Two U.S. Lawmakers Petition Biden Over Ethiopia’s Suspension From AGOA Trade Programme

Posted by African Examiner Latest Headlines, U.S./Canada Thursday, December 23rd, 2021

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Chair of the United States of America Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Senator Chris Van Hollen and the Chair of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, Congresswoman Karen Bass have urged President Joe Biden to reconsider Ethiopia’s suspension from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) at the end of this year.

On November 2nd, the Biden Administration announced its intent to terminate Ethiopia’s designation as a beneficiary country under AGOA by January 1, 2022.

In a letter jointly signed and addressed to President Biden by Senator Hollen, who is also the Chair of Senate Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy Subcommittee on Africa and Congresswoman, Bass who chairs Subcommittee Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations, both lawmakers urged the President to review such an abrupt timeline and allow time for all parties in Ethiopia to take the necessary steps to end the conflict, deploy humanitarian aid to those who need it, and continue negotiations to garner peace.

As the lawmakers note in their letter, this decision will hurt the nation’s most vulnerable and reverse hard-won economic gains without reducing hostilities in the ongoing civil war.

“We write regarding your intent to terminate the designation of Ethiopia as a beneficiary country under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) as of January 1, 2022. We ask that you reconsider this decision to suspend Ethiopia’s eligibility on such an abrupt timeline and allow time for all parties in Ethiopia to take the necessary steps to end the conflict, deploy humanitarian aid to those who need it, and continue negotiations to garner peace.

“While we absolutely condemn the human rights abuses that have taken place on both sides of this conflict, we are concerned that suspension of AGOA benefits will be counterproductive and disproportionately harm the most vulnerable Ethiopians without contributing to the cessation of hostilities.

“We urge your administration to explore options for allowing additional time for Ethiopia to come into compliance with AGOA as we continue pressing all sides to come to a peaceful resolution of the conflict”, they stated.

Prior to the letter to Mr. President, Rep. Bass had earlier issued a press statement, calling for extension to Ethiopia’s AGOA termination deadline. She noted that the timeline of January 1, 2022, will adversely impact citizens without necessarily alternating the pace of progress.

Similarly, senior administration officials have observed that Ethiopia will lose access to a lucrative US trade programme due to human rights violations unless it takes significant steps toward ending the ongoing conflict and alleviating the humanitarian crisis by the start of 2022.