News in Brief
Presidents of Djibouti and Sudan make official visits to Ethiopia
Progress report on implementation of the South Sudan peace agreement
Two years as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (Part 1)
Ethiopia joins 163 nations in adopting the Global Compact on Migration
The 3rd Ethiopia-Canada Business and Investment Forum held in Canada
Government redoubling efforts to ensure safety and wellbeing of Ethiopian migrants
News in Brief
Africa and the African Union
As one of the A-3 non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, Ethiopia started its two-year term Security Council on 1st January 2017. It ends on 31st December 2018, having played an important role during a time of almost unprecedented challenges to the multilateral system. (See article)
Ethiopia
President Sahle-Work Zewde, attending the celebration of the 13th Nations, Nationalities, and People’s Day at the Addis Ababa stadium on Saturday, December 8 along with the Speaker of the House of People’s Representatives, Tagesse Chafo and Speaker of the House of Federation, Keria Ibrahim, called on all Ethiopians to unite and work together.
Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed was joined by President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan and President Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti in Jimma on Saturday (December 8).The three leaders held talks on issues of common interest as part of their regular consultations and exchanges.(See article)
Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed met and held discussions with Addis-based European ambassadors on Friday (December 14).According to Office of the Prime Minister-Ethiopia , the ambassadors welcomed the progressive steps taken over the past months in Ethiopia under the new leadership. The ambassadors particularly commended the opening up of the political and media spaces, and expressed their admiration regarding the role Ethiopia is playing to bring stability and integration in the region. Noting the positive changes taking shape, members of the European Union and non-EU member countries equally confirmed their sustained partnership with Ethiopia.
Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed met Mr. Borge Brende, President of the World Economic Forum on Friday last week (December 7). Mr. Brende, who also met Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu, invited the Prime Minister to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos next month.
State Minister Dr. Markos Tekle attended the three-day Intergovernmental Conference to adopt the Global Compact of Migration in Marrakech this week. (See article)
The 3rd Ethiopia-Canada Business and Investment Forum was held on Tuesday (December 11) in Toronto, Canada, co-organized by the Embassy of Ethiopia in Ottawa, WAFA Marketing and Promotion and Mine Africa. The official delegations were led by Ethiopia’s State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. AkliluHailemichael, and Canada’s delegation by Mr. Jean-Philippe Linteau, Director of Clean Technology, Infrastructure, Climate Finance and Life Sciences, of Global Affairs. Representatives from more than 80 Canadian companies attended. (See article)
Ethiopia and Norway held their 2nd Political Consultation on Wednesday (December 12) in Addis Ababa. They underlined expanding bilateral cooperation, deepening political consultation, enhancing trade and investment, and boosting partnership on climate change. Director-General Morch Smith, of the Regional Department of Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stressed: “Ethiopia continues to be the anchor of peace and stability in the region”.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was repatriating 2400 Ethiopians from Saudi Arabia this week. Nine hundred of these were people released after successful negotiations with the Government of Saudi Arabia for clemency. Another 1500 were newly arrived immigrants to Saudi Arabia.(See article)
Ethiopia and the World Bank signed a $100-million loan agreement to finance implementation of the Resilient Landscapes and Livelihoods Project on Saturday (December 8).
Djibouti
Air Djibouti announced at the weekend that it was going to start flying to Nairobi, Khartoum, Cairo, Jeddah and Dubai next month. It currently flies to Dire Dawa and Addis Ababa, Aden, and Mogadishu, Hargeisa and Bossaso.
Eritrea
President Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea arrived on Thursday for his first-ever official visit to Somalia, heading a delegation which included Foreign Minister Osman Saleh and Presidential Adviser, Yemane Gebreab. His visit was described as “part and parcel of the consultative Tripartite Summits of the Heads of State and Government of Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia.”
Kenya
President Uhuru Kenyatta met with US Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, Ambassador Tibor Nagy on Friday (December 7) to discuss regional peace and security. Ambassador Nagy praised Kenya for playing an active role in ensuring peace and stability in the region.
In a teleconference on Thursday (December 6) before he left Kenya, Ambassador Nagy, who earlier visited Ethiopia, Djibouti and Eritrea, said he was very encouraged by what he had seen in the region and the positive changes going on.
