but the total number of jobs provided in the park is expected to reach 20,000 once the facility is fully operational. Adama and Dire Dawa industrial parks are expected to be inaugurated later this year. Kilinto pharmaceutical and Bole Lemi II agro-processing industrial parks will be commissioned in January 2018. A few months later, Bahir Dar and Jimma industrial parks will become operational, and in June 2017, Debre Birhan and Arerti industrial parks are expected to start operations.

Positive response from the Investors The investor’s response has been very positive. H&M is already a stakeholder in the Mekele and Bole Lemi industrial parks, while PVH, which owns brands such as Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, decided to build a factory in the Hawassa Industrial Park. Carvico S.p.A from Italy, Trybus from USA and Pungkook Corporation from Korea built their factories in Kombolcha and Mekele industrial parks. Yang Nang, general manager of the Wuxi Group, said they chose Ethiopia for their next factory because it has a stable political situation and a peaceful society, because it has 100 million people and is the second biggest country in Africa, which is important for textile business, and finally because production and labour costs is very low. European companies are also attracted by the newly opened park. Ontex, a Belgian company producing diapers successfully opened a 11,000 m2 factory in the Hawassa industrial park in July 2017 to supply the well-known Canbebe diaper brand to the local market. The new 11,000 m2 factory site is equipped with state-of-the-art technology. All in all, the country’s industrial policy and its goal to become a manufacturing hub in the region will help the country to transform and expand its economy. By attracting FDIs, the industrial parks have already provided thousands of direct and indirect jobs for the local population, supporting the economic dynamism of the regions as a whole were the different industrial parks are located. The new industrial parks have also started to attract sophisticated technology and introduce it to the local manufacturing sector. This technology transfer and experience gains will allow an acceleration of a homegrown industrial activity and allow the transformation of raw products from Ethiopia, which will allow the Ethiopian economy to produce more value. The new industrial facilities will also help to absorb the huge workforce of Ethiopia. Every year, about 600,000 young graduates enter the job market in Ethiopia, and the development of labor-intensive sectors like textile and light manufacturing will provide them with many professional opportunities. Universities, colleges and technical and vocational schools are expected to adapt to this development and train more competent workforce, generate amply trained human power and feed the growing demand of investors for skilled human power.

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Economy

Ethiopian Airlines’ contribution to the development of Ethiopia’s economy The double-digit growth of Ethiopia’s economy during the past decade was greatly facilitated by a performant, safe and secure national carrier as well as an extended and reliable airport infrastructure. This service and infrastructure provided by Ethiopian airlines will continue to be crucial for the development of Ethiopia’s economy in today’s globalized world, especially for sectors such as tourism, horticulture, agro-processing, and light manufacturing which lie at the core of the country’s development strategy.

Ethiopian Airlines was the first African carrier to order and to operate the Airbus A350

Since the creation of Ethiopia’s national carrier in 1946, the airline has been a forward-looking company and it has transformed Addis Ababa into the major flight hub in Africa. But during the last years, the airline has proven a strong commitment to continue its march forward. Several objectives outlined in the airline’s Vision 2025 have already been reached, including the enhancement of the Ethiopian Aviation Academy, the extension of Bole airport cargo terminal, and extension work for the passengers terminal. The construction of a new airport with a capacity of about 120 million passengers per year is also being planned outside Addis Ababa.

A historical success In its close to seven decades of operations, Ethiopian has become one of the continent’s leading carriers, unrivalled in

efficiency and operational success. It is also one of the most innovative and performant airlines in terms of customer satisfaction. Thanks to a recent initiative, tourists flying with Ethiopian airlines from several countries can now apply for their visa through an online procedure. The latest award received by the airline is the SKYTRAX World Airline Award for The Best Airlines in Africa, received in June 2017 for the third time. In 2014, the IATA ranked Ethiopian as the largest airline in Africa in revenue and profit. Today, it serves an impressive 100 destinations, 14 of which are in Europe. Moreover, the airline has a very dense and reliable domestic network of 21 airports throughout Ethiopia, making it very easy for tourists and business people to get anywhere in Ethiopia in a fast and safe way. Since its foundation, Ethiopian has been a pioneer of African aviation as well as an aircraft technology leader. It all started with a military surplus C-47, leading the way

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The Ethiopian Aviation Academy has invested 100 million dollars to open a new training facility that will welcome up to 4,000 students from all over Africa. The expanded Academy was inaugurated in September 2016. With a total of seven modern flight simulators, the Academy is expected be the most competitive and leading aviation training centre in Africa by 2025.

