World Future Council calls to end devastating fighting in Ethiopia
Press release: November 16 2021
As the Ethiopia domestic conflict further escalates, the World Future Council calls upon conflicting parties to end the devastating infighting, to respect international humanitarian law and provide safety for all the country citizens, specifically children, women and the eldery.
The UN has reported considerable concern about military operations and air strikes that have taken place in Tigray and Eritrea impacting on civilians, including women and children. Thousands of citizens have been forced to fleeing from Tigray particularly into neighbouring Sudan, and the refugee camps inside Ethiopia are coming under threat. There have also been reports of mass killings of civilians and ethnically motivated attacks in Tigray. Human rights chief Michelle Bachelet has warned that if the conflicting forces continue down the path they are on, there is a risk this situation will spiral totally out of control, and that if the reports of mass killings of civilians are confirmed, these killings would amount to war crimes.
Ahmedou Ould Abdallah, former UN Under Secretary General, former Special Envoy to Burundi and Somalia and Senior Advisor, World Future Council says: ''to all the dramatic violence now taking place within Ethiopia is a humanitarian as well as an economic and political disaster. We call on all the parties involved, concerned and interested to stop this tragedy so as Ethiopia could renew fast with its political integration, economic growth and leading regional diplomatic and economic roles''.
Alyn Ware, Co-Chair of the Peace and Disarmament Commission and Councillor, World Future Council comments: „We call on the parties of the Ethiopian conflict to adhere to the November 6 appeal of the UN human rights chief for de-escalation and dialogue in the regions of Tigray and Oromia, and on the parties to this and all armed conflicts to agree to the global ceasefire proposal of the UN Secretary General and to make use of the UN Special Envoys and other third party support to negotiate and implement effective peace agreements.“
Alexandra Wandel, Executive Director of the World Future Council said „The World Future Council has recognised the significant efforts of the Federal and especially Tigray governments of restoring degraded land on a massive scale with its Future Policy Award. The current conflict threatens to reverse the remarkable progress made for people and the environment. We call on all parties to end the conflict and provide a secure future for children, women and men.“
Background:
The World Future Council and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) have awarded Ethiopa’s Tigray Conservation based Agricultural Development Progamme with the Future Policy Award in Gold as world’s best policy to combat desertification. Thanks to a unique combination of collective action, voluntary labour and the involvement of youth, the people of Tigray have restored land on a massive scale. Ethiopia has been seen as a frontrunner in the fight against desertification. The crisis threatens to throw back the country into a country of war, threating the stability in the region.
- See https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/11/1077592
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About the World Future Council
The World Future Council (WFC) works to pass on a healthy and sustainable planet with just and peaceful societies to our children and grandchildren. To achieve this, we focus on identifying, developing, highlighting, and spreading effective, future-just solutions for current challenges humanity is facing, and promote their implementation worldwide. The Council consists of 50 eminent global change-makers from governments, parliaments, civil societies, academia, the arts, and the business world. Jakob von Uexkull, the Founder of the Alternative Nobel Prize, launched the World Future Council in 2007. We are an independent, non-profit organisation under German law and finance our activities with institutional partnerships and donations. More information |
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