Somalia
Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khayre made a two-day official visit to Qatar this week, holding talks and discussing bilateral tries.
Marking International Anti-Corruption Day on Sunday (December 9), Federal Minister of Justice and Judiciary Affairs, Hassan Hussein Haji, signed a Project Initiation Plan with the UN Development Programme to combat corruption and reinforce.
The IMF said on Tuesday that it expected Somalia’s GDP to reach 3.1% in 2018 up from 2.3% last year as it recovered from the 2016–17 drought. It expected inflation to fall to 3.5% this year, down from 5.5% in 2016.
The EU Council, on Monday (December 10) extended the mandate of the EU capacity-building mission in Somalia, EUCAP Somalia, until 31 December 2020. EUCAP includes EUNAVFOR Operation ATALANTA for fighting piracy and EUTM Somalia to provide political and military advice.
South Sudan
The Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (R-JMEC) held its second meeting in Juba on Wednesday (December 12) to discuss with stakeholders its “Progress Report on the Status of Implementation of the R-ARCSS” over the past three months, part of the pre-transitional efforts to implement South Sudan’s peace agreement. (See article)
Sudan
President Omer al-Bashir left for a three-day visit to Belarus at the invitation of Belarus President, Alexander Lukashenko, on Sunday (December 9). He opened a Sudan embassy in Minsk and discussed expanding economic cooperation as well as signing a number of agreements and MoUs to activate the bilateral cooperation.
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Presidents of Djibouti and Sudan make official visits to Ethiopia
President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan and President Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti arrived in Jimma in south-west Ethiopia on Saturday (December 8) for an official visit. They were welcomed on arrival at Jimma’s Abba Jiffar International Airport, by Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed, Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen and other senior Government officials. Their visit to Ethiopia followed invitations from Prime Minister Dr. Abiy when he met the two presidents earlier in Djibouti in August and in Khartoum in September when making his first visits to their respective countries. During those visits, the leaders agreed to further elevate and cement the already-existing all-round, multi-dimensional relations already existing as well as give impetus to the actual realization of fast economic integration in the Horn of Africa, a concept well-articulated a few years earlier. Last weekend’s tripartite meeting was a part of regular consultations now being held on issues of common interest among leaders of the countries of the region.
During the official visit last weekend, Prime Minister Dr, Abiy Ahmed, President Omar al-Bashir and President Ismail Omar Guelleh inaugurated the Jimma Industrial Park on Saturday December 8. The Park, dedicated to textile and garment production, was built on 1.5 million square meters of land at a cost of 61 million US dollars. The three leaders also launched the construction of the 79 km Jimma-Agaro-Dedesa road project, to be built at a cost of 1.37 billion birr.
Prime Minister Dr. Abiy said that the two development projects showcased Ethiopia’s strong commitment to transform Jimma and its surroundings by creating and expanding industrialization. The Jimma Industrial Park, built by the China Communications Construction Company, is expected to host investors in light manufacturing sectors, mainly agro-processing, textiles and apparel. The park, which has nine manufacturing sheds, aims to attract foreign investors to Ethiopia’s agro-processing sector. Inaugurating the park, the Prime Minister said it would help the Western Ethiopia zone to become one of Ethiopia’s industrial powerhouses. The Jimma Industrial Park’s strategic location as a source of Ethiopia’s major natural resources, including the major export commodity of coffee, would benefit the local community as well as the economy in general.
During their time in Jimma, the three leaders also visited the Jimma Cultural Centre, where they launched the start of the construction of the Al-Bashir Cultural Centre; and the “Saka (Saqaa) Water Fall” on the edge of the city. They inaugurated a medical center and hospital at Jimma University and attended a student graduation ceremony.
The discussions between President al-Bashir and President Guelleh and the Prime Minister aimed at further strengthening already existing friendly relations and considering the wider implications of regional peace and development. The peoples of Sudan, Ethiopia and Djibouti share a common heritage, languages, cultures and traditions. The interconnectedness is underlined by their joint march towards an economic union blessed with permanent fraternal links and the strong bonds of people naturally and historically linked, and with relations based on trust and a win-win approach. It offers a model for other countries in the region.
