Ethiopia’s Participation at The IDA for Africa Summit in Nairobi
El Salvador’s Foreign Minister Pays a Visit to Ethiopia
NEWS IN BRIEF
A delegation led by Dr. Abiy Ahmed, the Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia, participated in The IDA for Africa Summit held in Nairobi, Kenya, from April 28 to 29. (See article)
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed inaugurated the 2024 “Made In Ethiopia” expo today (May 10), a platform showcasing locally produced goods and fostering sustainable market connections. In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Abiy stressed the significance of maintaining the accomplishments of the “Made In Ethiopia” movement through the support of local producers and the utilization of domestic products. He also emphasized the importance of embracing domestic products as a cultural norm.
Former President of Ethiopia, Mulatu Teshome, met on Wednesday (May 8) with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Türkiye. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Taye Atske Selassie has also met with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Ankara.The two ministers discussed a wide range of bilateral and regional issues of mutual importance.
El Salvador’s Foreign Minister, Alexandra Hill Tinoco, recently concluded a productive visit to Ethiopia, marking a significant step in strengthening relations between the two nations. The visit which took place on 29 April 2024 focused on exploring avenues for collaboration in economic development and investment. (See article)
The Transitional Justice Policy, which aims to oversee and execute the transitional justice process in a methodical, cohesive, and efficient manner at the national level, was officially launched on Thursday (May 9). The policy was launched in the presence of Chief Government Whip Tesfaye Beljige, Justice Minister Gedion Timothewos, senior government officials and foreign dignitaries at a ceremony held in Addis Ababa.
State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Mesganu Arga, received the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Sudan, Ambassador Hussein Awad Ali Mohammed, in his office on Wednesday (May 8). On the occasion, Sudanese Foreign Minister acknowledged Ethiopia’s significant role in Sudan’s comprehensive peace-making efforts and requested that Ethiopia play its vital role based on the historical and fraternal close partnership of the two countries. The State Minister reiterated Ethiopia’s belief in an all-inclusive peace process owned by Sudanese and emphasized that all efforts should be Sudanese-led. Following his recent appointment as Foreign Minister, Hussein Awad Ali Mohammed embarked on his tour, with Ethiopia being his first destination.
Ambassador Mesganu Arga, State Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, met with Marcel Clement Akpovo, Representative of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for the East African Regional Office, at his office on Thursday (May 9). Ambassador Mesganu emphasized that certain government initiatives stand as testaments to Ethiopia’s commitment to protecting the rights of its people. Ambassador Mesganu highlighted that some of these initiatives serve as evidence of the government’s dedication to safeguarding the rights of its citizens. Both parties acknowledged the importance of maintaining collaborative working relationships on human rights matters.
Foreign Affairs State Minister, Ambassador Mesganu Arga and UN Secretary-General Special Adviser on Solutions to Internal Displacement, Robert Piper, held a discussion on Wednesday (May 8). On the occasion, State Minister Mesganu explained the specific measures introduced by the Ethiopian Government that have helped in the relocation of individuals who were internally displaced to their respective regions. The discussion between the two sides also indicated the need for cooperation and coordination between humanitarian development and peace actors. In this regard, the discussion focused on the potential of UN-Ethiopia cooperation in supporting the DDR program as outlined in the Pretoria Peace Agreement.
Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Nebiyu Tedla, said in a weekly media briefing held on Thursday (May 9) that a few embassies in Addis Ababa made a joint statement last week on the occasion of World Press Day, which is in discord with acceptable diplomatic practice. He said that Ethiopia welcomes constructive engagement with parties, but resorting to paternalistic joint statements is unhelpful for bilateral relations.
A photo exhibition that depicts the 120 years of bilateral relations between Ethiopia and the United States opened at the National Museum in Addis Ababa on Wednesday (May 9). This event promises to showcase an array of captivating photographs depicting the longstanding bilateral relationship between the United States and Ethiopia. The US Ambassador to Ethiopia, Ervin Massinga said on the occasion that the exhibition serves as a testament to the enduring ties between the two nations.
President Ismail Omar Guelleh received Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain, at the Presidential Palace in the capital city of Djibouti. The President was briefed by the Foreign Minister on the ongoing preparations for hosting the Arab Summit scheduled for May 16th.
