President Higgins raised Ethiopia’s poor human rights record with the prime minister, and president of the country, within his first day of his three-week trip to Africa.
Mr Higgins had a bi-lateral meeting with Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn where three bi-lateral agreements on taxation, development and transport were signed.
The transport agreement now allows for direct flights from Dublin to Addis Ababa from June 2015 – the first ever direct flight from Ireland to Africa.
“I had an opportunity of discussing human rights with the president and prime minister; not only just human rights in Africa generally,” the President told Newstalk.
“We discussed how, there were essential, basic, rights of the person, which include rights of freedom; we discussed it in terms of acts of privacy, in relation to sexual rights.”
“We discussed it [human rights] in relation to what it meant when a country was in transition from authoritarian systems – something we’d know about ourselves.
“I also explicitly raised the question of the freedom to criticise and the issue of journalist’s freedoms.
“We discussed the threat of fundamentalism, posing new threats in Africa; they all arose in the context of human rights," Mr Higgins said in relation to the meetings so far.
Ethiopia’s reputation as an important driver of international relations is growing; it is the seat of headquarters for the African Union, and in recent months has been hosting and driving contentious peace talks between the warring sides of neighbouring South Sudan.
Economically, its plans towards greater industrialisation has been welcomed and supported worldwide, particularly given its past reputation as a famine stricken Third World country. However, human rights activists say forced displacement of rural communities to make way for industry is a deep concern.
The President's wife Sabina Higgins attends the 'Women in sustainable employment' centre run by Trócaire
Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Assembly are also impeded by the government’s strict laws, with the government clamping down on protests or gatherings aimed at criticising its authoritarian rule.
In October 2014, the US State Department condemned the jailing of a journalist for “provocation, and dissemination of inaccurate information”.
President Obama also raised the issue of human rights with Prime Minister Desalegn, saying it was important that “Ethiopia’s progress and positive example on economic development and regional conflict resolution extends to civil society as well”.
Mr Higgins will have dinner with President Mulatu Teshome this evening, where diplomatic discussions will continue.
Earlier today, both he and his wife Sabina Higgins visited a programme for women in sustainable employment, run by Irish charity organisation Trócaire.
Tomorrow he’ll fly to Gambella where a number of Irish Aid supported programmes led by GOAL, Trócaire, Oxfam Ireland and CONCERN are in operation.
