Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether UK aid for the Ethiopian government is conditional upon that government addressing human rights concerns.

UK conditionality policy is set out in a UK (DFID, FCO and Treasury) Policy Paper - ‘Partnerships for Poverty Reduction: Rethinking Conditionality’ (www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/211182/partnerships-poverty-reduction.pdf). This policy is applied through DFID’s approach to our Partnership Principles (for further information see answer to Hansard 38390). The Government of Ethiopia’s commitment to human rights is assessed on an ongoing basis, including through regular Partnership Principles assessments. Where we have concerns we raise these at the highest levels and through regular UK-Ethiopia Human Rights Dialogues.

UK aid in Ethiopia has contributed to the significant gains in development the country has made over the past decade. The UK has helped reduce poverty and child mortality in Ethiopia by a quarter and put four more million children in primary school.