Why this petition matters

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO): Revoke The Award to PM Abiy Ahmed

We, a collective of concerned individuals, scholars, human rights advocates as well as Diaspora-based civil society organizations are writing to express our profound shock and disappointment concerning the Agricola Award honoring Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia at a time when more than 20 million Ethiopians are suffering from conflict and drought induced hunger. This award diminishes FAO”s status and entails a lasting reputational risk for FAO and the UN system. We say this because we believe the award is politically motivated.

While we appreciate the notion that recognition of this type aims to commend deserving leaders for stabilizing their countries and for improving the lives of citizens, the situation in Ethiopia is hardly celebratory. The FAO award diminishes the problems millions of Ethiopians face. The award conveys a false sense of food security in a country where millions are in dire need of humanitarian food aid. For the Ethiopian people it is also a cruel reminder of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize award to prime minster Abiy Ahmed who went on to unleash unparallel carnage in Ethiopia of more than one million lives.

Ethiopia is grappling with an acute humanitarian crisis, exacerbated by ethnicity- based conflict, drought. This is compounded by a failure of Ethiopian government leadership to address the basic needs of its people. Reports from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Tufts University, the World Food Program (WFP), and the FAO itself have documented the severe conditions:

Last year, USAID and the World Food Program accused the government of Ethiopia and regional entities of diverting and stealing food aid intended to save lives. Illustrative facts on the ground include:

– Over 20.4 million Ethiopians, including more than 13 million in the northern regions, are acutely food insecure and in urgent need of assistance due to a combination of conflict, failed rainy seasons, and restricted humanitarian access.

– The situation in Tigray remains critical, with warnings of a 1984-like famine due to intense conflict and limited humanitarian assistance.

–Similar concerns extend to Amhara and Afar regions, where continued insecurity and conflict impede humanitarian efforts.

– Ethiopia is identified as a ‘highest alert’ hunger hotspot by the FAO and WFP, with nearly a million people facing catastrophic levels of hunger across various regions.

—Millions of Ethiopians in urban and rural areas suffer from scarcity of foods, medicines and other essentials and hyper-inflation.

These facts faced by tens of millions of Ethiopians stand in stark contrast to the image of effective and accountable governance, stability, and progress for which Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has been awarded. It is crucial to recognize that the primary role of government leadership is to meet the basic needs of citizens and to defend the well-being and security of a nation’s people. By these measurements, the Ethiopian people are undeserved.

Therefore, we urge FAO to revoke its award from Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. This action would restore faith and confidence in FAO and its leadership. It will reflect FAO’s commitment to truth and justice. It will also send a powerful message that the international community will not overlook the suffering of millions for the sake of diplomatic decorum and or for geopolitical efficacy.

As important, we call upon the FAO and international bodies to prioritize the immediate and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid to all affected regions in Ethiopia.

Join us in demanding action and accountability. Sign this petition to urge the FAO to revoke Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s award and to emphasize the urgent need for a coordinated, comprehensive humanitarian response in Ethiopia.

**#RevokeTheAward #StandWithEthiopia #HumanitarianCrisis

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References:

1. World food Program 2023, Hunger Hotspots: FAO-WFP early warnings on acute food insecurity, November 2023 to April 2024 outlook, 31 October 2023. https://www.wfp.org/

2. USAID 2024, Ethiopia Complex Emergency, January 8, 2024. https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/2024-01/2024-01-08_USG_Ethiopia_Complex_Emergency_Fact_Sheet_1.pdf

3. Bader, Laetitia 2024, UN Food Award for Ethiopia’s Premier Ignores Wartime Abuses: Millions of Ethiopians Currently Facing Food Insecurity. Human Rights Watch, January 30, 2024. https://www.hrw.org/

4. UN OCHA, 2023, Ethiopia situation Report, October 31, 2023.

https://www.unocha.org/publications/report/ethiopia/ethiopia-situation-report-31-oct-2023

**#RevokeTheAward #StandWithEthiopia #HumanitarianCrisis