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From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Fri Apr 16 2010 - 07:36:03 EDT
<http://www.ethiopianreview.com/content/27573> Declaration of the Horn of
Africa Conference
April 16th, 2010 |
Source: http://www.ethiopianreview.com/content/27573
Virginia Declaration of the Conference on Good Governance, Peace, Security
and Sustainable Development in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa
A three day conference on Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa, which was
organized by two civil society organizations- Advocacy for Ethiopia (AFE)
and Ethiopian National Priorities Consultative Process (ENPCP), and
sponsored by Trans Africa Forum and Africa Action, was successfully held in
Crystal City, Virginia, from April 9 to 11, 2010. The participation of
several hundreds of Ethiopians, experts, scholars from the United States and
Europe, men and women of the Arts, former diplomats and leaders of civic
organizations, with Honorable Ana Gomes of the European Parliament, speaking
over the telephone from the Sudan, made the conference rich and unique. The
conference addressed broad themes of good governance, conflict, civil
society and development in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa, and has adopted
the following roadmap:
ALARMED by the escalation of ethnic and religious polarization, active and
latent conflicts in Ethiopia and Somalia, further endangering the livelihood
of millions of people and disturbing international peace, and the total
absence of a freely elected and accountable governance system in the region;
DEEPLY CONCERNED by the political, economic and social policies implemented
by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi in the last 19 years, which has failed to
make maximum use of the catalytic roles of the donor community's commitment
for good governance, building national consensus, and boosting productivity
and alleviating endemic poverty;
NOTING WITH DISAPPOINTMENT that, despite the unabated generous aid flows
estimated at $25 billion to $30 billion since 1991, almost all of the
credible international economic and governance indices rank Ethiopia at the
tail end of world development, to the extent that the country, by the end of
2009, had an estimated 5 million orphans and 13-14 million or 16 percent of
the country's population being identified as dependent on international food
aid. Notwithstanding these, the government unashamedly claims double digit
economic growth and success in the alleviation of poverty;
RECONGNIZING with dismay that Ethiopia will be entering the next election
without adequate preparation, and more importantly, under a cloud of
impunity, relentless human rights violations, vigilantism, and the
incarceration of political leaders like Ms. Birtukan Mideksa and others,
while at the same time the ruling party uses federal and foreign aid funds
to recruit youth supporters, all these being done with the intent of
building a single-party state.
NOW THEREFORE, We, the AFE and ENPCP, together with the broad cross-section
of Ethiopian participants of the three days conference:
1.1 Have agreed that the quagmires that Ethiopia finds itself are by and
large a result of the 19 years of poor political leadership of Prime
Minister Meles Zenawi and his TPLF/EPRDF party. We strongly believe that
neither peace nor development can be achieved and sustained while Ato Meles
Zenawi is in power. Hence, he must immediately exit the Ethiopian political
scene, preferably peacefully.
1.2 We call upon all political parties, including the TPLF/EPRDF, to convene
an all inclusive National Conference for Peace and Reconciliation, with a
view to establishing a Transitional Government of National Unity that
prepares the country for an unfettered free and fair election.
1.3. Call on the Ethiopian people to continue their valiant struggle for
peace, democracy and respect for the rule of law. We urge all Ethiopians to
continue to resist the divide and rule policies of the regime; we also
admire the resistance of the Ethiopian people against religious extremism.
1.4 Call upon the Ethiopian people inside the country and in the Diaspora to
support and stand with forces that celebrate our diversity while trying to
cement the foundations of a united country. We specifically call on all
Ethiopians who are being forcefully recruited by the ruling party to side
with the people and refuse to engage in any action that may be harmful to
their brothers and sisters.
1.5 Commend and applaud opposition parties, civic organizations and their
leaders for the work they do under difficult circumstances, and call upon
them to create unity, coordinate their efforts, form unbreakable coalitions,
and prepare for pre and post election scenarios.
1.6 Call upon the Ethiopian Diaspora to rise to the challenges and provide
material, moral and intellectual support to forces that are committed to
advancing good governance and democracy in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa.
1.7 Call for the convening of civil society organizations with a view to
establishing strong rights advocacy networks that can better express the
voice of the voiceless, and the causes of the people of Ethiopia and the
Horn of Africa.
1.8 Encourage all Ethiopians to vote for a party that stands for democracy,
good governance, unity, and at the same time support democratic forces that
stand to defend and protect their votes.
1.9 Call on Ethiopian Americans to use their voting rights to influence U.S.
policies towards Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa.
1.10 Call upon the citizens of Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa to respect
and defend the rights of women and children.
1.11 Agreed to establish a working group and broaden the breadth and scope
of this declaration so that other stakeholders could join the process in
taking the roadmap into action.
2.0 To the TPLF/EPRDF
2.1 Condemn the relentless human rights violations, extrajudicial killings,
persecutions and crimes against humanity committed by the TPLF/EPRDF
security forces in Addis Ababa, Arba Gugu, Bedeno, Gambella, Hadiya, Hawasa,
Ogden, Oromia, and other parts of Ethiopia, and demand that those
responsible be held accountable and brought to justice without delay.
2.2 Call for the abandonment of the use of the anti-terrorist and civil
society laws as smokescreens to suppress dissent and deny Ethiopians their
fundamental economic, social and political freedoms.
2.3 Join human rights organizations, parliamentarians, governments and the
Ethiopian people in demanding for the immediate and unconditional release of
Ms. Birtukan Mideksa and all other political prisoners.
2.4 Demand that the top brass as well as the rank and file of the Ethiopian
military properly reflect the ethnic and religious diversity of the
Ethiopian people, and the army's size, shape, capability and doctrine be
improved.
2.5. Demand that the TPLF/EPRDF ceases its manipulation of the electoral
process by using federal and donor funds, political party controlled funds,
sheltered employment, land and fertilizer.
2.6 Call upon the TPLF/EPRDF and the House of Peoples Representatives to
initiate a constitutional reform in accordance to the will of the people,
and define a term limit for the office of the Prime Minister.
27 Urge the TPLF/EPRDF to desist from blocking the Ethiopian people from
having access to information. We condemn the government's blocking of the
Internet, the jamming of the Voice of America, and the muzzling of the local
media.
2.8. Call upon the TPLF/EPRDF to revisit its opaque long-term farmland
leases to foreign investors, which we know is dispossessing citizens from
the lands and waters on which they depend to survive. We demand the
setting-up of an independent expert group, with the full participation of
local communities, in order to assess the costs and benefits and ecological
as well as social risks of farmland leases to foreign investors. We believe
that some of the land leases have the potential to change the geopolitical
equation of the region. We also demand that the TPLF/EPRDF discloses all the
details of the contracts to the general public.
2.9 Demand that the government discloses the purpose and nature of the
ongoing border negotiation with the Sudan, and that TPLF/EPRDF refrains from
once again abrogating Ethiopia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
2.10 Demand the immediate repeal of the charities and societies, media, and
the anti terrorism proclamations.
2.11 Demand that political party owned and "endowed" companies be urgently
reformed.
3.0 To the people of the Horn of Africa:
3.1 We believe that our similarities and connectedness far outweigh our
differences. Let peace and stability and democracy shine in our region.
Let's try our level best so that our wounds heal.
3.2 We encourage the continuation of the relationship that has recently been
started by scholars from Eritrea and Ethiopia, and hope that such
conversations would lead to new beginning which will be mutually beneficial
to the brotherly peoples of Eritrea and Ethiopia. Everyone knows that
Eritrea and Ethiopia are invariably linked by history, religion, culture,
economy, and security. It is thus costly and wasteful for both to maintain
the status quo.
3.3 We encourage free and fair elections in all of the countries of the Horn
of Africa. We wish success to the people of the Sudan in the ongoing
election, and in the implementation of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace
Agreement.
3.4 We encourage the international community and the people of Somalia to
work together in finding solutions to the complex problems of the country.
4. To the Diplomatic and Donor Community:
4.1 We urge all donor countries, particularly the Government of the United
States, especially President Barak Obama to live up to the statements that
he has made about Africa. We urge the U.S. not to use double standards. We
believe the blind eye afforded to Prime Minster Meles Zenawi by the United
States has resulted in strengthening repression in Ethiopia. We, therefore,
demand a thorough review of the United States' policy towards Ethiopia and
the Horn of Africa.
4.2 We call on the Government of China to desist from assisting the
Ethiopian Government's anti democratic practices, particularly in providing
technical support to block the Internet and the jamming of radio broadcasts.
We also call upon the Government of China to make trade mutually beneficial.
4.3 We call upon the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to
attend to the call for the investigation of crimes against humanity in
Ethiopia.
4.4 We call upon the United States, the United Kingdom and European Union to
investigate whether tax payers' money collected during the 1984/85 in
Ethiopia has indeed been used for strengthening the TPLF's Red Army.
4.5 Let it be known that we condemn and oppose, in the strongest possible
terms, all forms of extremism and terrorism.
Crystal City Virginia, United States of America, April 11, 2010.
E-mail: HornofAfricaGPS@gmail.com
Website: www.advocacyforethiopia.org