Ethiopia plans to change its status from wheat importer to self-sufficient producer and exporterScientists from India and Ethiopia have teamed up to develop a dry-climate wheat system, and in May, the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) and the Ethiopian government initiated an ambitious $94 million Climate Resilient Wheat Value Chain Development (CREW) project. They also toured a sodic and saline micro-seeding facility used for screening genotypes under desirable salinity and salinity stress. The Climate Resilient Wheat Value Chain Development (CREW) project has a total budget of US$94 million. The African Development Fund, part of the African Development Bank Group, is providing a grant of US$54 million. Tags: wheat, Ethiopia, food security

New York Times international editor Phil Pan sent out the following:She broke the news that the European Union had agreed to ban Russian oil. She got the global exclusive on how the European Union struck a deal with Pfizer for billions of Covid-19 vaccines. Throughout her time as Brussels bureau chief, Matina Stevis-Gridneff has churned out scoop after scoop. Now, we are thrilled to announce that she is bringing her investigative chops and beat reporting prowess to a new continent: She is our new Canada bureau chief. She broke news that the European Union was preparing to let vaccinated Americans enter the continent, at a time when travel was still banned because of the pandemic.

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“My country, Eritrea, has been a victim of illegal and unjust sanctions and it continues to endure unilateral coercive measures targeting its most critical sectors, including the economic and national security ones. The country is further sustaining illegal unilateral sanctions imposed by the US Administration. The crippling socio-economic effects of these illegal sanctions to the country’s developmental programs are indeed colossal. Mr. President,All forms of unilateral coercive measures must be immediately lifted and the injustices and damages endured by the affected nations need to be rectified. Against the globally agreed development goals underpinned by the motto of “leaving no one behind”, unilateral coercive measures attest to the contrary as they are impoverishing those in the Global South and widening the development gap.

Pics of the day: June 13, 2024Africanews focuses on the most striking images of the day's news.

(Photo: Benishangul-Gumuz Prosperity Party)Addis Abeba – The Benishangul-Gumuz regional government has formally declared the “successful conclusion” of peace agreements with the remaining elements of the Gumuz People’s Democratic Movement (GPDM) and the Benishangul People’s Liberation Movement (BPLM). In an official statement, Ashadli Hassan, President of the Benishangul-Gumuz region, acknowledged the positive impact of prior peace initiatives on regional stability. However, he emphasized the continued presence of certain GPDM and BPLM factions. We extend a warm welcome to any remaining rebel groups willing to participate in this peace process.”The recent agreement represents a significant step forward, following a series of peace deals signed between the regional government and various rebel groups. Following the successful conclusion of these agreements, the Benishangul-Gumuz regional government announced the peaceful surrender of armed members of the GPDM in the Mandura district of the Metekel Zone.

According to a recent report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, 594 incidents of human rights violations and abuses affecting 8,253 victims occurred in 2023. The report indicated that government forces were allegedly responsible for 70% of these violations, impacting 7,103 victims. (Photo: China Daily)Addis Abeba – A recent United Nations report has highlighted the troubling human rights situation in Ethiopia throughout 2023. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) released a 24-page report today, documenting 594 incidents of human rights violations and abuses affecting 8,253 victims over the past year. Following the declaration of a state of emergency on August 4, 2023, the report underscores a concerning rise in arbitrary arrests.

RELATED Egypt, Ethiopia trade blame as Nile dam talks fail MENANo way outThe file of the GERD has been handled over the years jointly by Egyptian intelligence agencies and the country's foreign ministry. In recent years, negotiations between Egypt and Sudan, on the one hand, and Ethiopia on the other, have reached a deadlock. "Had it not been for the Aswan High Dam, Egypt wouldn’t have managed to maintain planting [basic] crops," Sharaky said. In recent years, Sisi repeatedly hinted at going to war with Ethiopia, naming water a strategic "red line" and a "security threat." "International laws commit Ethiopia to present to the mainstream countries, Egypt and Sudan, detailed technical reports, which has never been the case," he noted.

