Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia (SMNE)
March 14, 2014
An Open Letter to African Steering Committee Members for Publish What You Pay (PWYP)[i]
Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Board Members from PWYP
Dear Ali Idrissa, Jean-Claude Katende and Faith Nwadishi, and other members of the EITI Board:
We in the Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia (SMNE) are contacting you in regards to the upcoming Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) board review concerning Ethiopia’s reapplication for membership in the EITI. The outcome of your decision related to this case will either help or hinder Ethiopians both now and in the future so it is critically important that you hear a representative voice from the people.
For your information, the SMNE, of which I am the executive director, is a non-political and non-violent social justice movement of diverse people that advocates for freedom, justice, good governance and upholding the civil, human and economic rights of the people of Ethiopia, without regard to ethnicity, religion, political affiliation or other differences. The SMNE believes a more open, transparent and competitive market economy, supported by viable institutions and reasonable protections, which provides equal opportunity, will result in greater prosperity to the people rather than keeping it in the hands of a few political elites as is the case today.