Hospitality is a core value of Ethiopian Airlines

with the first Jet service in the continent in the early 60s to the first B-767 in the mid 80s, followed by the first African B-787 Dreamliner in 2012 and the first African Airbus A-350 in 2016. Today, Ethiopian operates the youngest fleet in Africa, with 92 aircraft in use. Sixty more aircraft are on order. In December 2011, Ethiopian joined Star Alliance, the world’s largest Airline network which also includes Lufthansa and Brussels Airlines, among others.

A bright ambition for the future On 14 July 2017, The Ethiopian Airlines Group merged with the Ethiopian Airports Enterprise (EAE), forming the Aviation Holding Group with a regulation approved by the Council of Ministers. The new Group Structure will allow all the fully owned companies to pursue shared long-term vision and common planning platform while providing high quality global standard services to their mutual customers. Passenger satisfaction will be the priority of all service providers and global standard key performance indicators will be given to all stakeholders which will measure the standards. The ultimate aim is to upgrade the customer experience at the airport to meet global standard and thereby making Addis Ababa airport the best connecting hub in Africa. This new group structure will accompany the pursue of the 15-year strategic plan launched in 2010 dubbed “Vision 2025”. This plan has the goal to propel Ethiopian at the leading position in Africa in each of these seven strategic business units: international passenger service, regional service, cargo, MRO, aviation academy, inflight catering service and ground service. Major steps were already achieved in several of these fields.

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Ethiopian Cargo, the fret constituent of the airline, is central for the group’s strategy. In the Vision 2025, Ethiopian Cargo, which currently uplifted 200,000 tons of cargo in 2015, plans to uplift 800,000 tons per annum by operating to 37 freighter destinations using 20 dedicated cargo aircraft by 2025. This plan to dramatically increase its export of perishable items like flowers, fruits and meats led to the creation of a new cargo terminal for a total cost of 150 million dollars. It increases the annual cargo holding capacity by 600,000 tons to reach 1.2 million tons. This new cargo terminal, inaugurated in July 2017, is the largest in Africa. Covering a total area of 150,000 m2, it includes dry and perishable cargo terminals and fully automated elevating transport vehicles. It is also fitted with different climate chambers for storage and handling of temperature sensitive products such as fresh agricultural products and pharmaceuticals. “This is not only the largest cargo terminal in Africa; it is also one of the best in the world. With this large cargo terminal I think the continent can position itself in the global stage in the 21st century competitive globalized market,” Tewolde Gebremariam, CEO of Ethiopian Group said during the inauguration. The airport in Liège (Belgium) has been serving as Ethiopian’s main European cargo hub since 2008 for flower exports to the European market and the import of high value goods into Africa. The number of weekly flights between Addis Ababa and Liège has increased to 28 in 2016. To cope up with the increase of traffic of about 20% of passengers, an extension of Bole Airport is underway and is expected to be inaugurated in 2018. The current extension of Bole airport was carried out at a cost of at a cost of 350 million dollars, and includes the construction of a new passenger terminal as an extension of the existing Terminal 1 (domestic and regional terminal) and terminal 2 (international terminal) and the construction of a new VIP passengers’ terminal. This will triple the current capacity of 7 million passengers per year. To prepare even better for the future, a new airport is being constructed outside of Addis Ababa. The new airport will be connected to the city center by a highway and a fast train. The facility, which is expected to take eight years to build at a cost of up to around $4 billion, is intended as a major new hub airport for African air transport. The development will feature four runways and will have capacity for about 120 million passengers per year. This new airport city will make Ethiopia a hub for the whole region. With an average growth of 25% over the past ten years, Ethiopian airlines has been a major supporter to the growth of the Ethiopian economy in general by offering a performant and world-class transport service benefiting several sectors of the economy, including tourism and export of perishable goods. Through its voluntary Vision 2025, the airline wants to continue to play its role and contribute positively to the socio-economic development of Ethiopia.

