Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, together with international partners, to help to ensure a stable security environment in Ethiopia ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for August and to support the democratic process in Ethiopia.

The UK is working closely with Ethiopian and international partners to support preparations for the August elections. Our Embassy is leading international donor coordination around the election in Addis Ababa, and the UK has contributed £15.5m to the UN's "Supporting Elections for Ethiopia's Democracy Strengthening" programme. In 2019, the British Government hosted the chair of the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE), and two NEBE Commissioners observed the UK General Election in December 2019, meeting with elections experts from the UK Electoral Commission, the British Government and local authorities.

We will continue to work closely with the Ethiopian authorities, our international partners, multilateral bodies and local stakeholders to promote free, fair and safe elections.