The resumption of relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea, the recent trilateral meeting of the Presidents of Eritrea and Somalia with Prime Minister Dr. Abiy, and now the visit of the Presidents of Sudan and Djibouti, will certainly help to create more stability, furthering the diplomatic thaw between the countries of the region. It will also pave the way for a greater contribution towards regional stabilization through integration in various bilateral and regional sectors, including the regional body, IGAD.
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Progress report on implementation of the South Sudan peace agreement
The Revitalized Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) produced its fourth progress and status report on implementation of the Revitalized South Sudan Peace Agreement at the beginning of the week. Chaired by its interim chair, Lt. General Njoroge, the RJMEC noted overall progress in terms of implementing the peace agreement and of establishing institutions and mechanisms. It emphasized the need to expedite establishment of the other commissions and called for financial support from partners for the implementation of the peace agreement. The RJMEC made it clear there had been delays in disengagement of forces, in the release of all political detainees, the demobilization of child soldiers, and in soldiers vacating civilian buildings. While there has been a reduction of violence across the country, one exception to this has been the report of the alleged rape of about 138 women around Bentiu in December. The CTSAMVM and the government are both carrying out investigations. There have also been continued clashes between opposition forces and provocative actions by government troops around Wau in Greater Bahr El Ghazal.
The Commission heard reports from various Commissions and Boards which have now agreed to hold future meetings in Juba. Following assurances by the Transitional Government of National Unity, a number of opposition members have returned to Juba. The Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring Mechanism (CTSAMVM) has seen considerable progress including the joint field visits of the military commanders of armed groups. It noted significant progress on the establishment of the security institutions with the exception of the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Committee.
On the political aspects of the Peace Agreement, positive developments have included the freeing of some high-level political prisoners. There have been meetings of the National Pre-Transitional Committee (NPTC) and establishment of its five sub-committees, each chaired by one of the parties’ signatory to the Peace Agreement. The Committee is working on a roadmap and budget requirements for the implementation of the peace agreement. Cabinet Affairs Minister Dr. Martin Lomoro called for the financial support of partners as the government has opened a national account assuring donors on financial accountability. UNMISS deputy Special Representative, Moustafa Soumare, acknowledged encouraging developments such as the completion of the draft constitutional amendment, as well as noting clashes between government and opposition forces in Wau, Unity, Western Bahr El Ghazal and Jonglei, all of which violated the ceasefire agreement. The National Constitutional Amendment Committee (NCAC), which has now moved its meetings to Juba and is fully engaged in incorporating the Revitalized Agreement into the Transitional Constitution.
The RJMEC commended the IGAD Special Envoy and all the parties for the progress over the Security Arrangement Mechanisms. It called on the leadership of the opposition SSOA and its members to resolve their differences. It thanked the Government of Japan for its support to the NPTC and to IGAD. It reiterated its call to the IGAD office of the Special Envoy to expedite the formation of the Independent Boundary Commission and the Technical Boundary Committee. It instructed the RJMEC Chair to ask IGAD to clarify the timeframe for these institutions. In a resolution, the RJMEC insisted on the importance of observing the ceasefire across the whole of the country, and called on the Special Envoy to persuade the non-signatory groups to the agreement to observe this. The next RJMEC monthly meeting will be held in the third week of January.
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Two years as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (Part 1)
Ethiopia started its two-year term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council on 1st January 2017. It ends on 31st December 2018 and South Africa will join the Security Council to represent Africa alongside Cote D’Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea.
In these two years, the world has faced unprecedented peace and security problems and the multilateral international system has been under enormous pressure in many respects. Indeed, in terms of threats to international peace and security, the Council has witnessed tensions not seen since the end of the Cold War. Before it joined the Security Council, Ethiopia emphasized its understanding that the United Nations alone could no longer handle the peace and security challenges the world is facing. In the spirit of chapter VII of the UN Charter, it strongly advocated for greater strategic coherence between regional mechanisms and the United Nations in addressing these challenges. Ethiopia also strongly believed in the relevance and vital importance of multilateralism and of the need for it to be reinforced. This, it underlined, was also in Ethiopia’s national interest. Equally, preventive diplomacy should be strongly encouraged in line with the closer coordination being forged between regional organizations such as the AU and the UN. The strengthening of the role of UN Peacekeeping operations was another area to which Ethiopia has given priority throughout its work in the Security Council.
