Hailemariam Desalegn

Hailemariam was born in 1965 in the Boloso Sore District Hombba of the Wolayita Zone in southern Ethiopia.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WU92d6sB8JAC&q=%22Hailemariam+Desalegn%22&pg=PA203|title=Historical Dictionary of Ethiopia|last1=Shinn|first1=David H.|last2=Ofcansky|first2=Thomas P.|date=11 April 2013|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=9780810874572|page=204|language=en}} Hailemariam is from Wolayta ethnic group of Ethiopia, the first largest in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region (SNNPR). His family belongs to the Apostolic Church of Ethiopia, a Oneness Pentecostal denomination that is not part of mainstream Trinitarian Ethiopian Protestant Christianity (Pentay).{{Cite journal|last=Haustein|first=Jörg|year=2013|title=The New Prime Minister's Faith: A Look at Oneness Pentecostalism in Ethiopia|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/276908455|journal=PentecoStudies |volume=12|issue=2|pages=183–204|doi=10.1558/ptcs.v12i2.183}} Married to Roman Tesfaye, he is well known to be both a religious and family man.

In 1988, Hailemariam received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Addis Ababa University. He subsequently worked as a graduate assistant in the Arba Minch Water Technology Institute (now Arba Minch University). After two years of working in this capacity, he won a scholarship to Tampere University of Technology in Finland, where he earned a master's degree in sanitation engineering.http://URN.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tty-200907101883 {{dead link|date=January 2018}} Upon his return to Ethiopia, he served in different academic and administrative capacities, including the dean of the Water Technology Institute, for 13 years. In 2006, he also received an MA in Organizational Leadership at Azusa Pacific University, California, US.{{cite web |title=Hailemariam Desalegn |url=https://www.weforum.org/people/hailemariam-dessalegn/ |publisher=World Economic Forum |access-date=19 August 2024}}

File:Manmohan Singh being received by the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Ethiopia, Mr. Hailemariam Desalegn, on his arrival at Bole International Airport, to attend the 2nd Africa India Forum Summit (AIFS).jpg at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, May 2011]]

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, he became seriously involved in politics as a member of the EPRDF (Ethiopia's ruling party) and became the deputy president of the SNNPR. He replaced Abate Kisho who was removed from power on corruption charges, but it is believed that Abate was demoted for supporting the anti-Meles Zenawi faction when the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (the core of the EPRDF) split in 2000.{{Citation needed|date=December 2008}} Another widely accepted belief about Abate was that he was less educated and exercised poor leadership while he was in power.

Hailemariam was President of the SNNPR from November 2001 to March 2006 and was promoted to Deputy Prime Minister{{cite web|url=http://www.waltainfo.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27897&Itemid=74.Walta|title=Walta information center|website=Walta Information Center|access-date=3 January 2018}} and Minister of Foreign Affairs in October 2010.[http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article36497 "Opposition dismiss new 'one party' Ethiopian government"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120829152812/http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article36497 |date=29 August 2012 }}, Sudan Tribune, published 6 October 2010 (accessed 17 November 2010) He has been Deputy Chairman of EPRDF, Chairman of SEPDM, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.{{cite web|url=http://bilisummaa.com/index.php?mod=article&cat=Afriikaa&article=1559 |title=Oromiya, Published 13,10, 2010. (accessed in 13, 09, 2011) |publisher=Bilisummaa.com |access-date=3 January 2018}} He has served as Vice President of the SNNPR (2000–2002); President of the SNNPR (2002–2005); Member of the House of People's Representatives (2005–present); Social Affairs Special Advisor to the PM, then Public Mobilization & Participation Special Advisor to the Prime Minister (2005–2008); Government Chief Whip, with a Ministerial portfolio (2008–2010). Party Posts: Member of the Executive Committee of the EPRDF and the SEPDM (2000–present); Chairman of the SEPDM (2002–present); Deputy Chairman of the EPRDF (since Sept 2010).

After his tenure as President of the SNNPR, Hailemariam worked in the Prime Minister's Office as the advisor on Social Affairs and Civic Organizations and Partnerships for two years. He led the team that drafted the Charities and Societies Proclamation law (CSO law) that limits the interference of international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in local political activities. The law was adopted by the Ethiopian Parliament in 2009. He is also credited with pushing EPRDF to re-organize its structure after the contentious 2005 elections via the '1-to-5' model (one member recruits five new people - አንድ ለአምስት አደረጃጀት) that boosted the number of party members from 400,000 to five million by the 2010 elections. In 2010, Hailemariam was sworn into dual ministerial positions as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.