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Harar Jugal: Fortified Citadel and Africa’s Mecca Muslims refer to the historic walled citadel of Harar Jugol as the City of Saints, and regard it to be world’s fourthholiest city after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. Harar is also Ethiopia’s most important repository of Islamic landmarks, with 82 mosques and 438 Awaach (shrines of important Islamic scholars) crammed into its 48 hectares. The city’s lively markets and unique gey gar (city houses) are relicts of the many centuries when Harar served as the most important trade emporium in the Horn of Africa, linking the ports of the Somali coast to the fertile Ethiopian interior. Harar Jugol was inscribed as a UNESCO, World Heritage Site in 2006.

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Harar Jugal: Fortified citadel and Africa’s Mecca Located in Eastern Ethiopia, the ancient walled city of Harar is a must go destination for pilgrims and tourists alike. As the Unesco-recognised Ethiopian city celebrates its 1,010th anniversary this year, let us look back at the city’s long history and unique heritage. A long history and unique culture Believed to have been founded by Arabian immigrants around the 10th century, Harar is considered by many “the fourth holy city” of Islam, having been developed by a holy missionary from the Arabic Peninsula. The walls surrounding this sacred city were built between the 13th and 16th centuries and served as a protective barrier. Thanks to its strategic location between the coastal lowlands and central highlands, Harar rapidly became a crossroads for trade and culture which in turn led to its development as an important centre of Islamic culture and commerce. This meeting of African and Islamic traditions can be seen on the development of the town’s building that makes for its particular character and uniqueness. After its foundation, the city evolved into a center of Islamic scholarship and culture, and was eventually considered as the capital city of Islamic northeast Africa. In total, Harar numbers 82 mosques, three of which date from the 10th century, and 102 shrines, but the townhouses with their exceptional interior design constitute the most spectacular part of Harar’s cultural heritage. In addition, the city is a rare example of a well-preserved historic town that has retained its traditions, urban fabric, and rich Harari Muslim cultural heritage to the present time. With such a rich history and original culture, no wonder the city became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006.

Contemporary Harar From the late 16th century to the 19th century Harar was an important trade centre between the coast and the interior highlands. The City functioned as the capital of the Harari Kingdom from 1520 to 1568, became an independent emirate in the 17th century and was integrated into Ethiopia in 1887. With its colourful façades (turquoise, fuchsia, mauve), Harar cannot fail to seduce its visitors, such as the famous poet Arthur Rimbaud who, after discovering the City in 1885, settled in Harar for 10 years. The Arthur Rimbaud Museum is housed in the beautiful fresco-ceilinged house where its namesake poet-turned-trader reputedly lived in the late 19th century. It now functions as a museum with displays dedicated to the poet and a fascinating collection of monochrome photographs of the city taken in the late 19th and early 20th century.

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Today, Harar is the administrative capital of the Harari People National Regional State (HPNRS). The historic town has a traditionally functioning community, forming a complex social-environmental whole where each element has its symbolic and practical significance. The Harari people are distinguished by the continued cultural traditions and quality of their handicrafts, including weaving, basket making and book binding. The city is divided in 2 parts: the “new” and “the old” Harar. The latter is registered in UNESCO’s world heritage list. The old Harar is enclosed by a wall built in the 11th century with only 5 entry gates. As dusk falls over the city, Harar’s famous Hyena men emerge to feed wild hyenas at two sites: Aw Ansar Ahmed Shrine outside Argob bari Gate and the Christian slaughterhouse outside Assumiy Bari Gate

Thanks to its peaceful atmosphere, all year-round good climate conditions, Harar has become a mustsee destination in Eastern Ethiopia Fully aware of the importance of this heritage, the Ethiopian government is committed to preserve the integrity of the city. Until the present century, all development took place inside the sixteenth-century walls, where even now the population is growing. Although the modern town has expanded outside the walls, Harar has maintained generally a harmonious appearance and cultural specificity, expressed in its characteristic community structure, traditions and Harari language, which are still very much alive today. Thanks to its peaceful atmosphere, all-year-round good climate conditions, Harar has become a must-see destination in Eastern Ethiopia, which leaves a lasting impression on those who set foot on it. As the city marks another milestone in its rich and long history, local and visitors believe that it still has much to offer to the world and the rest of Africa as a beacon of culture and conservation.

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Hararâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s city gate

Arthur Rimbaud Museum

Feed the hyenas!