In line with these aims and hopes, Ethiopia has tried to be a strong voice for Africa, reflecting the common position of Africa in various matters of peace and security that have arisen across the continent during this period, and with some success. In recognition of the valuable and useful role Ethiopia has been able to achieve, the AU Peace and Security Council at its 814th meeting, held on 5 December 2018, said: “Council commended the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia for the important and exemplary role it played during its tenure, championing, promoting and defending the African common positions and concerns within the UN Security Council decision -making process.”
Ethiopia’s two-year tenure in the Security Council witnessed major conflicts that had and still have far-reaching consequences in the global peace and security environment and architecture. The Council was forced to involve itself very closely to prevent conflicts before they spread or try to resolve them through various means as well as in efforts to sustain peace and peacebuilding endeavours in the aftermath of conflict. In 2017, the Security Council held 296 meetings, adopted 61 resolutions and issued 27 presidential statements. It considered 52 agenda items, dispatched five missions to the field, three to Africa and two to the Americas, and established a new sanctions regime in connection with the situation in Mali. In 2018, up until mid-December, the Council held 264 meetings and adopted 48 resolutions. It made one major field visit to Africa in 2018, to the Democratic Republic of Congo. All these meetings required Ethiopia’s close engagement at various levels and its official positions were reflected through prepared remarks as well as in contributions made in the conduct of negotiations and other activities.
The Council sent its first mission in 2017 to the countries of the Lake Chad basin region, namely Cameroon, Chad, the Niger and Nigeria. During the second mission, in September 2017, the Council visited Ethiopia for the 11th annual joint consultative meeting between the members of the United Nations Security Council and the Peace and Security Council of the African Union at the Headquarters of the African Union, in Addis Ababa. At that meeting, there was discussion on the situations in Somalia, South Sudan and the Lake Chad basin. This mission was the first stand-alone visit by the members of the Security Council to the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa. It was significant in terms of strengthening the partnership and enhancing cooperation between the two Councils. The third mission was to the Sahel region and comprised visits to Mali, Mauritania and Burkina Faso, in October, to assess the operationalization of the Joint Force of the Group of Five for the Sahel. The Council saw evidence of great determination among regional actors in the Sahel to overcome security challenges through deployment of the regional force. Ethiopia co-led the mission with France and Italy.
Over the past two years. Ethiopia has considered it an obligation to defend the positions of Africa and the African Union on matters of peace and security on the continent, on the basis of the decisions taken by the African Union, the AU Peace and Security Council and the continent’s regional mechanisms. It made sure it had a close working environment with other African representatives in the Council, activating the A-3 mechanism (there are three non-permanent African representatives on the Council) and establishing good working relations. As a result, the A-3 have been able to speak with one voice on a number of occasions, to jointly table draft resolutions and coordinate as much as practically possible, aligning their positions on a range of issues. We would also note Ethiopia took the lead, partnering with Sweden in facilitating the adoption of resolution 2439 (2018) on the Ebola outbreak in the DRC.
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Ethiopia joins 163 nations in adopting the Global Compact on Migration
State Minister Dr. Markos Tekle led the Ethiopian delegation to the Intergovernmental Conference to adopt the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration hosted by the Government of Morocco this week in Marrakech (December 10-11). 164 of the 193 members of the United Nations have now adopted the Global Compact which includes 23 distinct objectives and nearly two hundred actions to achieve these objectives which include protecting the lives, security and human rights of all migrants; strengthening measures to combat trafficking, improving migration management and regular migration pathways; gathering and disseminating information; promoting productive employment and entrepreneurship opportunities in urban and rural areas of origin, especially for young women and men; unlocking the potential of migration for inclusive development; and addressing the drivers of migration as well as ways to facilitate safe and dignified returns and reintegration.