File:Hailemariam Desalegn - Closing Plenary- Africa's Next Chapter - World Economic Forum on Africa 2011.jpg

Following the death of Ethiopia's longtime Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on 20 August 2012, Deputy Prime Minister Hailemariam was appointed as the acting Premier.{{cite news|title=Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles has died: state television|date=21 August 2012|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ethiopia-meles-idUSBRE87K04K20120821|work=Reuters|access-date=21 August 2012}} Hailemariam became the permanent Prime Minister on 21 September 2012.

European Parliament President Martin Schulz, after meeting with Hailemariam, said that his desire "to strengthen democracy in the country, allowing for greater pluralism and a freer civil society, to uphold the freedoms enshrined in the Ethiopian Constitution" was clear.{{cite news|title=Schulz on the meeting with Hailemariam Desalegn, Prime Minister of Ethiopia|url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/the-president/en/press/press_release_speeches/press_release/2013/2013-april/html/schulz-on-the-meeting-with-hailemariam-desalegn-prime-minister-of-ethiopia|newspaper=European Parliament|date=17 April 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130421182341/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/the-president/en/press/press_release_speeches/press_release/2013/2013-april/html/schulz-on-the-meeting-with-hailemariam-desalegn-prime-minister-of-ethiopia|archive-date=21 April 2013}}

In February 2014, Hailemariam met in Addis Ababa with a visiting delegation from Somalia led by Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed to discuss strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries. Hailemariam pledged his administration's continued support for the peace and stabilization efforts in Somalia, as well as its preparedness to assist in initiatives aiming to build up the Somali security forces through experience-sharing and training. He also suggested that Ethiopia and Somalia should increase bilateral trade and investment. Additionally, Hailemariam described the growing ties between both nations as a break from the counter-productive policies of past administrations, marking instead of the opening of a new chapter where mutual stability is beneficial. For his part, Ahmed commended Ethiopia's role in the ongoing peace and stabilization process in Somalia as well as its support against the Al-Shabaab militant group. He likewise welcomed the Ethiopian military's decision to join AMISOM. The meeting concluded with a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding agreeing to promote partnership and cooperation, including a cooperative agreement to develop the police force, a second cooperative agreement covering the information field, and a third cooperative agreement on the aviation sector.{{cite web|title=Ethiopia: The Prime Minister of Somalia On a Visit to Ethiopia|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201402170065.html|publisher=Government of Ethiopia|access-date=17 February 2014}}

File:Hailemariam Desalegn and Tedros Adhanom, August 2014.jpg and Getachew Reda during the meeting with Seychelles' delegation in the margins of the U.S. Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, August 2014]]

Hailemariam Desalegn sustained economic progress in Ethiopia after the sudden death of his predecessor in 2012. He played role to complete the implementation of the Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP I) and to start with GTP II. Between 2012 and 2018, major projects like Hawassa and Mekelle industrial park, Addis Ababa Light Rail, Gilgel Gibe III Dam, the new Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway, as well as Bahir Dar Stadium and other stadiums in Mekelle and Hawassa are completed. Hailemariam is accredited for the country's continued rapid and double-digit economic growth, and

Hailemariam led Ethiopia to partner Kenya in the ambitious US$24.5bn Lamu Port Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor – which includes a railway, highways, and an oil pipeline – which will provide his landlocked country and South Sudan with a new export pathway and reduce Kenya's dependence on the heavily congested port of Mombasa. Moreover, Hailemariam has partnered Ethiopia with Djibouti to sign an agreement for a $1.55 billion fuel pipeline with developers Mining, Oil & Gas Services and Blackstone Group LP-backed Black Rhino Group. Both countries which are in the Horn of Africa signed framework agreements in September 2015 for construction of the 550-kilometer (340-mile) line to transport diesel, gasoline and jet fuel from port access in Djibouti to central Ethiopia. The joint project construction is scheduled for completion in two years.

File:Hailemariam Desalegn in Viena Nov 4 2014 (2).jpg]]

Hailemariam continued with the ambitious projects like the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which was launched by his predecessor, Meles Zenawi. Financially, Hailemariam's government welcomed its first sovereign credit ratings from global agencies in 2014 – a B1 from Moody's and B ratings from both Fitch and Standard & Poor's, which opened the door to international capital markets and foreign direct investment. However, the foreign investment capital comes from China, which has committed hundreds of millions of dollars in loans and grants to assist the government-owned corporations’ ambitious initiatives, as well as other capital intensive projects like roads, bridges and railways.

