Devex Newswire: Ethiopia at the crossroads

“Ethiopia finds itself at a crossroads both internally and internationally …” So begins a recent confidential report, seen by Devex, from top European diplomats in Addis Ababa.

In today’s edition: We’ll also explore the plight of Ukrainians with disabilities, and give you a rundown of French President Emmanuel Macron’s newly reshuffled cabinet.

Today we take you inside the European Commission’s deliberations over when and how to reengage with the administration of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Having spent the past year and a half deploring the country’s descent into war and famine, and with their once-hefty development assistance to the government still cut off, European officials are grappling with how to use their funding to try and foster peace talks, greater humanitarian access, and human rights investigations in Ethiopia.

For now, that means approving €81.5 million ($84.2 million), likely next week, to be channeled through NGOs, the United Nations, and EU development agencies, in the hope that this incentivizes the government to make more progress on the commission’s main asks. However, Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign affairs chief, said last month that it is too soon to fully normalize relations.

On one hand, the commission has been among the toughest critics of Abiy since the outbreak of war in the northern Tigray region in late 2020. On the other hand, Brussels has made no secret of its desire to use development assistance as a geopolitical tool, and some argue it can ill-afford to leave Ethiopia, the second-most populous nation in Africa, to fall under the influence of China and Russia.

According to the report, which informed a debate between EU foreign ministers last month, “the Ethiopian population suffers and there is a risk of further deterioration of the overall stability and prosperity of the country and of spill-overs on regional security, leading to possible impacts on its integrity and governance.” Though, at the same time, it argued that “a sense of urgency to reset the country on a positive path has now started to emerge, and positive signals are building up.”

Read: EU readies fresh money for Ethiopia, but not yet its government

ICYMI: Russia, China foiled UN meetings on Tigray famine, says Lowcock

Building back Ukraine

On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called his nation’s reconstruction “the greatest contribution to the maintenance of global peace” as he urged donors to support a $750 billion reconstruction plan.

As the Ukraine Recovery Conference began in Switzerland, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said the country had lost more than $100 billion in infrastructure, including 1,200 educational institutions, and 200 hospitals, as well as gas pipelines, water and electricity networks, roads, and railways

My colleague David Ainsworth has this regularly updated guide to who has sent how much aid to Ukraine so far.

Funding tracker: Who’s sending aid to Ukraine?

Meanwhile, in Kharkiv, Sam Mednick reports for Devex on how people with disabilities have been some of the most affected — and most neglected — during the war.

She writes that gaps in information and a lack of resources have made it harder for them to seek safety, evacuate their homes, and get medical care in places they’ve been displaced to

“A lot of things are being declared but not being done for us,” says Vitaly Pcholkin, head of Active Rehabilitation Group, a Ukrainian organization helping people with spinal cord injuries. “They discuss, write it down, and that's it. A lot of problems aren't solved.”

Read: People with disabilities left behind during the war in Ukraine

+ Check out our visual story on the challenges facing Ukrainian farmers, and our coverage of humanitarian assistance to the country.

Impact assessment

French pharmaceutical multinational Sanofi launched a new brand and fund Monday to try and bring 30 essential medicines to 40 lower-income countries.

My colleague Jenny Lei Ravelo reports that the brand, dubbed Impact, will carry products for neglected diseases, noncommunicable diseases, and drugs that prevent the spread of infections. The new fund, also called Impact, will provide financial and technical support to entrepreneurs working on health care delivery.

“There's no point in selling a batch of insulins into a country … [if] no one knows how to use it or how to manage the patient effectively,” said Jon Fairest, who leads Sanofi’s global health unit, which launched last year.

And “we're committed to making no profit,” Fairest said. “We’re a social business. There may be a margin in there but at the end of the day, any margin goes straight back into the programs, so I have a self-sustained non-for-profit business unit.”

Read: Why Sanofi is investing in health care ecosystems (Pro)

+ Devex Pro members can also read about a new biotech company focused on developing COVID-19 treatments. Not gone Pro yet? Start your 15-day free trial.

Le reshuffle

French President Emmanuel Macron announced changes to his government Monday, after losing his parliamentary majority in legislative elections last month.

And there was good news for Hervé Berville, the author of a report on the future of French development cooperation, who was nominated state secretary for the sea.

The second-term member of Parliament, whom we profiled in 2018, had been in the mix to become minister of state for development, francophonie, and international partnerships, but missed out to Chrysoula Zacharopoulou.

Greek-born Zacharopoulou, who co-chaired the COVAX Shareholders Council and worked on EU-Africa relations as a member of the European Parliament, will remain in the government even as she faces allegations of rape stemming from her time as a gynecologist.

The full government lineup (in French) is here.

Learn more: A primer on French aid (Pro)

In other news

The World Health Organization declared on Monday the end of the Ebola outbreak in Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of Congo. [UN News]

The World Cup in Qatar, happening simultaneously with COP 15 in December, should not distract world leaders from environment and climate negotiations, according to U. N. biodiversity chief Elizabeth Maruma Mrema. [The Guardian]

Some 50,000 people have been told to evacuate in Sydney, Australia following massive flooding caused by heavy rains. [BBC]

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