The World Bank on Thursday expressed its “great concern about the heightened level of conflict and fragility in Ethiopia”.
“The heightened level of conflict and fragility in Ethiopia is of great concern. Multiple conflicts combined with historic drought and other shocks have severely impacted millions of Ethiopians, jeopardizing the economic and social development progress the country has achieved in recent years,” the Bank said in its statement.
“Consistent with our strategy to remain engaged in situations of conflict and fragility and to support greater resilience of Ethiopia’s people, the World Bank Group remains committed to continuing its partnership with Ethiopia for the benefit of all Ethiopians. Accordingly, the World Bank Group is supporting Ethiopia to address its citizen’s demands for basic human services such as education, food security, health, clean water, livelihood support, women empowerment, social and environmental protection across the country.”
The World Bank also stated: “over the past decade, our interventions have helped Ethiopia to make significant progress in key human development indicators: primary school enrollments have quadrupled, child mortality has been cut in half, and the number of people with access to clean water has more than doubled.”
“As a development focused organization, the World Bank does not have the mandate to get involved in the internal governance issues of its member states. However, key principles are prominently embedded in our Environmental and Social Framework through explicit requirements for nondiscrimination, meaningful consultation, effective public participation, property rights, accountability, transparency and good governance,” it said.
“Furthermore, as a member of the Development Assistance Group, we will continue to engage in dialogue with relevant authorities to safeguard the rights and interests of all Ethiopians,” the World Bank said.