[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 348 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 348

  Reaffirming the strategic partnership between the United States of 
America and the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and encouraging 
  inclusive governance in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.


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                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            December 4, 2017

     Mr. Inhofe (for himself and Mr. Enzi) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

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                               RESOLUTION


 
  Reaffirming the strategic partnership between the United States of 
America and the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and encouraging 
  inclusive governance in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

Whereas the first pillar of the 2012 United States Strategy toward Sub-Saharan 
        Africa is to strengthen democratic institutions;
Whereas the third pillar of the 2012 United States Strategy toward Sub-Saharan 
        Africa is to advance peace and security;
Whereas Ethiopia is one of the top troop contributing countries to the United 
        Nations peacekeeping missions, providing over 8,000 soldiers to United 
        Nations missions around the world;
Whereas Ethiopia has contributed over 4,000 troops to the African Union Mission 
        to Somalia (AMISOM);
Whereas the Government of Ethiopia, in collaboration with the United States 
        Government, trained the National Army for Somalia, supported the fight 
        against Al-Shabaab militants, and deployed its troops in support of 
        regional protection force in South Sudan;
Whereas the close cooperation and strategic partnership between the United 
        States of America and the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia has 
        been built on over a century of close cooperation and support;
Whereas the Government of Ethiopia continues to play a crucial role in Africa 
        and specifically in East Africa, and the partnership in counterterrorism 
        activities with the United States is vital for regional peace and 
        stability;
Whereas the United States has welcomed Ethiopia's participation in the Global 
        Coalition to Counter ISIS;
Whereas the United States held a Strategic Dialogue with Ethiopia in Addis Ababa 
        on July 27, 2015, during the visit by President Barack Obama to 
        strengthen the bilateral relationship;
Whereas respect for democracy, inclusive governance, human rights, and civil 
        liberties have been core pillars of United States foreign policy;
Whereas the Government of Ethiopia expressed its commitment to the Promotion and 
        Protection of Human Rights by taking necessary measures to implement the 
        National Human Rights Action Plan adopted by the House of Peoples 
        Representative of the FDRE;
Whereas the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) conducted an independent 
        and thorough investigation into the deaths and injuries caused during 
        the protests in Ethiopia in 2016 and submitted its report with 
        recommendations to the House of Peoples Representative of the FDRE; and
Whereas, on August 9, 2017, the Government of Ethiopia lifted a State of 
        Emergency that had been imposed on October 9, 2016, to bring about peace 
        and stability following violent protests that resulted in the 
        destruction of government and personal property and the deaths of 
        civilian and security officials: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) reaffirms the commitment of the United States 
        Government to support the Government of Ethiopia--
                    (A) to provide training and resources to counter 
                terrorism and violent extremism and address security 
                concerns in the Horn of Africa;
                    (B) to bolster trade and investment in the private 
                sector between the United States and Ethiopia;
                    (C) to continue the support to strengthen higher 
                education and promote health through the exiting 
                mechanisms;
                    (D) to continue the humanitarian assistance with 
                the United States Agency for International Development 
                to the people affected by the drought; and
                    (E) calls on the Secretary of State to engage with 
                the Government of Ethiopia in strengthening the 
                bilateral Working Group on Democracy, Governance and 
                Human Rights, and provide support in the implementation 
                of the National Human Rights Action Plan;
            (2) condemns the violence that resulted in the death of 
        over 500 Ethiopians;
            (3) calls on the Government of Ethiopia--
                    (A) to hold accountable all personnel responsible 
                for the death and destruction that took place as a 
                result of violent protests in the Oromia and Amhara 
                regions and publicly release information in a written 
                report;
                    (B) to respect the right to freedom of peaceful 
                assembly and guarantee freedom of the press and mass 
                media in keeping with Articles 30 and 29 of the 
                Ethiopian constitution; and
                    (C) to engage in open and transparent consultations 
                relative to its development strategy, especially those 
                strategies that could result in people's displacement 
                from land, offering those displaced from their land the 
                right to seek remedy or redress in courts and providing 
                a transparent means to access justice for those 
                displaced;
            (4) calls on the Administrator of the United States Agency 
        for International Development to continue to lead efforts to 
        work with the Government of Ethiopia to improved democracy and 
        governance; and
            (5) calls on the United States Agency for International 
        Development to assist the Government and people of Ethiopia in 
        capacity building in all areas.
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