Kenya’s Defence Minister Aden Duale met on Thursday (May 9) with the US Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Mike Hammer, to discuss pressing security challenges in the region. Key discussion points included addressing security challenges in various countries such as Congo (DRC), South Sudan, Sudan and Somalia. “Specifically, we deliberated on the security arrangements in Somalia post-Atmis. Kenya, strategically positioned in the region, plays a crucial role in maintaining peace and security, with its longstanding commitment to peacekeeping and counterterrorism efforts,” Duale said in a statement.
President William Ruto has called for a strong commitment from all parties in the South Sudan peace process to achieve lasting and sustainable peace. Speaking on Thursday (May 9) during the launch of high-level meditation for South Sudan at State House, Nairobi, the President said the mediation process is keen on ending conflict and political instability in South Sudan. He said the Tumaini Initiative, a high-level mediation for South Sudan, has brought together eight categories of parties and groups, ensuring the process is inclusive and home-grown.
Kenya and Somalia have committed to deepening their bilateral relations and economic ties in trade and investment with a view to boosting the economy of both nations. This is following a meeting between Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Somalia’s Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre in Nairobi on Tuesday (May 7), where the two countries also discussed joint elimination of cartels and promoting transparent and sustainable trade practices that benefit all stakeholders. The official visit comes on the heels of the third Session of the Joint Commission of Cooperation (JCC) between the two countries held in Nairobi from May 3 to 5, 2024.
Kenya and Somalia on Monday (May 6) signed an agreement on collaboration in the areas of political consultations, education and defense. Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi who is also the cabinet secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs said in Nairobi that the three bilateral instruments aim to further solidify bilateral cooperation for the mutual benefit of the people of the two countries. “The agreement was possible because of the dedication by our technical officials to address issues amicably,” Mudavadi said during the third session of the Kenya-Somalia joint commission for cooperation (JCC).
The Somali government has asked the U.N. Security Council to terminate the U.N. political mission in Somalia. UNSOM was established in 2013 by U.N. Security Council Resolution 2102 to advise the federal government of Somalia and the African Union Mission in Somalia on policy and peacebuilding. The government’s request to end the mission comes at a time a U.N.-mandated African Union safekeeping mission, currently comprising at least 10,000 soldiers known as ATMIS, is due to withdraw and hand the country’s security over to the Somali state by the end of this year.
The United Nations Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia, Isha Dyfan, concluded a five-day visit to the country on Thursday (May 9), urging political actors to prioritize dialogue and build consensus around amendments to Somalia’s provisional constitution. Addressing reporters in Mogadishu, Dyfan commended Somalia’s bicameral federal parliament for voting on amendments to the first four chapters of the constitution. However, she expressed concerns about the lack of consensus among political parties regarding the changes.
On Tuesday (May 7), Ibrahim Kalin, the head of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) of Türkiye, held talks with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Mogadishu. The Somali presidency’s statement outlined their discussions, which focused on enhancing strategic cooperation between Türkiye and Somalia in critical areas such as security, intelligence, collaborative counterterrorism initiatives, and the advancement of regional stability.nAlso in attendance at the meeting was Abdullahi Mohamed Ali, head of Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA).
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov met on Saturday (May 4) with Deputy Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Somalia Salah Ahmed Jama. At the meeting, the parties expressed satisfaction with the current level of cooperation within the framework of international organizations, in particular the UN, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The importance of continuing mutual support provided to candidates and initiatives within international organizations was emphasized.
President Salva Kiir Mayardit departed for the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Thursday (May 9) afternoon, where talks between holdout groups and the government are poised to commence. “H.E. President Salva Kiir Mayardit this morning traveled to Nairobi, Kenya, to attend the launch of the Nairobi Peace Process between the government and the holdout groups who did not sign the 2018 peace agreement,” the presidency statement said. According to Kiir’s press secretary Lily Albino, the head of state will hold bilateral meetings with his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto.
The Sudanese army leader, Gen. Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, vowed to continue fighting the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) until it is defeated in the country. Al-Burhan, who travelled to Northern Sudan’s River Nile State on Thursday (May 9) to supervise the forces on the battlegrounds, stated that there will be no peace talks until the RSF is crushed and vanquished.
