Global conversations
This has been a fortnight of focus on Africa in London. It started with the Somalia Conference on 7 May in Lancaster House, following up the Somalia Conference of a year ago. The difference was that this time the Government of Somalia co-chaired the event and the agenda concentrated on its priorities. Feedback from those attending was hugely positive and substantial additional support to Somalia was promised by the International … Read more »Africa in London
Last month Ethiopians cast their ballots in the 2013 local elections. They were peaceful and according to the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) more than 90% of the 31 million registered voters took part on polling days, 14 and 21 April. Local elections here are for electing members of local government at zonal, sub-city, “woreda” (district) and “kebele”(neighbourhood) levels. In 2013 they also included elections for council members of … Read more »Local Elections 2013
Today we mark World Press Freedom Day. Twenty years ago, 3 May was declared a day to celebrate Press Freedom. Since then, the day has done much to raise awareness about the value of press freedom and freedom of speech. The theme this year is ‘Safe to Speak: Securing Freedom of Expression in all Media.’ The focus will be on the safety of journalists, combating impunity for crimes against freedom … Read more »Safe to Speak
Yesterday I met the members of Project Harar’s Surgical Mission to Ethiopia. It was really inspiring to learn about the project’s efforts to transform the lives of many young Ethiopian people with facial disfigurements – enabling them to smile, eat and lead normal lives, often for the first time. Many will be surprised to hear that Project Harar (founded by Jonathan Crown) has already worked in Ethiopia for close to … Read more »Giving Hope
We are hosting our Queen’s Birthday Party today, for many of our valued partners. And since it is 23rd April, we are at the same time marking the day of Saint George in many parts of the world, but also the anniversary of the birth and death of a great Englishman William Shakespeare. The standard of St George, patron saint of England, is flying over the Embassy today. And students from … Read more »“God for Harry! England and Saint George!”
Last year was a hugely significant year for Somalia. After two decades of civil war, the country took its first steps towards a new beginning. A new and more legitimate government is in place, and many Somalis are starting to think of a better future. The UK’s Minister for Africa, Mark Simmonds (MP) visited Ethiopia this week (Wednesday 10 April). His visit was designed to engage with Ethiopia and the … Read more »Somalia: a way forward
‘Tena Yistelign’ is the Ethiopian greeting that wishes people good health to people we don’t know very well. This cheerful greeting underlines the importance of having a healthy life. As we mark another World Health Day today, it is a reminder that having a healthy lifestyle is critical to being productive and contributing to the development of one’s nation. We need to couple our celebration of health with raising awareness … Read more »Cheers to Health
Today, we are celebrating annual International Women’s Day. This is an important occasion to raise awareness about women’s rights and to commemorate women who have fought for equality. (Something which I think of whenever I see the grave of Sylvia Pankhurst, campaigner for women’s suffrage in the UK, at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa.) Improving access to education for girls; eliminating gender based violence; and encouraging more female participation … Read more »‘A promise is a promise’
Today we mark International Day of Zero Tolerance of Female Genital Cutting/Mutilation (FGM). FGM has existed in the culture and tradition of many societies for many years, causing untold psychological and physical damage to young girls. On this day it is important that we shine a light on an issue which affects so many, and also highlight the global commitment to find effective ways to accelerate its elimination. FGM of … Read more »Respect for a woman’s body
The first weeks of 2013 were some of the busiest ever for our Embassy. Here are just a few of the highlights, which show the wide variety of our work. G8 1st January marked the start of the UK G8 Presidency, which I blogged about last week. We created a twitter account @G8 for anyone interested to get more information. Strengthening bilateral relations… Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom made his first … Read more »Busy January…