{{Main article|Resignation of Hailemariam Desalegn}}

File:Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn resignation announcement on 15 February 2018.webm

On 14 February 2018, Hailemariam Desalegn announced his resignation as prime minister and chairman of EPRDF in a televised address and submitted letter to the SEPDM and EPRDF, who finally accept the letter.{{Cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/02/ethiopia-prime-minister-hailemariam-desalegn-resigns-180215115215988.html|title=Ethiopia prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn resigns|date=15 February 2018|website=Aljazeera|access-date=17 February 2018}} His resignation made him the first leader to do so in the country's recent history.{{cite web|url=http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/World/Four-questions-about-Ethiopian-PM-s-resignation/688340-4307774-vbkcnrz/index.html|title=Four questions about the Ethiopian PM's resignation|date=25 January 2021}} He stated that the resignation is "vital in the bid to carry out reforms that would lead to sustainable peace and democracy", linked to the 2014–2016 unrest in Oromia Region, in which hundreds were killed by government crackdown in Oromia and Amhara Region in between 2015 and 2016.{{Cite news |date=15 February 2018 |title=Ethiopia PM Hailemariam Desalegn in surprise resignation |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-43073285 |access-date=19 September 2022}}{{Cite web |date=15 February 2018 |title=Ethiopia's Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn resigns |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/ethiopia-prime-minister-resigns-hailemariam-desalegn-protests-oromia-mass-unrest-a8212106.html |access-date=19 September 2022 |website=The Independent |language=en}}

Hailemariam's announcement came amid a political crisis and lingering unrest in the Horn of Africa country, which had been releasing thousands of political prisoners to ease tensions. "Unrest and a political crisis have led to the loss of lives and displacement of many," he added, however, that he would stay on as prime minister in a caretaker capacity until the EPRDF and parliament accepted his resignation and elected Abiy Ahmed as the new Prime Minister on 2 April.{{Cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/02/ethiopia-prime-minister-hailemariam-desalegn-resigns-180215115215988.html|title=Ethiopia prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn resigns|website=Al Jazeera |access-date=17 February 2018}}

In 2025, Hailemariam was appointed as a mediator by the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community in the Democratic Republic of the Congo amid the M23 campaign (2022–present).{{cite news|title=Ex-leaders Of Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria To Lead DRC Peace Process |url=https://www.barrons.com/news/ex-leaders-of-kenya-ethiopia-nigeria-to-lead-drc-peace-process-2aebda86 |access-date=26 February 2025 |work=Barron's|date=26 February 2025}}

The Hailemariam and Roman Foundation (HRF), co-founded in April 2018 by Hailemariam Dessalegn, the former Prime Minister of Ethiopia, and Roman Tesfaye, the former First Lady of Ethiopia, {{Citation |title=Roman Tesfaye |date=2024-12-21 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Tesfaye |access-date=2025-04-30 |language=en}} is an international non-profit organization headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.{{Cite web |title=Hailemariam & Roman Foundation - Healthy Community, Sustainable Environment |url=https://www.haileromanfoundation.org/ |access-date=2025-04-30 |website=Hailemariam & Roman Foundation |language=en-US}}

File:HFR_logo.jpg

The Foundation aims to promote socioeconomic transformation in Ethiopia and governments, communities, and international development actors. Its vision is to build “a healthy and economically empowered community in a well-conserved environment.”{{Cite web |title=vision |url=https://www.haileromanfoundation.org/about/}}

File:H.E._Roman_Tesfaye,_former_First_Lady_of_Ethiopia_and_CEO_of_HRF,_along_with_HRF’s_Deputy_CEO,_Dr._Sosina_Hailemariam,_and_‘_YES’_Project_team_and_participants_in_South_Omo_zone,_Ethiopia,_May_2025.jpg, former First Lady of Ethiopia and CEO of HRF, along with HRF’s Deputy CEO, Dr. Sosina Hailemariam, and ‘YES’ Project team and participants in South Omo Zone, Ethiopia, May 2025]]

HRF operates across several key thematic areas, including [https://web.archive.org/web/20150908061701/http://toolkit.climate.gov/tool/climate-smart-conservation-putting-adaptation-principles-practice]climate-smart conservation, ecotourism, maternal and child health, women and youth economic empowerment, and sustainable agriculture.{{Cite web |title=programmes |url=https://www.haileromanfoundation.org/programmes/}}