It needs action at multiple levels, from the global to local, and national and sub-national auctions will be key to many of the goals. The Compact is the culmination of 18 months of intense negotiations to forge common grounds and UN Secretary-General António Guterres pointed out this was now the beginning of an “era of implementation” in international cooperation on migration governance. Agreement on the Compact is a major success for multilateral diplomacy and a clear sign of the collective will to support safe, orderly and regular migration. So the conference was an opportunity to see practical efforts to implement the Compact; identify ways to carry out the Compact in line with implementation of the SDGs; and discuss what can be achieved before the first International Migration Review Forum in 2022.
State Minister Dr. Markos stressed the Compact represented a commitment of all actors towards international cooperation, solidarity with migrants who often find themselves in the receiving end of many challenges and dedication to maximize the positive contribution of Migration to the development of origin, transit and destination countries. He said implementation of the Compact should give priority to supporting developing countries to build capacity for building a comprehensive policy and strong national coordination mechanisms. Countries like Ethiopia, he said, should be supported to mainstream the Compact in their national development plans and put in place the necessary tools for implementation. Dr Markos said a stronger role should be given to regional and sub-regional organizations as building blocks for regional integration and share in implementation.
The State Minister referred to challenge Ethiopia faced as a major labour-source for the Gulf countries and called for a platform for dialogue between sending and receiving countries to improve working conditions of migrant workers and ensure their rights were observed. He called for increased investment on youth employment to stem irregular migration and human trafficking. Ethiopia, he said, believed increasing employment opportunities at home should be supported by efforts at promoting circular migration in safe, regular and orderly way.
Dr. Markos also met with Simon Mordue Deputy Director- General of Migration and Home Affairs of the European Union on the margins of the conference. Dr. Markos underlined the impact of the changes in Ethiopia for regional peace, stability and integration. He pointed out the importance of creating economic opportunities to prevent youth from falling prey to traffickers and detailed Ethiopia’s efforts in job creation through labour-intensive light manufacturing and the building industrial zones. He called on the EU to intensify its support to Ethiopia in job creation and for return and reintegration of migrants. Mr. Mordue emphasized the EU’s desire to collaborate with Ethiopia in return and reintegration, and in fighting human trafficking. He underlined the EU’s plan to pilot ‘circulation migration’, allowing citizens from origin countries to come to European countries and return home after working for a specific period. He said the EU would support Ethiopia in realizing the commitments in the Global Compact on Migration.
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The 3rd Ethiopia-Canada Business and Investment Forum held in Canada
The 3rd Ethiopia-Canada Business and Investment Forum was held on Tuesday (December 11) in Toronto, Canada, co-organized by the Embassy of Ethiopia in Ottawa, WAFA Marketing and Promotion and MineAfrica. The official delegations were led by Ethiopia’s State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. AkliluHailemichael, and Canada’s delegation by Mr. Jean-Philippe Linteau, Director of Clean Technology, Infrastructure, Climate Finance and Life Sciences, of Global Affairs. Representatives from more than 80 Canadian companies attended.
Dr. Aklilu in a keynote speech underlining the all-round bilateral cooperation between Ethiopia and Canada and the investment opportunities and incentives that Ethiopia offered to foreign investors, urged Canadian companies to seize the opportunities available. He assured forum participants that the Government was committed to welcome and provide every support to investors. Mr. Linteau expressed the readiness of the Government of Canada to enhance the business relations between Canada and Ethiopia and assist Canadian companies interested to invest in Ethiopia. He emphasized the current political developments in Ethiopia and said the Canadian government fully supported these. Noting the recent bilateral consultations between the two countries and their agreement on the need to improve trade and investment by encouraging the private sector, he referred to a recent telephone conversation between the two Prime Ministers in which they promised to meet each other in the near future. He emphasized the Canadian government is in full support of the changes taking place in the country. He called on Canadian companies to explore the Trade and Investment opportunities in Ethiopia.
There were presentations of the investment opportunities available in Ethiopia and Zemedeneh Nigatu, Global Chairman of Fairfax Africa Fund, LLC, listed ten reasons for investing in Ethiopia: the growing economy, the demographic advantage of a large and youthful population, rapid urbanization, the growing manufacturing, infrastructure, huge untapped resources, agriculture, tourism, its strategic location and the trade advantages though COMESA, the EU and other bodies. A risk profile of Ethiopia categorized risks under five headings; political and security, foreign currency, financial, supply chain and evolving policy. It recommended potential investors to visit Ethiopia, develop contacts, engage in partnerships, joint ventures and utilize the services provided by the Canadian Trade Commission. It called on the Canadian Government to be more active in supporting Canadian investors in Ethiopia. A case study of Kefi Minerals’ Tulu Kapi Gold Project, described as a showcase of Canadian s investment in Ethiopia and expected to start production by 2020, was presented.
