Ethiopian gov’t refutes claims of politicized aid

20 October 2010

Addis Ababa, October 20, 2010 (Addis Ababa) - The Ethiopian government rejected the allegations made by Human Rights Watch saying the government politicizes the use of development aid in any shape or form or that it has misused any of the development aid so generously provided by the international community.

According to a statement the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent to ENA on Wednesday, the allegations made by Human Rights Watch simply do not reflect reality.

The statement said in January this year, the Development Assistance Group, a 26 aid agency consortium in Ethiopia, investigated similar allegations.

Its report found that safeguards for donor programs were largely working well, that the programs were achieving results and the monitoring mechanisms were sufficient, the statement said.

Ethiopia is currently achieving considerable success in development. It has reached four of the Millennium Development Goals and is on track for two more.

The government has been and remains entirely committed to transparency in its dealings with the international community and with aid donors on the basis of mutual trust and responsibility, and of accountability and transparency.

The statement said it is impossible to believe from its latest report that these are principles to which Human Rights Watch is prepared to adhere to in any genuine manner.

It is, therefore, hardly surprising that Human Rights Watch should try to threaten the provision of development aid to Ethiopia. Indeed, this would appear to be an attempt by Human Rights Watch gratuitously to blackmail the international community as part of its ongoing vendetta against the government of Ethiopia, the statement said...(Mofa)