Following a short introduction to the history, the people and the geology of Ethiopia, the presentation will focus on recent political and economic developments in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa and will conclude with an outlook on future developments in the region

About the speaker
Prof. Dr. Claas Dieter Knoop served in the foreign service of the Federal Republic of Germany between 1976-2010. Upon finishing his studies and receiving his PhD in Law from the University of Göttingen, Germany, his diplomatic postings led him to New Zealand, the Permanent Representation of Germany at the European Union in Brussels, South Africa and Thailand. Between 2006 and 2010 he was German ambassador to Ethiopia and Djibouti and Permanent Representative of Germany to the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. From 2012 to 2014, Knoop was German Co-Chair of a joint EU-AU working group on Human Rights and Good Governance in the framework of the Strategic Partnership between Africa and the EU.

After retiring from the foreign service, he has taken on various lecturer positions in Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen, where he is currently lecturing as adjunct professor for international relations at Jacobs University. His teaching foci are on Africa, Europe and International Development Policy as well as Diplomacy and Foreign Policy. He was engaged in training missions in Kenya, Mauritius, the Seychelles Islands and Mongolia. As a longterm member of the speaker service of the European Commission, he has been engaged in a series of public events with a focus on Africa and Europe. Knoop serves on the board of the German-Ethiopian Foundation in Hamburg, and formerly chaired the Business Advisory Council for Ethiopia. He has published and spoken extensively about relations between the African Union and European Union as well as International Development Policy and Peace and Security Policy in the geographical context of the Horn of Africa.

The event will be chaired by Dr Jennifer Cassidy.