On June 11, Ambassador Zhao Weiping held the first press conference of this year at the Embassy, mainly giving an introduction on the development of China-Namibia relations and China’s economy in the first half of the year. He also answered questions from Namibian media such as Chinese investment in Namibia and new growth points in bilateral cooperation. Journalists from 6 mainstream media agencies, including the NBC, the Namibian Sun and New Era, attended the conference.

Ambassador Zhao emphasized that China-Namibia relations continue to maintain a good momentum of development. The Chinese side looks forward to further deepening friendly exchanges and practical cooperation in various fields with the Namibian side to promote the continuous advancement of the China-Namibia Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership. The Chinese Government is vigorously developing new productive forces to push for high-quality development of the Chinese economy, which will continue to be an important driving force in promoting world economic development.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of Namibia.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a contribution of EUR 3 million from the European Union (EU) to support the continuation of nutritional support and services to the most vulnerable urban communities in Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

The contribution will explore viable pathways for WFP, governments and partners to reduce and mitigate the impact of shocks on vulnerable communities living in urban areas. It aims to understand, identify, and address the various risks faced by these communities, who are disproportionately affected by climate disasters, often resulting in devastating impacts on their livelihoods.

The experience from COVID-19 highlights the inadequate support provided to urban residents by emerging social protection systems in sub-Saharan Africa, especially the urban working poor and informal workers excluded from social assistance and insurance.

Building on the crucial insights gained in its first phase in 2021, the project will work with regional, national, and local authorities to develop guidance from the Southern African Development Community (SADC). These guidelines will help better prepare for urban responses, aiming to reduce the number of people affected by disasters in urban areas. Through a multi-sectoral participatory approach, the two-year project endeavors to enhance the capacity of the National Disaster Management Authorities (DMAs), Social Welfare and Local Governments at improving coordination and collaboration for preparedness and response activities in cities.

“We are grateful for the European Union’s support, made through its Humanitarian Aid department,” said Lola Castro, acting Regional Director for Southern Africa. “The contribution from the EU will help Governments and WFP to prepare and empower urban communities by strengthening resilience to withstand recurring multiple hazards. This will be done by ensuring emergency readiness and response that address urban dwellers’ essential needs through targeted cash-based transfers, which upholds dignity and promotes their self-reliance.”

Currently, Southern Africa faces an escalation in rates of malnutrition, coupled with widespread food insecurity among the rural and urban population. This year, more than 30 million people across Southern Africa have been affected by the severe El Niño-induced drought. However, even before the drought, the levels of food insecurity and humanitarian needs were high, driven by socio-economic challenges, high food prices, and the compounding impacts of the climate crisis.

WFP and EU remain steadfast in their commitment to provide humanitarian assistance and support to the most vulnerable people. This contribution underscores the shared dedication to humanitarian principles and the pursuit of a world with Zero Hunger.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Food Programme (WFP).

The Ethiopian authorities should immediately end their escalating crackdown on civic space and independent domestic human rights organizations, including through physical and digital surveillance, verbal harassment, intimidation, and threats, said five international human rights organizations today. These actions send a chilling signal and prevent human rights organizations from carrying out their essential work to promote and protect human rights and accountability in the country.

In recent months, Ethiopian security and intelligence forces increased the intimidation, harassment, and threats against prominent Ethiopian human rights organizations in the country, including the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO), Ethiopia’s oldest independent human rights organization.

Since February 2024, government security forces and intelligence personnel have followed staff members of human rights organizations at places of work and at home, and demanded that they stop their human rights reporting and work. The threats have escalated in recent weeks. For instance on May 23, security officials visited EHRCO’s branch office in Addis Ababa in search of information, and threatened two staff members in the process. In May, human rights defenders raised the alarm that the harassment and intimidation was continuing and had further intensified.

On April 6, 2024, two security personnel dressed in civilian clothing came to the home of one staff member of the EHRCO and warned them to cease their human rights work or face consequences. This incident followed other similar incidents against EHRCO staff. On January 5, 2023, Ethiopian police arrested and arbitrarily detained four EHRCO staff members who were investigating cases of forced evictions outside Addis Ababa. On January 12, 2023, an Oromia court released the four staff on bail.