"The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile River is the largest ever built in Africa and promises to transform Ethiopia\u2019s economy. But for countries downstream, like Egypt and Sudan, the dam is seen as a threat. Photo illustration: Rami Abukalam"

While some bills seem to be intended for consolidating political power and bolstering security measures to protect the government’s power, others seem to be intended for preventing crimes. The latest one that was transferred to the parliament is a bill that gives power to the Minister for Justice or the Minister’s representatives to freeze assets for three business says. According to the BBC Amharic report, published on Thursday, the draft bill indicated that the asset freeze order would be given if the Ministry believes that the asset to be frozen could flee the country or lose its economic value. The Minister for Justice will have to seek a court order after three days or the ministerial asset freeze order will be ineffective after three days. On the other hand, when the asset freeze request is presented to the court, the asset will remain frozen until a court ruling on the matter.

UNWTOUN Tourism announces the addition of 39 new entities from the private sector to its growing network of Affiliate Members. "The integration of these new leading entities reflects our ongoing efforts to strengthen the Affiliate Membership and create a diverse and inclusive network capable of significantly contributing to the UN Tourism mission. We remain committed to enhancing Affiliate Members' satisfaction and fostering a sense of belonging through effective, mutually beneficial, win-win engagement in the Organization's key activities and projects," said UN Tourism Director of the Affiliate Members and Public-Private Collaboration Department, Ion Vilcu. Governments and National Tourism Administrations are increasingly partnering with UN Tourism to promote Affiliate Membership in their own countries to further invigorate their local tourism sectors and to have their leading entities connected within the largest network of its kind in tourism, which currently includes a total of 500 entities. These candidatures are the results of the implementation of the expansion strategy of the Affiliate Membership, aiming at improving the quality and geographical balance of the Affiliates network.

OHCHRUN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk today called for concrete measures to halt the human rights violations and abuses that continue to endanger reconciliation and peace in Ethiopia. The High Commissioner's call came as the UN Human Rights Office issued an update analysing the human rights situation across Ethiopia from January 2023 to January 2024. Violent conflicts, particularly in the Amhara and Oromia regions, led to serious human rights violations and abuses in 2023, the update says. Of the civilians killed, 740 were in Amhara. Overall, the update records 594 incidents of human rights violations and abuses affecting 8,253 victims - a 56 per cent increase compared with 2022.

Addis Ababa — The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has confirmed that Ethiopia's aviation sector is free from any safety issues. Civil Aviation Safety Director Asrat Kejela, who coordinated the audit process, hailed the results as a significant accomplishment. While celebrating the achievement, Asrat affirmed that Ethiopia's commitment to ensuring safe aviation operations would continue to be a top priority. The confirmation of Ethiopia's aviation safety standards is a remarkable milestone that not only upholds the country's reputation but also paves the way for Ethiopian Airlines to expand its global reach and accessibility. This development instills confidence in companies operating within the aviation sector and reinforces Ethiopia's position as a leading player in the industry.

Addis Ababa — Minister of Labor and Skill Muferihat Kamil disclosed that domestic and oversea employment opportunities have been created for more than 3 million citizens over the last 10 months. According to her, 314,000 Ethiopians have benefited from overseas employment in the last ten months of the just ended Ethiopian financial year. Muferiat also explained that the employment was done in such a manner that the citizens can work while their safety, benefits and rights are protected. As a result, more than 2.7 million citizens have benefited from job opportunities in the country and said that a total of over 3 million citizens have got access to jobs in the country and abroad. The minister further explained that the government has also given due attention on creating more jobs by developing startups and enterprises.

Adaptation, Demonstration, and Piloting of Wheat Technologies for Irrigated Lowlands of Ethiopia (ADAPT-Wheat) is a three-year project funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development with the objective of identifying, verifying, and adopting wheat technologies that increase wheat production and productivity in Afar and Oromia. At CSSRI, the researchers learned how to reclaim salt-affected soils through the use of salt tolerant crops, improve management of water usage, and employ cover crops in salt-affected soils to reduce soil temperature and evapotranspiration. They also visited a sodic and saline microplot facility used to screen genotypes under the desired salinity and sodicity stresses. Finally, the researchers visited the CIMMYT-India office and met with Mahesh Kumar Gathala, systems agronomist and lead scientist. Shimelis said “even though the workshop was for experience sharing the travel made was beyond that”.