Local women in traditional dresses

October - November - December 2017

የዕውቀትና ቴክኖሎጂ ሽግግር ለአገር ዕድገት ለአንድ አገር እድገት ሁሉም የአገሪቱ ዜጎችና ተወላጆች ተሳተፎ ወሳኝ ነው። በአገር ውስጥ እና ከአገር ውጭ የሚኖሩ ዜጎች በተናጠልም ሆነ ተደራጅተው የሚያደርጓቸው አገራዊ አስተዋጽኦ ተደማምሮ ለአገር እድገት የራሳቸው ድርሻ አላቸው። በአሁኑ ወቅት ፈጣን እድገት እያስመዘገቡ ያሉ አገሮች እንደ ቻይና፣ ህንድና ደቡብ ኮሪያ ያሉ አገራት በውጭ የሚኖሩ ዘጎቻቸውንና ተወላጆቻቸውን እንደ አንድ ትልቅ የልማት ሃይል በመጠቀም በልምድ ልውውጥ፣ በእውቀት፣ በሳይንስና ቴክኖሎጂ ሽግግር በማድረግ እንዲሁም ዳያስፖራው በሚልከው ሬምታንስ እና በተለያዩ የልማት ሥራ በማሳተፍ ከፍተኛ ለውጥ ማምጣት ችለዋል። እነዚህ አገራት በአገር ውስጥ እና ከአገር ውጭ የሚኖሩ ተወላጆችና ዜጎች ያካበቱትን ልምድና ያገኙትን እውቀት በአግባቡ አሟጠው በመጠቀማቸው በወቅቱ የገጠሟቸውን የኢኮኖሚና ማህበራዊ ችግሮች በራሳቸው ዜጎች ለመፍታት ጥረት አድርገዋል። ውጤታማም ሆኗል። የሌላ አገር ፕሮፌሸናሎች መጠቀም ከወጪ፣ ፈጣንና ዘላቂ እድገት ከማምጣት እንዲሁም ለዜጎች የስራ እድልን ከመፍጠር አንጻር አዋጭ አይደለም። ይህ ብቻ ሳይሆን ኪሳራም ነው። በመሆኑም በውጭ አገራት የሚኖሩና ሃብትና ንብረት ያፈሩ፣ እውቀትና ክህሎት ያካበቱ፣ ቴክኖሎጂ ሊያሸጋግሩ የሚችሉ፣ በገጽታ ግንባታ እና በሌሎችም መስኮች ሊሳተፉ የሚችሉ ዜጎቻቸውንና ተወላጆቻቸውን በአግባቡ በመጠቀም የተሻለ የኢኮኖሚና ማህበራዊ እድገት ማስመዝገብ እንደሚቻል ጥናቶች ያስረዳሉ። በዚህም መሠረት አገራችን ኢትዮጵያ ለጀመረችው ፈጣን የመልማት ጉዞ ሊያግዙ የሚችሉ አማራጮችና እድሎችን በሙሉ አሟጣ ለመጠቀም እና ሁሉን አቀፍ፣ ፈጣን፣ አስተማማኝና ዘላቂ የሆነ ዜጎች በየደረጃው ተጠቃሚ የሚሆኑበት ዕድገት ለማምጣት ሁሉንም የልማት ሃይሎች ማሳተፍና መጠቀም አማራጭ የሌለው መሆኑን በመገንዘብ በስፋት እየተንቀሳቀሰች ትገኛለች። ከነዚህ የልማት ሃይሎች አንዱ በውጭ የሚኖሩ ኢትዮጵያዊያንና ትውልድ ኢትዮጵያዊያን ተጠቃሽ ናቸው። በርካታ ኢትዮጵያዊያንና ትውልድ ኢትዮጵያዊያን በተለያዩ የአለም አገራት ተበታትነው ይኖራሉ። በሚኖሩበት አገር ያገኙትን ሃብትና እውቀት፣ ያካበቱትን ልምድ፣ በኢንቨስትመንት፣ በንግድና ቱሪዝም በእውቀትና ቴክኖሎጂ ሽግግር እንዲሁም በገጽታ ግንባታ ሥራ በመሳተፍ ለአገር እድገት የበኩላቸውን ዜጋዊ ግዴታ መወጣት ይጠበቅባቸዋል። መንግስት ለአገራችን ኢኮኖሚያዊና ማህበራዊ ልማት ዳያስፖራው ማህበረሰብ ያለውን ፋይዳ በመገንዘብ ህጋዊ ማዕቀፎችን በማመቻቸት፣ በውጭ ጉዳይ ሚኒስቴር የኢትዮጵያዊያንና ትውልድ ኢትዮጵያዊያን ተሳትፎ፣ መብትና ጥቅም የሚከታተል የዳያስፖራ ተሳትፎ ዳ/ጄኔራል፣

