ETHIOPIA
A long-standing claim on behalf of Nestlé Germany involving a meat processing business that was nationalised in 1975 by the government then in power and sold to a private investor in 1998, was settled in 2003. The Ethiopian government reimbursed Nestlé in separate settlements in 2003.
Proceeds from the first settlement were immediately contributed to the Ethiopian Red Cross, a member of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and Caritas, the Catholic relief and development organisation.
Proceeds from the second half of the settlement were donated to a United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) project aimed at ensuring sustainable access to ground water in Ethiopian refugee camps.
In addition, Nestlé Waters - the company's bottled water subsidiary - sent a delegation of water technicians to support the UNHCR field team in Ethiopia and help with the sustainable use of water resources. Nestlé has also initiated a project aimed at supporting the coffee sector in Ethiopia. This project consists of supporting training coffee farmers in the field of sustainability and providing technical assistance to an Ethiopian coffee research centre.