The Foundation’s strategy is centered on three pillars: advocacy, joint model initiatives, and capability building.{{Cite web |date= |title=strategic pillars |url=https://www.haileromanfoundation.org/about/}}

Hailemariam is a member of the board of numerous international organizations such as International Crisis Group,{{Cite web|date=17 December 2019|title=Crisis Group Welcomes Hailemariam Desalegn and Federica Mogherini to its Board|url=https://www.crisisgroup.org/who-we-are/crisis-group-updates/crisis-group-welcomes-hailemariam-desalegn-and-federica-mogherini-its-board|access-date=21 February 2021|website=Crisis Group|language=en}} Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa,{{cite web |url=https://agra.org/who-we-are-our-leadership/ |title=Our Leadership – AGRA |website=agra.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170927153129/http://agra.org/who-we-are-our-leadership/ |archive-date=27 September 2017}} Tana High Level Forum on Security in Africa,{{cite web |url=https://tanaforum.org/about-the-forum/ |title=ABOUT THE FORUM {{!}} Welcome to the Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa |website=tanaforum.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227194410/http://tanaforum.org/about-the-forum/ |archive-date=27 February 2019}} Brenthurst Foundation,{{Cite web|title=Team and Advisors|url=https://www.thebrenthurstfoundation.org/about/team-advisors/|access-date=21 February 2021|website=The Brenthurst Foundation|language=en}} IBA Ethiopia Center for Innovation,{{Cite web |url=https://ibaethiopia.com/team/ |title=Advisory board members - |access-date=27 April 2019 |archive-date=27 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190427105020/https://ibaethiopia.com/team/ |url-status=dead }} and the Ethiopian Reconciliation Commission.{{Cite web|date=5 February 2019|title=Ethiopia named members of National Reconciliation Commission|url=https://borkena.com/2019/02/05/ethiopia-named-members-of-national-reconciliation-commission/|access-date=21 February 2021|website=Borkena Ethiopian News|language=en-US}}

Prime Minister of Ethiopia (2012–18); Chair, Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (2012–18); Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs (2010–12); Advisor to Prime Minister with the rank of Minister (2007-2010); Chair, African Union (2013–14); University lecturer and Dean, Arba Minch University for 12 years; Vice President and President of the Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples’ Regional State (2001–06). Currently{{as of when?|date=November 2020}}: Board Chair, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa; Founder and Board Chair, Hailemariam and Roman Foundation; Board Chair, Tourism Ethiopia; Board of Trustees, International Crisis Group; Advisory Board Member, The Brenthurst Foundation; Member of Parliament for 21 years; Member of different professional Associations.

In August 2019, Hailemariam Dessalegn was appointed as the Chair of the Board of Aliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA),{{Cite web |date=2023-06-06 |title=H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn - AGRA |url=https://agra.org/people/h-e-hailemariam-dessalegn/ |access-date=2025-04-30 |language=en}} an African-led organization focused on increasing food security through agriculture reforms and improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers across the continent.{{Cite web |date=2023-05-29 |title=About Us - AGRA |url=https://agra.org/who-we-are/about-us/ |access-date=2025-04-30 |language=en}}

He succeeded Strive Masiyiwa, who held the position from 2013 to 2019. {{Cite web |last=Hub |first=AGRA Content |date=2019-08-20 |title=Former Ethiopia Prime Minister H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn Succeeds Mr. Strive Masiyiwa as AGRA’s Board Chair - AGRA |url=https://agra.org/news/former-ethiopia-prime-minister-h-e-hailemariam-desalegn-succeeds-mr-strive-masiyiwa-as-agras-board-chair/ |access-date=2025-04-30 |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Bot Verification |url=https://theexchange.africa/countries/ethiopia/former-ethiopian-pm-desalegn-to-chair-agra-board-after-strive-masiyiwa/ |access-date=2025-04-30 |website=theexchange.africa}}

File:H.E._Hailemariam_Dessalegn_delivering_welcoming_speech_at_the_Africa_Food_Systems_Forum_2024_in_Kigali,_Rwanda,_2_September_2024.jpg, Rwanda, 2-6 September 2024]]

