Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed receives Hesse Peace Prize
The Hessian Peace Prize 2019 goes to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. This was announced by the Board of Trustees in Wiesbaden on Tuesday. It pays tribute to what has moved to the 43-year-old in the short time since taking office in April 2018.
In his first year in office, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed released dissidents, fired officials, and se aled a historic reconciliation. For this, he now receives the Hessian Peace Prize.
Abiy has become hopeful, especially through the conclusion of a peace treaty with the neighboring country of Eritrea. For 20 years, the two states had been at a state of no no peace. Domestically, Abiy initiated political and economic reforms in the multi-ethnic nation of 105 million people.
Abiy has scheduled free elections for May 2020. This year, he plans to plant four billion trees across the country.
Karl Starzacher (Chairman), Boris Rhein (President of the State Parliament, CDU) and Nicole Deitelhoff (Hessian Foundation for Peace and Conflict Research).
The award ceremony will take place on 23 September in the state parliament.
