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AFRICA: Need to focus on maternal, child health - top AU official

Countries in Africa should promote maternal, infant and child health and report on progress, in order to curb high deaths rates on the continent, a senior African Union (AU) official has said. "There are continents where women give birth and it is a pleasant experience because they are bringing life," said AU Commissioner for Social Affairs Biencé Gawana. "In our continent, unfortunately, that is not always the case. Women also bring death to themselves and their children." Progress on the...

Ethiopia starts coffee exchange

Ethiopia, Africa's largest coffee producer, has started trading the crop on a national commodity exchange.In a move aimed at both increasing quality and the amount farmers get paid for their beans, coffee is being traded on the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange.

Ethiopia demands stolen crown back

Ethiopia is demanding that Britain's museums return some of its most significant religious treasures. President Girma Wolde-Giorgis has personally intervened in a dispute to get the artefacts, including the Ethiopian royal crown, returned home 140 years after they were "looted" by marauding British troops.

World crises “must not detract from poverty eradication”

Initiatives aimed at eradicating poverty in Africa must continue, despite global financial, food, energy and environmental crises, the UN Deputy Secretary-General, Asha-Rose Migiro, said on 20 November.

Ethiopia: Thousands displaced by floods in Somali region

At least 52,000 people have abandoned their homes in Ethiopia's Somali region after the Wade Shabelle and Genale rivers burst their banks following heavy rains."Heavy rains pounded western highlands and six woredas [administrative wards] in the Somali region, causing floods," Ramadan Haji Ahmed, head of the government's disaster prevention department in the region, said.

ETHIOPIA: More parents saying no to FGM

Fewer Ethiopian parents are subjecting their daughters to female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM), according to an NGO campaigning to eradicate the practice. "The knowledge [that FGM is harmful] is increasing," said Abate Gudunfa, head of the Ethiopian National Committee on Traditional Practices (commonly referred to as EGLDAM - its name in Amharic]. "Children born more recently are safer." A network of 40 NGOs, including EGLDAM, the government and international organisations, are...

ETHIOPIA: Cappuccino with condom

Bellissima, on bustling Gabon Street in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, could be just another upmarket café, except that each order comes with a packet of 'Sensation' condoms, and is served in 'Sensation' cups by staff wearing 'Sensation' T-shirts. "I wanted to link business with a message for sexually active people," Bellissima's owner, Hayat Ahmed, 26, told IRIN/PlusNews. "I am the brand ambassador for 'Sensation' condoms in Ethiopia, and I want to spread the message that condoms can...

Health risks add to crisis in Ethiopia

Worsening malnutrition and the threat of disease outbreaks are compounding Ethiopia's humanitarian crisis. WHO is working with the Government of Ethiopia and health partners to support the 4.6 million people needing urgent emergency food relief nationwide. The number of people who need food assistance is increasing noticeably in Ethiopia. Health risks are being compounded by the global food security crisis, the impact of drought on agricultural production and the country's weak health system....

Ethiopia: Military legal advisers briefed on international humanitarian law

On 15 and 16 April, 100 legal advisers of the Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF) took part in a workshop on international humanitarian law (IHL) organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Addis Ababa. The participants came from several ENDF units in Addis Ababa, regional commands and training centres, and from all divisions around the country. "Under IHL, legal advisers of the armed forces should be available to guide military commanders on the correct application...

Ethiopian government and partners request $67.7 million for drought response

The Ethiopian government and its humanitarian partners yesterday announced that a total of $67,737,459 is required to fund the country’s humanitarian response to the effects of the prevailing drought. An estimated 2.2 million people are in need of emergency food assistance following inadequate rainfall in some parts of the country during the 2007 meher rainy season, which runs from June to October. In addition, about 947,000 vulnerable people will continue to receive assistance under the...