In 2023, while speaking as the Chair of the Board at AGRA, he called on Ghanaian lawmakers and international partners to step up their support for food systems transformation, emphasizing its potential to boost livelihoods and food security.{{Cite web |date=2025-01-12 |title=AGRA board chair urges partners and parliamentarians to support Ghana’s food systems transformation efforts {{!}} Daily Agric News |url=https://www.dailyagricnews.com/agra-board-chair-urges-partners-and-parliamentarians-to-support-ghanas-food-systems-transformation-efforts/ |access-date=2025-04-30 |language=en-GB}}

In early 2024, Hailemariam Dessalegn was appointed Board Chair of TradeMark Africa (TMA), an aid-for-trade organization headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya which has a particular focus on implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).{{Cite web |title=Hailemariam Dessalegn was appointed Board Chair of TradeMark Africa |url=https://www.trademarkafrica.com/news}}

File:H.E._Hailemariam_and_Ghana's_President.jpg, President of Ghana, at the Flagstaff House in Accra to discuss trade facilitation, regional integration, and AfCFTA alignment with Ghana’s priorities.]]

In July 2015, Hailemariam Dessalegn received the Romanian Parliament Medal for his outstanding contributions to international diplomacy. The award also recognized Ethiopia’s designation as the World's Best Tourist Destination and Favorite Cultural Destination.{{Cite web |title=Hailemariam Desalegn-Prime Minister of Ethiopia received the Romanian Parliament Medal for his outstanding merits in international diplomacy and in obtaining for his country the accolade of WORLD BEST TOURIST DESTINATION and the sobriquet of FAVORITE CULT |url=https://europeanacademy.weebly.com/academy-news/ethiopian-prime-minister-and-european-academician-hailemariam-desalegn-decorated-for-his-cultural-exertions |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=EUROPEAN TOURISM ACADEMY |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn was recognized by European Tourism Academy as a World Leader of Tourism and a member of honor of European Tourism Academy |url=https://ejtourism.weebly.com/tourism-news/prime-minister-hailemariam-desalegn-express-optimism-in-his-declaration-for-ethiopia-world-best-tourist-destination-for-2015 |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF TOURISM AND TRADE |language=en}}

Hailemariam was also named a [https://waltainfo.com/37894/ World Leader of Tourism] and became an honorary member of the European Tourism Academy in July 2015. The recognition was conferred by the [https://world-tourism.website2.me/european-council-for-tourism-and-trade-press-department European Council on Tourism and Trade] in appreciation of his role in promoting Ethiopia’s tourism sector.{{Cite web |title=H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn was recognized by European Tourism Academy as a World Leader of Tourism and a member of honor of European Tourism Academy |url=https://ejtourism.weebly.com/tourism-news/prime-minister-hailemariam-desalegn-express-optimism-in-his-declaration-for-ethiopia-world-best-tourist-destination-for-2015 |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF TOURISM AND TRADE |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Academic Board of the European Council on Tourism and Trade (ECTT) has elected Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn as a honorary member of EUROPEAN TOURISM ACADEMY, |url=https://europeanacademy.weebly.com/academy-news/hailemariam-desalegn-is-named-honorary-member-of-european-tourism-academy |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=EUROPEAN TOURISM ACADEMY |language=en}}

In the same year, AfricaWorld News, a Pan-African magazine, selected Hailemariam Dessalegn as Man of the Year for 2015. The award recognized his leadership as Prime Minister of Ethiopia and his contribution to African development and diplomacy.{{Cite web |last=admin |date=2016-01-01 |title=Hailemariam Desalegn is 2015 Africa World Man of the Year |url=https://waltainfo.com/17241/ |access-date=2025-05-07 |language=en-AU}}{{Cite web |title=AfricaWorld Man of the Year 2015 |url=https://allafrica.com/stories/201601051231.html}}

On May 14, 2017, Hailemariam was awarded an honorary professorship by the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE) in Beijing. The title acknowledged his efforts to strengthen academic partnerships and support the Belt and Road Initiative.{{Cite web |title=Ethiopian PM gives a keynote speech at UIBE-图片新闻-University of International Business and Economics |url=https://english.uibe.edu.cn/tpxw/60200.htm |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=english.uibe.edu.cn}}{{Cite web |title=Honorary Professorship |url=https://allafrica.com/stories/201705160416.html}}{{Cite web |title=Mekelle University-MU to work with UIBE, China |url=https://www.tigraionline.com/articles/mu-uibe-china-agreed.html |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=www.tigraionline.com}}

File:H.E._Hailemariam_Highest_National_Honor.jpg]

