Global Issues: Aid and Human Rights ~ Human Rights Watch Report : Development without Freedom

So many of the themes which crop up on the ‘Global Issues’ Paper are part of the same continuum. Human Rights Watch have just published a report on ‘Development without Freedom: How Aid Underwrites Repression in Ethiopia’, in a stroke this issue touches on human rights, the role of NGOs in protecting human rights, corruption, aid and development.

The findings of this report by Human Rights Watch, argues that the Ethiopian government uses donor supported development programs to repress and control its citizens. The World Bank, the European Union, the UK and others give billions of dollars to Ethiopia every year to support development programs in agriculture, health and education and Ethiopia is apparently making good progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. However, the report argues that progress comes at a price. Human Rights Watch found examples of development assistance such as micro-credit loans, seeds, fertilizers, food for work programs and promotion and training opportunities for teachers and civil servants being restricted to supporters of the ruling party. Donors, according to the report, appear to be wilfully ignoring the use of their aid programs as tools of repression simply because Ethiopia reports good progress on eradicating poverty.

Peter Oborne in the Telegraph has picked up on the story with his article “Overseas aid is funding human rights abuses”, according to him: ‘The conspiracy of silence among politicians has been exposed by a shocking investigation of Ethiopia’. The article is highly recommended reading.