News: German Commissioner for Human Rights due in Ethiopia today
Addis Abeba – Luise Amtsberg, Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Assistance at the Federal Foreign Office, is traveling to Ethiopia from 11 to 14 April and subsequently to South Sudan from 14 to 16 April, the Foreign Office said.
In Ethiopia, meetings with civil society will be at the top of her agenda, including talks with human rights defenders and women’s rights organisations. She will also visit a women’s refuge that offers support to victims of sexual violence.
A gathering with representatives of humanitarian organizations will offer the Human Rights Commissioner the opportunity to gain a comprehensive overview of the current humanitarian situation. Her talks with the Ethiopian Government will focus in particular on Ethiopia’s efforts to establish a mechanism for transitional justice to address the human rights violations committed during the Tigray conflict.
The itinerary will be rounded off by a visit to a local project as well as talks with representatives of the African Union.
“Although the weapons have fallen silent in northern Ethiopia, the people there are still suffering. Efforts to address the human rights violations that have taken place are only just beginning. I am therefore traveling to Ethiopia, following the joint visit by Foreign Minister Baerbock and her French counterpart Catherine Colonna in mid-January, so that I can learn more about the progress of the peace process and the National Dialogue to address human rights violations, as well as the challenging situation facing women and girls in the country,” she said in a statement prior to her departure.
According to her, the German Government is interested in a serious expansion of its relations with Ethiopia and remains a reliable partner, including in the sphere of humanitarian assistance. In light of the devastating drought in the Horn of Africa, Germany’s humanitarian assistance efforts remain crucial. AS