The 24th Ordinary Session of the African Union Commission on International Law (AUCIL) commenced at the African Union (AU) Headquarters. This Session, spanning from May 6th -17th will consider and discuss a range of ongoing studies focused on the codification and progressive development of international law and AU law, as well as the domestication of AU legal instruments.
The Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit (AFSH) held in Nairobi, Kenya from the 7th -9th May 2024, under the theme “Listen to the Land”. The Summit, an initiative of the African Union, seeks to review the progress made since previous commitments by African leaders to boost fertilizer use for agricultural growth in Africa.
IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) and the government of Sweden on Wednesday (May 8) have signed a grant agreement to enhance protection and provide comprehensive solutions for forcibly displaced persons in the IGAD region, marking a crucial step towards addressing the challenges faced by displaced individuals in the region. The agreement was signed by IGAD Executive Secretary, Workneh Gebeyehu, and Ambassador of Sweden to Ethiopia and Djibouti & Permanent Representative to the African Union, IGAD and UNECA, Hans Henric Lundquist.
The 2024 East Africa Finance Summit kicked off in Addis Ababa on Thursday (May 9) under the theme “Exploring New Frontiers: Shaping the Future of Financial Landscape & Unlocking Opportunities for Collaboration in East Africa.” The two day annual summit brought together various players in the financial sector in East Africa. The Addis Ababa University and i-Capital Africa Institute have jointly organized the summit in collaboration with various organizations.
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Ethiopia’s Participation at The IDA for Africa Summit in Nairobi
A delegation led by Dr. Abiy Ahmed, the Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia, participated in The IDA for Africa Summit held in Nairobi, Kenya, from April 28 to 29.
Heads of State and Government and other senior government officials of 13 African countries, the president and senior officials of the World Bank and the African Union Commission participated.
In their opening remarks, leaders raised their national priorities, including crisis caused by climate change, building resistance to infectious diseases (Ebola and cholera), increasing vaccination capacity, dealing with floods, addressing high unemployment, increasing early warning capacity, building railway transport, and above all, the development of electricity.
In his speech, Dr. Abiy mentioned Ethiopia’s resilience to external challenges such as global climate change, global infectious disease, geopolitical tensions, and the global cost of living. In relation to IDA support, he highlighted priority issues that his country gives attention to.
First, he emphasized Ethiopia’s effort in carrying out Structural Macro Economic Reform focused on macro financial stability, increasing productivity, and creating a favorable investment environment.
Second, he raised the importance of promoting dialogue and reconciliation in order to create a peaceful continent. Nationally, he cited Ethiopia’s effort to resolve internal conflicts by setting up a National Dialogue Commission since 2021. He explained that, in the last two years, Ethiopians have been conducting free and independent discussions with higher public participation that can eliminate complaints, conflicts and disagreements.
Third, pointing out Ethiopia’s high unemployment and skill gap challenges, he stated the government’s efforts towards encouraging young people to open new businesses by making education accessible to all and building the capacity of its citizens.
Fourth, the Prime Minister stressed Universal Energy Access as a cornerstone for achieving sustainable development. Currently, he said, half of Ethiopia’s population does not have reliable electricity service. The government is thus investing heavily in building clean and renewable energy projects to make reliable and affordable electricity available to the entire population. He recognized the country’s untapped resource of 60,000 MW of electricity from renewable energy sources, which requires significant investment to utilize.
Fifth, he stated the importance of building a digital economy to enhance connectivity, encourage innovation and increase access to basic services. Currently, access to finance is expanding following the liberalization of the telephone service sector, implementation of mobile money transfers and the digital payment system in Ethiopia. He explained the recently implemented National Digital ID Program as a crucial step towards digital transformation, which is of great importance to improve access to public services.
