This year marks Ireland’s 30th anniversary of bilateral relations with Ethiopia but the bond goes back much further than that. In 1936 Ireland was one of two countries to stand by Emperor Haile Selassie in his appeal to the League of Nations against the occupation of his country. To this day the scene is depicted amongst the religious iconography in Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa.
Remembering its own journey of hardship and famine, the Irish Government established its international development policy and programme in 1974. Ireland has supported many countries with development and humanitarian support since that time and Ethiopia remains the largest recipient of Irish bilateral aid. This is a mark of the value which Ireland places on its relationship with Ethiopia, and a recognition of the challenges stemming from climate change, food insecurity and conflict.
The opening of Ireland’s Embassy in Addis Ababa in 1994 facilitated a significant increase in our bilateral engagement and development cooperation, with health, climate-smart livelihoods and social protection emerging as longstanding priorities. In the following years the relationship with Ethiopia has developed and now covers a broader range of diplomatic, development cooperation, cultural and trade relations, with a strong focus on gender equality and humanitarian action.
Over the past 5 years alone Ireland has invested more than $200m in bilateral development cooperation benefitting people all over the country. Cooperation on important areas such as public service delivery, health and gender equality will continue to be at the centre of Irish-Ethiopian relations, together with support for peace and reconciliation. As a country that itself witnessed conflict and violence in the 1970s, Ireland is acutely aware of the impact this has on communities, and will continue to support the implementation of the Permanent Cessation of Hostilities Agreement.
People-to-people links and lasting ties have been built by the more than 200 Ethiopians who have studied in Ireland through the Ireland Fellows Programme. These students have built deep friendships and lasting academic relationships while also going on to make significant contributions to the development of Ethiopia. Ireland looks forward to welcoming a further twelve students in September 2024.
Over the years many visitors have built and deepened diplomatic ties with Ethiopia including former-President of Ireland Mary Robinson in 2016, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in 2019 and, this month, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue TD. With growing challenges from climate change, Minister McConalogue’s visit provides an excellent opportunity to deepen our shared commitment to sustainable food systems, energy and trade. We look forward to such shared commitment being a hallmark of bilateral relations for the next thirty years.