On September 6, 2022, security forces broke up a peace conference organized by a group of 35 local civil society organizations in Addis Ababa. The event was later held online, and the group subsequently issued a joint statement calling for peace. Two days later, a federal official intimidated the group insisting that they retract their statement. Also in September 2022, the director-general of the Authority for Civil Society Organizations (ACSO) – a federal body mandated to monitor and register all civil society organizations – told state media that the agency would make organizations working against Ethiopia’s sovereignty and public interest accountable by law.

Human rights defenders also shared their concerns that the ACSO stopped registering new human rights civil society organizations since at least August 2023.

Attempts to silence civil society have been accompanied by continued attacks on independent media and dissenting voices. Space for civic activities and respect for human rights including the rights to freedom of expression and association in Ethiopia have been undermined over the past few years.

Since the declaration of the state of emergency in Amhara in August 2023, at least nine journalists have been detained, with five still in custody. For instance, Ethio News chief editor Belay Manaye has been detained in Awash Arba military camp since December 6, 2023, without access to health care, family visits, or his lawyers, and under harsh detention conditions. After his relocation to Addis Ababa in late June, authorities have not charged him or brought him before a court of law.

A new report from the Ethiopian Press Freedom Defenders, a collective of Ethiopian media professionals, found that around 200 journalists have been arrested by the Ethiopian government since 2019. The Committee to Protect Journalists said that as of late 2023, eight journalists remained in prison, and that four media staff members faced terrorism allegations, which could lead to the death sentence if convicted. For the past 10 months, internet access has also been restricted in parts of Amhara region where there is an ongoing armed conflict.

Due to the ongoing and growing crackdown on civic space and civil society organizations, several human rights defenders and journalists have fled the country in the past year. These intensified attacks severely reduce independent scrutiny, and investigation of government actions and human rights abuses in the country. The growing intolerance for independent human rights reporting and government criticism echo previous tactics of harassment, raids on offices, and the imposition of bureaucratic impediments employed by the Ethiopian government against human rights defenders and civil society organizations following the enactment of the repressive legislation, the Charities and Civil Society Proclamation in 2009. The government significantly reformed this legislation in 2019.

Ethiopian authorities have gone to extreme lengths to stifle independent scrutiny and criticism in clear violation of fundamental rights to freedom of expression and association, the organizations said. Human rights organizations in Ethiopia need to be able to conduct their work without fear of reprisals.

The Ethiopian authorities need to abide by their human rights obligations under the Ethiopian Constitution, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to respect, protect, promote, and fulfil the rights to freedom of expression, association, and freedom of peaceful assembly.

In 2022 and 2023, the United Nations Human Rights Committee and the Committee against Torture respectively recommended to the Ethiopian government to protect journalists, human rights defenders, government critics, and activists against harassment, attacks, or undue interference in the exercise of their professional activities, and to take all appropriate measures to prevent the occurrence of acts of intimidation or reprisal and promote a safe and enabling environment for engagement with the United Nations, its representatives, and mechanisms in the field of human rights.

We also urge the authorities to cooperate with the UN Special Procedures, among them the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders. The authorities should also cooperate with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACPHR) Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders and Focal Point on Reprisals in Africa.

Ethiopia’s international and regional partners should press Ethiopian authorities to respect the rights of political opponents, journalists, human rights defenders, and activists; call for scrutiny in this regard by UN human rights bodies, including the UN Human Rights Council; and provide visible recognition, including by issuing public statements, that the situation facing human rights defenders in Ethiopia remains critical.

Signatories:

Amnesty International

Front Line Defenders

Human Rights Watch

International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders

World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Human Rights Watch (HRW).

The Vice-President of the Republic of Seychelles, Mr Ahmed Afif will represent the President of the Republic of Seychelles, Mr Wavel Ramkalawan, at the inauguration of the President of the Republic of South Africa, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa.

The inauguration of Mr Ramaphosa follows his re-election as President for a second term.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of State House Seychelles.