Sixth, he underlined the expanding climate change challenges of the Horn of Africa. These include rising temperatures, food insecurity and extreme weather events. Ethiopia is mitigating such challenges through the implementation of the Green Legacy Initiative. Extensive work is being done to develop new forests and maintain existing ones. To date, 32.5 billion seedlings have been planted, which is part of the national goal of planting 50 billion seedlings by 2030. He explained Ethiopia’s alignment with the Paris Climate Change Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Seventh, the Prime Minister praised IDA’s current support and mentioned that the major challenges facing many African countries require a renewed approach. He said Ethiopia, with 120 million people, has the potential to move towards prosperity. However, it faced a shortage of financing for development endeavors. He re-emphasized achieving the IDA21 Replenishment goal as key for Ethiopia to receive development funds and accelerate its growth. He encouraged IDA to increase its financial capacity to a high level, and especially support for crisis preparedness, response and recovery.
Finally, Draft Communique, which was prepared at the meeting of the African Finance Ministers, held earlier on April 28, 2024, was issued as the outcome document of the summit.
Background
The International Development Association (IDA) was founded in 1960. It is one of the five institutions under the World Bank. The main purpose of the association is to reduce poverty by providing financial aid (grants) to poor and low-income countries around the world and providing long-term loans with interest-free or low interest for 30 to 40 years, especially to support the development of basic social services. The association consists of 173 donor and borrower member countries.
Currently, the number of aid recipients and borrower member countries has reached 75. IDA mainly collects resources from donor countries that are members of the association. Creditor countries meet every three years to review the resources of the association (Replenishment of International Development Association, IDA).
IDA Replenishment Summit forum
It has been held to set policy direction. The 20th meeting (IDA20) was held in December 2021. In IDA20, 23.5 billion US dollars were raised from donor countries and 93 million US dollars from the capital market, which will enable support from 2022 to 2025. The 21st Replenishment of International Development Association (IDA 21) will be held in December 2024.
The IDA for Africa Summit
Recently, leaders of African countries, in collaboration with the World Bank, have been given priority attention before the main platform for IDA to collect resources, inform donors and partners of the priority development directions of African countries that need to receive development financial support, and collect sufficient funds for development support. They have started holding the IDA for Africa Summit, where they can make their own impact.
The first IDA for Africa Summit was held in Côte d’Ivoire in July 2021, before IDA20, and at the end of the meeting, they issued a meeting result document called the “Abidjan Declaration.” Also, after the IDA20 forum, they held a similar meeting in Senegal in July 2022 and issued a meeting outcome document called “Dakar Call to Action.”
The IDA21 for Africa Summit
The IDA for Africa Summit held in Nairobi, Kenya, from April 28 to 29, has the same objective, targeting the 21st Replenishment of International Development Association (IDA21), which will be held in December 2024.
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El Salvador’s Foreign Minister Pays a Visit to Ethiopia
El Salvador’s Foreign Minister, Alexandra Hill Tinoco, recently concluded a productive visit to Ethiopia, marking a significant step in strengthening relations between the two nations. The visit which took place on 29 April 2024 focused on exploring avenues for collaboration in economic development and investment.
Minister Hill Tinoco met with her Ethiopian counterpart, Foreign Minister Ambassador Taye Atske-Selassie. The discussion between the two Ministers centered on fostering bilateral ties and establishing a framework for cooperation, particularly within the framework of South-South Cooperation. This concept emphasizes collaboration and knowledge exchange between developing nations. The two Ministers agreed to hold Political Consultation in New York on the side lines of the upcoming United Nations General Assembly.
The visit also included a significant announcement: El Salvador’s decision to open its Embassy in Addis Ababa. This move underscores El Salvador’s commitment to building a stronger relationship with Ethiopia and the African continent as a whole. Ambassador Taye assured his Salvadoran counterpart of Ethiopia’s full support in establishing the new Embassy.
Foreign Minister Hill Tinoco also met with State Minister of Finance Semereta Sewasew and the state Minister emphasized the importance of strengthening ties and expressed her appreciation for El Salvador’s commitment to working together. Both sides agreed on the need for continued dialogue to explore concrete areas of partnership.
El Salvador and Ethiopia’s deepening relationship holds promise for mutual benefit. By working together, both nations can leverage their unique strengths and experiences to achieve their respective development goals. This potential partnership is a positive development for South-South Cooperation and can serve as a model for collaboration between developing nations.
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