On April 24, 2018, Hailemariam received Ethiopia’s highest national honor, a ceremonial medal and citation, at a farewell ceremony held at the National Palace in Addis Ababa. The award was presented by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in appreciation of his leadership and peaceful handover of power.{{Cite web |title=Highest National Honor |url=https://www.africanews.com/2018/04/25/ethiopia-bestows-highest-national-honour-on-ex-pm-hailemariam-desalegn/}}{{Cite web |last=Reporter |first=Staff |date=2018-04-30 |title=Ethiopia honors former PM with highest national award |url=https://capitalethiopia.com/2018/04/30/ethiopia-honors-former-pm-highest-national-award/ |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=Capital Newspaper |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Ethiopia bestows highest national honour on former prime minister |url=https://iranpress.com/ethiopia-bestows-highest-national-honour-on-former-prime-minister |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=iranpress.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Halemariam Desalegn Awarded Ethiopia's Highest Medal of Honor |url=https://www.ezega.com/News/NewsDetails/6342/Halemariam-Desalegn-Awarded-Ethiopia-s-Highest-Medal-of-Honor |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=www.ezega.com |language=en}}

In August 2019, the Government of Japan honored Hailemariam with the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, recognizing his contribution to Ethiopia–Japan bilateral relations and peace promotion across Africa.{{Citation |title=Fukui, Prof. Dr Kenichi, (4 Oct. 1918–9 Jan. 1998), Order of Culture, Person of Cultural Merits (Japan), 1981; Grand Cordon, Order of the Rising Sun (Japan), 1988; Director, Institute for Fundamental Chemistry, Kyoto, Japan, since 1988 |date=2007-12-01 |work=Who Was Who |url=https://doi.org/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u178546 |access-date=2025-05-07 |publisher=Oxford University Press}}{{Cite web |title=Japan Gives Highest Award to Former Ethiopian Prime Minister |url=https://www.ena.et/web/eng/w/en_9003 |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=ENA English |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=IGAD |date=2019-05-24 |title=MESSAGE OF CONGRATULATIONS TO FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF ETHIOPIA, MR. HAILEMARIAM DESLAEGN ON HIS NOMINATION FOR THE 2019 IMPERIAL DECORATION OF JAPAN |url=https://igad.int/message-of-congratulations-to-fomer-prime-minister-of-ethiopia-mr-hailemariam-deslaegn-on-his-nomination-for-the-2019-imperial-decoration-of-japan/ |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=IGAD |language=en-US}}

In September 2019, Hailemariam received the Gifata Award during the Gifaataa New Year festival in Wolayita Sodo. The award, conferred by the Wolayta people of South Ethiopia Regional State, honored his political leadership and academic achievements.{{Cite web |title=Former Premier receives Gifata Award – Ethiopian Press Agency |url=https://press.et/herald/?p=11924 |access-date=2025-05-07 |language=en-US}}

• List of heads of government of Ethiopia
• 2016 Ethiopian protests

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{{Commons}}

• [http://www.dailyethiopia.com/index.php?aid=894 "A New Leader in Office"], Ethiopia News interview with Hailemariam Desalegn, published 9 November 2010

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{{s-bef|before=Meles Zenawi}}

{{s-ttl|title=Prime Minister of Ethiopia|years=2012–2018}}

{{s-aft|after=Abiy Ahmed}}

|-

{{s-ppo}}

{{s-bef|before=Meles Zenawi}}

{{s-ttl|title=Leader of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front|years=2012–2018}}

{{s-aft|after=Abiy Ahmed}}

|-

{{s-dip}}

{{s-bef|before=Yayi Boni}}

{{s-ttl|title=Chairperson of the African Union|years=2013–2014}}

{{s-aft|after={{nowrap|Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz}}}}

{{s-end}}

{{EthiopianPMs}}

{{African Union chairpersons}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hailemariam Desalegn}}

Category:Wolayita

Category:1965 births

Category:Living people

Category:Prime ministers of Ethiopia

Category:Deputy prime ministers of Ethiopia

Category:Foreign ministers of Ethiopia

Category:Presidents of Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region

Category:Addis Ababa University alumni

Category:Azusa Pacific University alumni

Category:Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front politicians

Category:Ethiopian Pentecostals

Category:Oneness Pentecostals

Category:People from Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region

Category:Southern Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement politicians

Category:People from Wolayita Zone

Category:21st-century Ethiopian politicians