Ethiopia

Statement by His Excellency Mr. Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

I would also like to draw your attention to the fact that our largest infrastructural project today – the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam – built with our own local resources, contributes to the conservation of water resources, which would otherwise have been lost to evaporation in downstream countries. I want to make it abundantly clear that we have no intention to harm these countries.

What we are essentially doing is to meet our electricity demands from one of the cleanest sources of energy. We cannot afford to continue keeping more than 65 million of our people in the dark. We have indeed been guided by the internationally accepted principle of equitable and reasonable utilization and not causing significant harm in building this Dam.

Our unwavering commitment to this important principle is clearly encapsulated in the Declaration of Principles signed by Ethiopia, Egypt, and the Sudan in March 2015. I want to assure that we are steadfast in our commitment to addressing the concerns of downstream countries and reaching a mutually beneficial outcome in the context of the ongoing AU led process.

 

View the full statement here: https://estatements.unmeetings.org/estatements/10.0010/20200925/SxuqgUXRYBC2/aWygH7HjQqWK_en.pdf 

*The information reflected on this page has been quoted directly from the official statement presented by this Member State at the General Debate 75th Session. The information does not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations.