Recommendation 40

On 12 April the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Secretary said: I heard first hand, from humanitarian workers in Gondar, about the access challenges …. the Ethiopian government have announced changes in the process for humanitarian agency personnel to enter and move around in Tigray. Unfortunately, the changes have not yet resulted in a major scaling- up of the relief effort and many people in Tigray remain beyond the reach of aid agencies. The ongoing violence, the presence of Eritrean troops and the lack of access humanitarians have to communications equipment are proving a massive impediment to the delivery of essential aid and services.97 On 22 April, the UN Security Council noted that insecurity in the region continued to impede ongoing humanitarian operations and called for a restoration of normalcy.98 In evidence to the Committee on 22 April 2021, the Foreign Secretary told us that securing greater humanitarian access was a priority. He added that: They have gone from a consent basis to a notification basis, which is progress, but we need to make sure we secure unfettered access.99