Australia thanks the High Commissioner for her oral update.

We are gravely concerned by the prolonged hostilities in the Tigray region, including reports of drone and other indiscriminate attacks that have killed civilians. We condemn the ongoing egregious human rights abuses and violations, including systematic sexual and gender-based violence committed by all parties to the conflict.

Australia welcomes the establishment of an International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia.

Australia calls on all parties to the conflict to work with the Commission to ensure all violations and abuses are documented, to hold perpetrators to account, and to restore justice to those who have so far lost access to it.

Australia is concerned by reports of mass detentions on the basis of ethnicity following the introduction of the State of Emergency in Ethiopia on 2 November 2021.

We welcome the early end to the State of Emergency and announcements from the Government of Ethiopia that detainees have been released.

We call for immediate action by all parties to ensure urgent humanitarian assistance, that humanitarian resources are not interfered with, and that humanitarian workers are accorded full freedom and safety to carry out their work.

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