The presentations were followed by a Panel Discussion chaired by Dr. Aklilu Hailemichael, at which questions raised included problems related to foreign currency shortages and possible solutions, institution building, Ethiopia’s relations with Briton Wood Institutions, urban housing, technology transfer, support for small and medium size companies, and drivers to attract Canadian companies to infrastructure investment. Following the panel discussion, extensive business-to-business and business-to-government discussions and networking took place.
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Government redoubling efforts to ensure safety and wellbeing of Ethiopian migrants
The Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Meles Alem, in a press briefing on Thursday this week (December 13) emphasized the Government was redoubling its efforts to ensure safety and wellbeing of Ethiopian citizens living in the Middle East and other African countries. He noted the Ministry had issued Ethiopian passports to over 40, 000 unregistered Ethiopian nationals who had been stateless in other countries. In addition, 2,250 Ethiopians, released from Saudi Arabian jails following successful negotiations with the Government of Saudi Arabia had also been recently repatriated. Ethiopia is, of course, both a destination and a country of origin for migrants. Migration movements in the Horn of Africa are high, as people, mainly youth, flee poverty and unemployment in search of opportunities they believe will help them improve their lives. But with growing concern over the unofficial and irregular flow of Ethiopians and the conditions people face on journeys and at their destinations, migration has become a significant issue. Illegal recruitment and other factors lead many migrant workers to take risky journeys, leading to people suffering, abuse, exploitation and even deaths with female migrants most at risk.
To tackle this challenge, Prime Minister Dr. Abiy’s government has made great strides in recent months to protect and assist Ethiopian migrants especially those stranded and detained in the Middle East as well as making every effort to facilitate legal migration. In June, following the Prime Minister’s visit to Saudi Arabia, more than a thousand Ethiopians imprisoned for minor criminal activities were pardoned. Over the last week another 1,500 Ethiopians imprisoned for minor crimes in Saudi Arabia were pardoned, and the return of 900 returnees, detained at the Saudi Yemen border was facilitated. Over the last three months more than 1,350 Ethiopians have been assisted in or near Jizan to return to their homeland safely. The Office of International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Addis Ababa has also supported the voluntary return of 408 Ethiopians, including women and children from Sana’a, where they have been stranded in dangerous conditions. The Government and people of Ethiopia greatly appreciate the efforts of the IOM and the Government of Saudi Arabia for their support and clemency. Returnees are greeted and welcomed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and provided support on arrival by the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Women, Youth and Children, and other stakeholders.
The Government is, of course, also working hard to break the chains of human traffickers responsible for recruiting illegal migrants. The Deputy Prime Minister, Dr. Demeke Mekonnen, and his office has called on all stakeholders to take the necessary measures to stop Ethiopian travellers with tourist and other visas to labour-destination countries taking up jobs illegally. This has already brought about a significant reduction in illegal labour movement to the Middle East and other regions. The Government is also taking positive steps to assist legal labour movement. In cooperation with ILO, it has developed a draft model labour agreement. This is based on a standardized employment contract in line with international instruments to provide favourable and rights-based recruitment and employment conditions for Ethiopian migrant workers in key countries in the Middle East.
The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs is the responsible body for initiating and following up implementation of these bilateral labour agreements and/or memoranda of understanding. There is an ad hoc committee in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from the Directorates of for Legal Affairs and the Middle East, which follows up on bilateral agreements between Ethiopia and a number of Middle Eastern Countries. The role and responsibilities of labour attaches, being deployed to destination countries is being jointly worked out with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. This will certainly strengthen support and facilitation for migrants in t destination countries. Bilateral labour agreements have been signed between Ethiopia and three Middle Eastern Countries, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Jordan. A MoU is being negotiated between Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates, and with Lebanon. Drafts have been shared with Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain, and high-level delegations have opened negotiations to finalize similar agreements.
