ADDIS ABABA–The Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission (ENDC) Chief Commissioner, Professor Mesfin Araya, has hailed the participation of former members of the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) in the agenda gathering phase as a significant milestone.
In a press briefing held at the conclusion of Oromia’s agenda gathering consultative meeting, Prof. Mesfin emphasized the commission’s commitment to involving all groups, including those engaged in power struggles, in the National Dialogue process.
He also highlighted the significance of the OLA’s participation, especially following their recent peace agreement with the Oromia State Government. “Dialogue is a process that makes all parties winners. It is also a path that requires actors not only to be logical, but also to show empathy.”
The agenda gathering, which saw the participation of around 7,000 individuals, concluded in a historic manner. The event was organized into four large clusters and conducted across 640 groups over the span of five days. According to Prof. Mesfin, the groups submitted their agendas, which were thoroughly discussed and debated in an open and free manner.
The upcoming National Dialogue conference will include 320 community representatives, 12 opinion leaders and notable figures, 31 government representatives, and other selected participants from Oromia.
Prof. Mesfin noted that the identification of participants was a highly competitive process. He also pointed out that religious institutions and political parties will send their chosen participants directly to the commission.
Furthermore, the commission has successfully met its target of 30 percent women’s participation, and the involvement of persons with disabilities (PWD) is also showing promising progress.
The Chief Commissioner took the opportunity to express his appreciation to the media for its crucial role in the process, as well as to acknowledge the continuous support from various actors who have contributed to the commission’s work.
Before the Oromia State gathering, the ENDC held similar events in nine other states, engaging over 105,370 participants from 932 districts across these states and two city administrations.
Now that the agenda gathering in Oromia State is concluded, the commission plans to continue providing training, identifying participants, and gathering agendas for states that have yet to participate. These states include Amhara and Tigray, which were unable to engage for various reasons, it was learned.
BY BETELHEM BEDLU
The Ethiopian Herald December 25/2024
