Commission Plans to Launch National Dialogue in May

The Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission (ENDC) sets the upcoming May to launch the dialogue process aimed at creating national consensus on contentious issues among all segments of the society in the country.

Parliament set up the dialogue commission last February with a task to oversee the three-year dialogue process in December 2022.

On Tuesday, Chief Commissioner Mesfin Araya (Prof) briefed parliamentarians and other concerned bodies about ENDC’s performance so far.

Several key activities have since been carried out by the Commission to make the dialogue process transparent, credible and participatory, Mesfin told the MPs.

The ENDC is gearing up for the dialogue process in May after completing its first and second phases of activities as well as starting the third phase, Mesfin said.

The phases so far saw the commission set up its secretariat as well as design procedural systems to help identify participants, recruit moderators and facilitators of the dialogue as well as develop discussion agenda.

The procedural systems were the subject of discussions with regions, city administrations, and other pertinent stakeholders with a view to gathering inputs.

The commission also held discussions involving various segments of society in a bid to develop agenda items.

These discussions, Mesfin said, were conducted in a way that give equal participation and ensures that no voices are left unheard in the national dialogue.

The discussions include farmers, pastoralists, academics, professionals, women, youths, religious leaders, political parties, teachers, associations of persons with disabilities, Ethiopians in the diaspora, and more, according to Mesfin.

The parliament set up the commission with the task of facilitating “an inclusive dialogue and reconciliation process that would heal wounds, build a consensus on key issues and help the country to solve its complex problems”.

House Speaker Tagesse Chaffo said the works done by the Dialogue Commission thus far “are good and deserve recognition.”

As per the speaker, conducting the Dialogue is the most important national agenda for the government set to be carried out this fiscal year.

The commission should start the National Dialogue as per the schedule set in order to resolve challenges in Ethiopia through dialogue and create national consensus, said Tagesse.

The speaker further urged the Commission to step up its media and communication campaign to make the commission’s current and future works reach the general public.

EM/ENA