ETHIOPIA TODAY. Ministers Brief Ethiopian Diaspora on GTPs

Transcription

1 ETHIOPIA TODAY Newsletter of the Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to Canada VOL.II. No.5 August 2015 Ministers Brief Ethiopian Diaspora on GTPs The first Ethiopian National Diaspora Conference opened on August 12 in Addis Ababa. The five day conference which has the aim of establishing stronger ties between all Ethiopians and Ethiopians by birth living abroad and their own country, covered a variety of celebrations including the laying of the foundation stone for Diaspora Square, opening ceremonies, and forum on the implementation of the first Growth and Transformations Plan (GTPI) and on the upcoming second Growth and Transformations Plan (GTPII). The event included a whole series of discussions on the Ethiopian Diaspora and its engagement in national development as well as site visits to various development projects and expositions of the investment opportunities available in the country. Taking into account the fact that the Diaspora should be part and parcel of the ongoing socioeconomic and political transformations of the country, Ethiopia has been putting in place a whole series of multi-dimensional efforts to involve the Diaspora residing across the world in the overall national development process for a number of years. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is in charge of protecting the rights and interests of the Diaspora, together with other stakeholders and partners has been engaging in activities to ensure greater Diaspora participation in development. A Diaspora that is properly engaged can be of immense benefit in numerous ways: building the image of the country, strengthening people-to-people relations, building stronger relations and encouraging cooperation between the home and host countries. Equally, the Diaspora can also provide benefits in various vital areas: capital inflow, technology, knowledge and skills transfer, business and trade facilitation, inflow of remittances and creation of job opportunities. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been organizing forums and panels at home and abroad to consider these areas. It is in order to keep up the momentum of Diaspora interest and involvement that the first nationwide Diaspora Day is celebrated. The Opening Ceremony took place in Millennium Hall in Addis Ababa, attended by senior government leaders, invited guests and by more than 6000 participants from different parts of the world. Among those present were President Dr. Mulatu Teshome, Deputy-Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen, Foreign Minister Dr. Tedros Adhanom, and the State Ministers for Foreign The Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in Ottawa is located at Slater Street, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1P 5H9. Tel: Fax: info@ethioembassycanada.org, Website:

2 Affairs, Ambassador Berhane Gebre-Christos, Dewano Kedir, and Dr. Yinager Dessie, as well as other ministers, Ethiopian Ambassadors and other officials. Foreign Minister Dr. Tedros Adhanom opened his speech with a quotation from the poem Hagere by poet and painter Gebrekristos Desta praising the Diaspora, welcomed the Diaspora s presence and their will to contribute to national development. He briefed participants on the aim of the National Diaspora Day, on developments taking place in the country, international best experiences of Diaspora engagement, and encouraged the Diaspora to return back home and support the growth of themselves and of their country. He reviewed the sectors that have been achieving phenomenal growth including the increases in Foreign Direct Investment and the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam as well as other areas of impressive development. He reminded participants that Ethiopia was being referred to as an African Tiger or as one of the African Lions. He encouraged the Diaspora to look closely and understand the reality of Ethiopia s development. Members should not be misled by false propaganda. Dr. Tedros emphasized that the aim of the Diaspora day was to strengthen the tie between Ethiopians and their country. In conclusion he repeated the verses of Gebrekristos Desta s poem and reiterated the slogan of the National Diaspora Day: Together for the renaissance of Ethiopia. Economic Ties Increasing between Ethiopia, Canada President Mulatu Teshome said the relationship between Ethiopia and Canada, which was dominated by development assistance, is now expanding to economic areas, mainly because of the successive economic growth in Ethiopia. While seeing off the Canadian Ambassador who finished his tenure, Mulatu said trade and investment ties between the two countries is getting strengthened with the coming of several Canadian companies and business agreements. The President expressed hope that with the coming of more Canadian companies to invest in Ethiopia, the bilateral relationship which goes back 50 years will further be consolidated. Canada is among the largest donors of Ethiopia with an annual assistance of 200 million dollars in average for food security, water shade and sustainable economic growth. The departing Canadian Ambassador David Usher said the rapid economic growth in Ethiopia is the major reason for the expansion of cooperation into economic areas and his country will continue to support this development. The Ambassador appreciated Ethiopia's role in regional peace building missions. "I am proud with Ethiopia's effort to make long lasting peace in the Horn of Africa including South Sudan and Somalia". Trade and investment become one of the major cooperation areas for the two countries since 2013, with 39.1 million dollars trade volume in that year. The direct flight between Addis Ababa and Toronto which began in 2012 contributed for the increasing trade cooperation. (ENA) 2

