The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) contributes to food security through improved post harvest management in Ethiopia.

A significant proportion of food that has already been produced using scarce resources such as land and water is lost due to inappropriate post harvest management practices that negatively affect household food security in Ethiopia. Cognizant of this challenge, the SDC is committed to supporting the Government of Ethiopia in reducing post harvest losses at the level of households and cooperatives. The envisioned project has an overall objective of reducing grain post harvest losses in order to improve household food security and income and will be implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Ethiopia in the Amhara, Tigray, Oromia and Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Regions in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and regional Bureaus of Agriculture (BoA).

Currently, detailed planning of intervention strategies is underway. As part of this process, FAO Ethiopia organized a one-day consultation workshop on April 18, 2013 with financial support from the SDC. The workshop was officially opened by Ato Fikru Amenu, Deputy Head of Agricultural Extension Department (AED) of the MoA and was attended by participants from MoA, BoAs, SDC, NGOs, and Universities. The main phase of the project will be launched in October 2013 and will have duration of 8-12 years. 

For more information contact:  senait.regassa@eda.admin.ch

Since 2010, when Ethiopia hosted the International Federalism Conference in Addis Ababa, the Swiss Embassy, together with the Ethiopian House of Federation and Ambassadors of other federal countries has been organizing ‘Working Lunches on Federalism’. Out of discussions there, grew the idea to organize a regional conference on federalism. Indeed, many countries of the IGAD Region have discovered Federalism as a principle for the constitutional organization of their decentralized governance:

• Ethiopia enshrined Federalism in her Constitution of 1994.
• Sudan introduced Federalism in her Constitution, in 1998.
• The Transitional Constitution of South Sudan, of 2011, builds on Federalism.
• The Provisional Constitution of Somalia, of 2012, is a federal one.
• Finally, in her new Constitution, of 2010, Kenya has embarked on a constitutional devolution and decentralization process which contains elements of Federalism.

The House of Federation took the lead and, in partnership with IGAD and financial and organizational support from UNDP and the Swiss Embassy, hosted the first ‘Regional Conference on Federalism and Decentralization in the Horn of Africa’, from February 25 to 27, in Addis Ababa. 

The over two hundred participants from Ethiopia, other East African countries of the IGAD Region, and supporting countries, agreed on the need to create a permanent platform for the exchange on the issues of federalism and decentralization in the Horn of Africa. The Conference concluded that IGAD should organize similar events in the future partnering with the international and regional community. Participants from Somalia, South Sudan and Kenya called for specific follow-up meetings on issues of Federalism and Decentralization relevant to their respective countries. Switzerland will continue to support this process. 

For more information, contact:  samuel.kullmann@eda.admin.ch

NESTOWN Group: Topping-out Workshop (February 2013)
Since 2008, the  NESTOWN Group and the Amhara regional government have been planning to develop and construct a "Model Town" based on wholly renewable resources in the Amhara region. On June 27 2010, the new town name BuraNest was officially founded. In order to facilitate discussions regarding the lessons to be learned, to plan the steps to be undertaken in the future, and to celebrate the end of Implementation Phase I, a workshop was organized in Bahar Dar on February 20th 2013. To introduce the beginning of Implementation Phase II, a ceremony was held in the Buranest Town Square on the following day. 

For more information contact Professor Franz Oswald:  arch.fo@bluewin.ch 

Good Shepherd Family Health Care Service
Good Shepherd Family Health Care Service was founded in 1991 and works in the area of women and children health, family planning, HIV/AIDS, economic empowerment, economic empowerment, sanitation, hygiene, child sponsorship and vocational training. Currently the organization has five training centers which focus on hair dressing, sewing, weaving, coffee processing and bread baking; all are located on the same compound in Addis Ababa. 

For more information contact Mr. Tsegzeab Fisseha:  gsfhcs@yahoo.com 

Hawassa Promotion College for Women in Prison
The Hawassa Promotion College for Women in Prison, also known as the Hawassa Women's Prison Project, has been helping women in the main prison of the town Hawassa, located approximately 250kms from Addis Ababa. The women are provided with basic health care services and support for their children. Astoundingly, the project has developed an income-generating program, through which the women are given training in sewing, knitting and hairdressing, thereby giving them hope for a brighter future, once they leave the prison. Last year, the project was able to help 119 women and 15 children.

