Ethiopias parliament has passed a controversial bill by 327 votes to 79 imposing tight restrictions on aid agencies, BBC online reports Tuesday.
Foreign agencies are prohibited from a number of areas including human rights, equality, conflict resolution and the rights of children. Local groups that receive more than 10 per cent of their funding from abroad are also banned from working in these areas.
Under discussion for months, the bill has already been considerably modified amid objections from aid organisations. At the heart of the bill and causing the most fuss is a clause aimed at preventing foreign interference in issues which the government believes should be a purely Ethiopian affair.
Some of the organisations affected, like the Ethiopian Human Rights Council, could be seen as political and have long been a thorn in the governments flesh. But if the law is rigorously applied it could also catch much less controversial groups which are doing valuable work but would never be able to fund their activities from purely local sources.
The bill bans international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from five sorts of activity:
• The advancement of human and democratic rights
• The promotion of equality between peoples, sexes or religions
• Campaigning for childrens rights or the rights of the disabled
• Conflict resolution and reconciliation
• Work on criminal justice issues.
Madhere Paulos director of the Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association told the BBC that 99 per cent of its funding to provide legal aid to women currently comes from abroad.
The US government in particular has protested loudly to the Horn of Africa nation about the proposals, but to very little effect. Ethiopia is among the worlds top aid recipients.