3 Ethiopian Canadians Pay Tribute to late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi Ethiopians and Ethio-Canadians residing in Ottawa city held a memorial ceremony to observe the third anniversary of the passing away of the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on August 22, On the occasion, participants of the events reminisced about the great work and the vision the late Prime Minister Meles laid for his country. The participants also reaffirmed their commitment by marking the third memorial as a time and an opportunity to renew their resolve to implement his vision and to carry on his achievements for better future of Ethiopia. Benishangul-Gumuz Regional State, UNHCR Country Representative Clementine Nkuweta stated that the number of refugees in Ethiopia has reached 700,000 in the current year from the 570,000 last year. This makes Ethiopia a country where huge number of refugees in Africa is being hosted in a peaceful and favorable condition, according to the representative He said the people and government of Ethiopia have opened their borders for the displaced and allowed them to live peacefully. The ancient tradition of hosting guests hospitably is alive in the country, Nkuweta added. The number of internationally displaced people has increases from 37.9 million some ten years ago to the present 59.5 million, it was indicated. Of these, over 15.1 million are Africans displaced due to various conflicts across the continent, the representative stated. Kagame Hails late Meles for New Development Model News UNHCR Lauds Ethiopia for Hosting Huge Number of Refugees United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Official said the hosting of close to 700,000 refugees hospitably by Ethiopia deserves appreciation. Speaking during the 2015 World Refugee Day celebrated at Sherkole Refugee Camp in Rwandan President Paul Kagame hailed the late Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi s great leadership saying his effort has brought a new and successful ideology to Africa. Ethiopia through Meles has suggested new development model, a developmental state, it can help Africa break away from the prescribed 3

4 Western models, saying Africa should stop being bullied into accepting policies that misrepresent us and do us harm in the end. Speaking at a high-level inaugural symposium organized by the Meles Zenawi Foundation in collaboration with the African Development Bank, in Kigali, Kagame said that time has come for Africa to stop being a place where experiments are being carried out. The discussion, under the theme The African Democratic Developmental State, was inspired by ideals from the late Ethiopian Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi, who believed that Africans needed to shape their own destiny by doing things their own way. The dialogue deliberated on perceived contradictions between Meles' philosophy of developmental state and democracy. They are actually mutually reinforcing sustainable socio-economic development gives rise to greater democracy and political rights can best be exercised and enjoyed in a climate of growing prosperity and improved quality of life, Kagame said. Late Meles was very supportive and remained a close friend to Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA) during the struggle to liberate Rwanda and after. Kagame said Meles shared great ideas how to craft a new state from scratch while facing insurmountable challenges created by the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. Comrade Meles was a friend and an inspiration to us in Rwanda, during our struggle and after, he said. Rwanda and Ethiopia have since forged a close bilateral cooperation even after his death. Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam said that Meles' ideals brought new way of thinking among Africans. Meles believed that Africans needed to shape their own destiny by doing things their own way. Meles has laid the foundation for Ethiopia's rapid and sustained economic growth. (ENA) Conference on Ethiopian Studies Conducted in Warsaw The 19th International Conference of Ethiopian Studies (ICES) opened at the University of Warsaw, Poland on August 24, under the theme: Ethiopia Diversity and Interconnections through space and Time. The five-day Conference is the most important scholarly event dedicated to research on Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa. It was organized by the Department of African Languages and Cultures, supported by the Faculty of History of Warsaw University, the National Museum in Warsaw, the State Ethnographic Museum in Warsaw and the Polish Africanist Society, in cooperation with the Institute of Ethiopian Studies of the Addis Ababa University The aim of ICES is to allow scholars and students to present the outcome of their research, to exchange their experience, knowledge and ideas on different aspects of Ethiopian culture and that of the Horn of Africa. Some 476 scholars drawn from 50 different nations took part in the Conference, in which several papers were presented, Director of the Institute of Ethiopian Studies at the Addis Ababa University, Dr. Ahmed Hassen said. Throughout the long history of the International Conference of Ethiopian Studies, the event has been successful in reflecting new trends in the Ethiopian culture, history and languages, he added. The conference will enable the linguistic institutes 4

5 of Addis Ababa University and the University of Warsaw that organized the event to strengthen cooperation. Ibrahim Idris, Director-General with the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Conference is a good opportunity for Ethiopia to promote its history, culture, language and heritages of the nation to the world. International Community Encouraged by President Kiir s Signature The international community welcomed the signature of the Negotiated and Revised Version of the Final Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict of the Republic of South Sudan by President Salva Kiir of South Sudan in Juba on August 26. President Kiir s signature came ten days after Riek Machar, leader of the SPLM-in- Opposition and Pagan Amun, representing the former detainees had signed the agreement on August 17 in Addis Ababa. President Kiir, however, noting he had a number of reservations about the agreement, insisted on further consultations with his advisers in Juba before signing. Shortly before he signed, President Kiir, speaking at a ceremony, said that he would sign despite all those reservations that we have. He said he had accepted the peace deal because the country had a choice of either giving a chance to peace or of continuing war despite the aspirations of the people of South Sudan. The signature of this final element for the peace deal was witnessed by IGAD Chairperson, Ethiopia s Prime Minister, Hailemarian Desalegn; Uganda s President, Yoweri Museveni; Kenya s President Uhuru Kenyatta,; and Sudan s First Vice President, Bakari Hassan. Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn welcoming the signing of the agreement, saying This is the day the people of South Sudan have been waiting 20 months for. Uganda s President Yoweri Museveni said that "This was not a just war, it was an unjust war. It was a wrong war, at a wrong place, at a wrong time -- and the sooner you finish it the better. Kenya s President Uhuru Kenyatta said that this was a happy day that marked the commitment to end the war, adding that this will open the door for South Sudan to continue its search for prosperity. President Kenyatta, affirming Kenya s willingness to stand by the side of the people of South Sudan, said this would allow the region to stand together for the prosperity of all. President Kenyatta urged the parties to understand that the battlefield should not be the way to fix the South Sudan problem, calling on leaders to opt for peace so that they can negotiate their misunderstandings. The President, detailing the suffering of the people, 5

6 stressed that the parties should be guided not by finger pointing but by the spirit of reconciliation. He also said that the region was keen to witness genuine peace and unity for the people of South Sudan. The region, he emphasized, had a firm determination to work with the leaders to find a lasting solution to South Sudan. In a statement, UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki- Moon reiterated that this was a critical and necessary step towards ending the 20 month-long conflict. Recognizing IGAD s role in the peace process, the Secretary-General commended the IGAD-led mediation for its tireless efforts to bring the peace talks to a successful conclusion. The Secretary General also said that he had been encouraged by the unity of purpose that regional leaders have displayed in seeking an end to this tragic conflict, adding that their continued positive engagement remains essential to the achievement of lasting peace in South Sudan. (A Week in the Horn) Business and Economy Japanese Company to Hold Coffee Quality Contest in Ethiopia The Japanese UCC Ueshima Coffee Ltd. Company announced that it would organize coffee quality contest in Ethiopia in the middle of March, At a press conference he held here in Addis Ababa, Director of Supply-Chain Management Department of UCC Ueshima, Tetsuya Seki, said we would like to hold the first contest in Africa and enhance the relationship between UCC and Ethiopia. The philosophy of UCC Coffee Quality Contest is supporting coffee farmers, according to the director. The contest would promote exchanges in local communities and provide opportunities to participate in seminars for technology improvement in the cultivation and sorting process, Tetsuya said, adding that winning the awards will bring honor to the producers too. Besides, the quality of coffee will be raised through the competition and the value of the coffee will increase and more sales opportunities will be created and the income of farmers will increase, the director elaborated. The company is reportedly targeting about 24,000 producers from Sidama Zone. Of these, six producers will be chosen. The coffee of the winner producers will be purchased by UCC with a premium of 10 to 30 percent added on the regular prices, he pointed out, adding that this will make a win-win relationship between the two countries. 6