The Ethiopian Messenger

በፌዴራል፣ በክልሎችና በሁለቱ የከተማ አስተዳደሮች ተቋማዊ መዋቅሮችን በመዘርጋት እንዲሁም በሚሲዮኖቻችን የዳያስፖራ ተሳትፎ ሥራ እንደ አንድ ዋነኛ ተግባር ተወስዶ መተግበር ከጀመረ አመታት ተቆጥረዋል። ከዚህ አኳያ የዳያስፖራውን አገራዊ ተሳትፎ ለመደገፍና ለማበረታታት የወጡ የህግ ማዕቀፎችን በተቀናጀ መንገድ በመፈጸም ዳያስፖራው በትውልድ አገሩ እየተመዘገበ ስላለው የሰላም፣ ልማትና ዴሞክራሲ ሥርዓት ግንባታ ፈጣን የኢኮኖሚ ዕድገት ተገንዝቦ በተቀናጀ መልክ ንቁ ተሳትፎ በማድረግ የበኩሉን የዜግነት ግዴታ እንዲወጣ ለማድረግ በውጭ የሚኖሩ ኢትዮጵያዊያን በሚኖሩበት አገራት መብትና ጥቅማቸው እንዲጠበቅላቸው ለማድረግና በአገር ውስጥ የታዩ የዳያስፖራ ተሳትፎ ማነቆዎችን ለመፍታት እንዲቻል በውጭ ጉዳይ ሚኒስቴር ሃገራዊ የዳያስፖራ ፓሊሲ ተቀርጾ ተግባራዊ ለማድረግ ከፌዴራል እስከ ክልሎች መዋቅር ተዘርግቶ እንቅስቃሴ እየተደረገ ይተኛል። በዚህም መነሻ ባለፉት አመታት በርካታ በውጭ የሚኖሩ ኢትዮጵያዊያንና ትውልድ ኢትዮጵያዊያኖች በአገራችን ያለውን ምቹ የኢንቨስትመንት ሁኔታ በመጠቀም በግልና በመደራጀት በተለያዩ የኢንቨስትመንት መስኮች በመሰማራት ለበርካታ ዜጎች የስራ ዕድል፣ የውጭ ምንዛሪ፣ የእውቀትና ቴክኖሎጂ ሽግግር እያደረጉ ይገኛል። በተመሳሳይ ሁኔታ በንግድና በቱሪዝም በመሳተፍ የውጭ ምንዛሪና የገጽታ ግንባታ ስራ እየሰሩ ይገኛሉ። በአሁኑ ወቅትም ከአውሮፓ፣ ከሰሜን አሜሪካና ከአውስትራሊያ አገራት በርካታ ኢትዮጵያዊያን በማህጸን ካንሰርና በማህጸንና ሽንት ከረጢት ችግሮች ህክምና ስልጠና፣ በጨረራ ብክለት ጥናት፣ በኢንፍራስትራክቸር ፕሮጀክት ማኔጅመንት፣ በማዕድን ዘርፍ አቅም ግንባታ፣ በአካባቢ ጥበቃ፣ በሲቪል አንጅነሪንግ እና በመሳሰሉት የሙያ መስኮች በእውቀትና ቴክኖሎጂ ሽግግር ለመሳተፍ ጥያቄ ያቀረቡና ይህም በአገር ውስጥ ካለው ፍላጎት ጋር በማጣጣም መጠቀም እንዲቻል ለሚመለከተው ተቋማትና ሴክተር መ/ ቤቶች ተላልፈው ምላሽ እየተጠበቀ መሆኑን መረጃዎች ያሳያሉ። ሰለሆነም በውጭ አገር የሚኖሩ ኢትዮጵያዊያንና ትውልድ ኢትዮጵያዊያን ያገኛችሁን እውቀትና ልምድ በተገኘው አጋጣሚ ሁሉ ለአገራችሁና ለወገኖቻችሁ በማስተላለፍ አገራዊ ግዴታችሁን እንድትወጡ በዚህ አጋጣሚ ጥሪያችንን እናስተላልፋለን። ■

October - November - December 2017

The Ethiopian Messenger