ADDIS ABABA (HAN) April 4. 2016. Public Diplomacy & Regional Security News. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, March 30, 2016:- On March 29, the U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia, Patricia Haslach, and the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Tom Malinowski, joined State Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Taye Atskeselassie to co-chair the 6th Bilateral Democracy, Governance and Human Rights Working Group. The Working Group provides an opportunity for representatives of the U.S. government and the government of Ethiopia to discuss frankly the full range of governance and human rights issues.
The discussion at this Working Group addressed a broad range of issues, including election related issues, the situation in the regions of Oromia and Amhara, the annual U.S. Human Rights Report, the important role of civil society in strengthening good governance, Ginbot 7, opportunities for media engagement and training, and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), among others.
The government of Ethiopia reaffirmed its commitment to strengthen governance and political pluralism in keeping with the principles enshrined in its constitution. The government of the United States welcomed the frank discussion and committed to support the efforts of Ethiopia’s government and society in meeting these challenges.
At the conclusion of the meeting the two governments agreed to increase the frequency with which this forum and the in depth discussion it enables is held.
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