7 Japanese Ambassador to Ethiopia, Kazuhiro Suzuki, said on his part this contest will create opportunity in agro-processing industry and technology transfer in areas of coffee production and manufacturing. He said I am sure that it also provides good opportunities to improve export of coffee in Ethiopia as well as to expand Ethiopian coffee market globally. Ethiopia s Ambassador to Japan, Markos Tekle said this contest will contribute to promote and improve the quality of Ethiopian coffee at international level. The ambassador asked UCC to invest in coffee production in Ethiopia. UCC has been holding coffee quality contest in Asian and South American countries. (ENA) Tourism and Culture Ethiopia Said to have Potential for Ecotourism: Researcher Ethiopia has the potential to earn more than 20 billion birr annually from eco-tourism, a researched said. In countries such as Morocco and South Africa that earn huge revenue from tourism, 10 percent of the income is obtained from eco-tourism, he added. Neighboring countries Kenya and Uganda also secure up to one billion USD annually from ecotourism. A researcher with the Ethiopian Wild Life Conservation Authority, Mihret Ewnetu told that Ethiopia, which is endowed with diverse tourist attractions, earns only 60 million birr annually from eco-tourism. Though the country has at least 16 types of endemic bird species other the other resources, the revenue it earns from eco-tourism is too low, the researcher indicated. According to him, lack of sufficient promotional work in the sector is attributed to the low performance. Insufficient activity in promoting the expanded new and old tourist attractions has also limited the earning of the nation, he pointed out. The number of tourists visiting Ethiopia has jumped over 1 million annually and activities are underway to achieve the plan to increase the figure to over 6 million within the coming five years. (ENA) ICAO Secretary General Visits Ethiopia Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Dr. Fang Liu expressed her admiration for Ethiopia's efforts to modernize its aviation industry. While discussing with Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde Gebremariam, Dr. Liu said that 7

8 Ethiopia's success in ensuring aviation safety is something other African airliners need to share. The secretary general paid a visit to Ethiopia's civil aviation academy, the Ethiopian Airlines and other facilities. She expressed her admiration for how far the Ethiopian Airlines goes to modernize its service through massive investment in building Africa s largest civil aviation academy and other facilities. Dr. Liu said this huge investment to capacity building manifests Ethiopian government s commitment for the modernization of the sector. The secretary general noted that Ethiopian Airlines is in the right way to achieve its vision of becoming the best airliner in Africa.Ensuring aviation safety is needed to be a priority among African airliners and admires the distance Ethiopian Airlines has gone to ensure safety. Due to the vastness of the continent and its poor road transport linkage, African countries need to work to make air transport the driving force of the continent s economic growth, she said. Ethiopian Airlines' CEO Tewolde Gebremariam on his part said that the visit of the Secretary General manifests the recognition ICAO has given to Africa's civil aviation industry. The CEO said as the leading airliner in Africa and owner of the largest civil aviation academy in the continent, it is precise for the Secretary General to give priority and visit Ethiopia in her first visit to Africa in her capacity.tewolde said ICAO's last week center of excellence award given for Ethiopian Civil Aviation Academy coupled with the Secretary General's visit, is a great recognition for Ethiopia's civil aviation industry. Director General of Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority Colonel Wosenyeleh Hunegnaw said the visit will enable the organization to know Ethiopia s aviation safety level and the progress the industry has registered over the past years. The Director said the country is making extensive investments to increase its aviation safety. The Secretary General, during her two-day stay in Ethiopia, visited Ethiopian Civil Aviation Academy, and maintenance and other facilities at the Ethiopian Airlines. (ENA) Follow us Ethiopia, in this regard, has managed to make the air transport stimulate its economic growth and efforts towards poverty eradication. Saying that ICAO closely monitors the activities of Ethiopian Airlines, she reiterated commitment of her organization to extend support to Ethiopian. mbassy.ottawa 8