There are two major actors in the struggle against the issues of human rights and HIV&AIDS in Ethiopia – the government and the civil society organizations (CSOs).
The international community has recognized and agreed that HIV&AIDS is both a human rights and development issue. Given the rising trend of human rights violations in relation to HIV&AIDS, both governments and CSOs are under pressure to address HIV&AIDS using the rights-based approach. This pressure is stronger in Sub-Saharan Africa where HIV&AIDS is more prevalent, and human rights violations in relation to HIV&AIDS are widespread.
In response to these pressures, the South African Development Community (SADC) drafted a model law on HIV&AIDS in 2008. This model law is based on the right-based approach to HIV&AIDS and has raised the hopes of many human rights activists. While Ethiopia is not a member of the SADC, it may have to draft its own law to address the human rights issues in relation to HIV&AIDS. Ethiopia is signatory to the several international human rights policies which bind the Ethiopian government to conform with international human rights principles.
However, the Ethiopian government has drafted a law in 2008 deemed by many development actors in the international community as contrary to the human rights principles. The Charities and Societies Proclamation law (CSO law) restricts the activities of CSOs in the general issue of human rights. Under this law, foreign CSOs are prohibited from engaging in human rights activities. The definition of foreign CSOs includes not only the actual international foreign NGOs, but also those local NGOs/CSOs that get more than 10% of its income from external sources. This translates to most local NGOs being prohibited to engage in human rights activities.
The CSO law has alarmed international development actors. Some human rights activists claim that the law is an attempt to conceal human rights violations. There were advocacies from international and local CSOs, as well as from developed nations, for the Ethiopian government to change some stipulations in the law, especially with regards to human rights. Some human rights activists called on international donors and funding nations to sanction the Ethiopian government for this blatant disregard of human rights principles.