For more information contact Sr. Dolores Càrdenas:  cardenasferred@gmail.com

TOGETHER!
TOGETHER! is a non-governmental organization which will work towards the inclusion of visually impaired children and youth, women and men equally into society. The organization's work with these individuals shall ensure that their educational and professional ambitions are made realisations, yielding to meaningful and sustainable jobs. TOGETHER! aims to establish a Project Centre (office and training center) in the sub city of Shiromeda in Addis Ababa. It's mandate is as such:

• Short term, on-the-job training and mobile training in rural regions in computer literacy, Braille literacy, independent living skills, English etc.
• Establishment of a Study Center for People with Visual Impairment
• Development of a Job Integration Strategy (counseling, coaching, etc.)
• Provision of scholarships
• Organization of events (e.g. Dinner in the Dark)
• Accommodation for women with visual impairment

For more information contact:  nasrin.siege@web.de

Dear Swiss of Ethiopia, South Sudan and Djibouti

As the year comes to a close and we move into the Seasonal Holidays and the New Year 2013, allow me to greet you on behalf of the Embassy Staff.

Looking back on 2012, the year has, again, been a very interesting and fruitful one. In our cooperation with Ethiopia, the team of the Embassy looks back on many important events:
Only a few days ago, we organized a very successful Swiss Weekend at the Addis Ababa Hilton where, over three days, we brought together the Swiss business community, served Swiss cuisine and showcased overall our beautiful country Switzerland. The weekend gave way to the constitution of the ‘Swiss Ethiopian Business Circle’.

In July, we organized the first ‘Swiss Ethiopian Research & Science Forum’ and officially launched the ‘Water and Land Resource Center’ (WLRC). Beyond the research for development activities in water and land management for Ethiopia and the region, this Center will become an important hub for the future scientific and research cooperation between Switzerland and Ethiopia.

Earlier in the year, the Embassy hosted the regional planning workshop for the ‘Swiss Strategy for the Horn of Africa 2013-2016’ with strong attendance from Berne. The implementation of the strategy will see the activities of the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) continue expanding in Ethiopia, in particular in the Southeastern Regions. The work of SDC will focus on food security, water and land management, maternal and child health care, governance and migration.

Throughout the year, the Embassy has animated ‘Working Lunches on Federalism’ which bring together the Ambassadors of the federal countries represented in Addis Ababa with the Honorable Speakers of both Houses of Ethiopia for informal exchange. This group also oversaw the work for the preparation of a ‘Regional Conference on Federalism and Decentralization in the Horn of Africa’ to which the Ethiopian House of Federation will invite, in February 2013. Together with UNDP, Switzerland is sponsoring the conference.

Over the year, the Embassy has involved itself in the project BuraNEST of the ‘NESTown Group’ of architects in Switzerland and Ethiopia, and the Government of Amhara Region. This project develops and builds in Bura the ‘Amhara Model Town’ which will serve the Region – and hopefully the whole country – as a model Kebele Center. A program for the strengthening of local federal governance structures of ‘Helvetas – Swiss Intercooperation’ in Amhara Region complements this Swiss cooperation on federalism.

In Juba, I have been able to present my Credentials as the first Ambassador of Switzerland to be accredited to the country. In regular contact with Rainer Baudendistel who represents me in South Sudan and heads the ‘Swiss Cooperation Office’ of the Embassy we have established in Juba, I followed the developments in the Swiss cooperation program comprising Humanitarian Aid, Development, Peace Building and Security Sector Reform. As you are aware, also in South Sudan, Switzerland is proposing federalism as an attractive component for building the new State and our work with the ‘Councils of Traditional Leaders’ and the ‘Commission for the Review of the Constitution’ is making slow but steady progress.

In Djibouti, the Swiss Consulate General has opened its Office in the premises of our Consul General, Djama Auoled Djama. I want to thank him and our two Swiss Hotel Directors, Eric Favre at the Kempinski and Yannick Aubry at the Sheraton, for all the support and contacts they have given the Embassy staff when on their regular visits to Djibouti.

With the Embassy’s responsibilities having grown in almost all areas, 2012 has brought us the very welcome reinforcement of Adriana Peiris-Beck as Deputy to our Consul and Head of Chancery, Urs Ammann. The staff of SDC has grown considerably and will continue to grow. As of January 2013, Manuel Flury will head the SDC Office in the Embassy as Country Director. The Embassy will keep you informed as further staff increases and movements arise.

I can assure you that also in the New Year 2013, the Embassy, the team of Rainer Baudendistel in the Swiss Cooperation Office in Juba and our Swiss Consul General in Djibouti, Djama Auoled Djama, will continue all efforts to consolidate the Swiss relations with the three countries and to seek contact and exchange – professional and social – with the Swiss Communities. Overall, I invite you to join us in sharpening the profile of Switzerland and of the Swiss Communities in Ethiopia, South Sudan and Djibouti.

With this in mind, we have overhauled the Embassy’s website for Ethiopia. I invite you to come and visit us virtually on the new Site, check out the ‘Embassy News’, see what’s ‘Ongoing’, subscribe to our ‘Swiss Connections’ – or, even better, come and visit us in person at the Embassy premises at the Old Airport in Addis Ababa.

With my own and the very best wishes of the Staff of the Embassy of Switzerland in Addis Ababa.


Dominik Langenbacher
Ambassador

Addis Ababa, in December 2012