It is clear that nation building is a process of people who share a common vision trying to build a system that could help them address common social and economic as well as political interests accordingly.
For several years the issue of nation building has been the subject throughout the world and some countries that effectively applied properly in joint discussion with the masses are able to realize positive results whereas others are seen taking war as an alternative route to peace which is totally far from the reality.
Countries around the world established a national dialogue commission to mend the relation between the various groups. Nations that have conducted productive national dialogue are able to ensure sustainable peace and develop a working system that acknowledges the interest of their citizens. Ethiopia’s National Dialogue Commission which was established three years ago is a good example for this claim for it has taken into consideration the needs of various members of the society.
The Commission is aggressively working to ensure sustainable peace in Ethiopia. As a means to realize its goals the Commission is provide an opportunity to various sects of the society to reflect their view and contribute their share in the peace process. Residents of Addis Ababa are among these sections of the societies that are actively engaged in the national dialogue. And most of the residents are reflecting their view about the constructive role of the dialogue to ensure sustainable peace.
In an exclusive interview with The Ethiopian Herald Fiseha Yirdaw, who is a resident of Addis Ababa , said that the national dialogue is a golden opportunity that the nation should not miss, because the nation has missed a number of golden opportunities that should be applied. “Implementing productive national dialogue is helpful in the nation building process and including various section of the society in the process will reveal a positive result in the future.”
According to him, individuals as well as groups engaged in armed conflict should come to a round table discussion which is the best and the right way to avoid any form of conflict and sustain peace. Ensuring peace through arm struggle has not worked. The best way to ensure sustainable peace and development is through implementing productive dialogue.
“I am well aware of the fact that each nation and nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia have several traditional mechanisms they had been using to avoid conflict. Thus, applying the traditional as well as modern means of averting conflict has a great contribution to address rifts and conflicts. The social capital of each ethnic group could be instrumental in supporting the effort of the Commission.”
Fiseha said that the Commission should keep on working in translating the National Dialogue plan to the ground and realize sustainable peace in all parts of Ethiopia. All stakeholders and the development partners should support both technically and financially.
Responding to the role of the media he said that all media houses should give due attention and deliver information in professional fashion. The media houses should refrain from providing unbalanced and biased information that may directly or indirectly serve as a weapon to stir peace. It is clear that Ethiopia is a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society, and journalists are expected to be professional and unbiased.
He also commented that the national dialogue deserves the attention of all stakeholders. “The media houses should develop an agenda that could inspire the public and question the operation of the national dialogue. Because the media has a power in building informed society that could decide on various issues based on rational thinking that could be important in building a peaceful society.”
It is to be recalled that Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission (ENDC) Chief Commissioner Professor, Mesfin Araya, told the media that the Commission is in the final stages of identifying participants in ten states.
The commission is also in the final stage of selecting woreda representatives who will be involved in the agenda collection process within the aforementioned period.
The Commissioner further stated that the agenda collection will be implemented in the areas where the primary activities are fully completed. “The commission is ready to conduct agenda collection progress in Addis Ababa, Gambella, Benishangul-Gumuz, Sidama, Harar, and Dire Dawa. Representatives drawn from each woreda are expected to gather and present worthy ideas to the commission,” he said.
Accordingly, in April 2024, the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission (ENDC) announced that over 130,000 citizens have been involved in agenda collection, participants’ identification, and other preliminary activities.
Recently, ENDC Spokesperson, Tibebu Tadesse also informed the media that the Commission has been carrying out various activities to identify dialogue participants and map about 1,300 districts across the country to ensure the process is inclusive and participatory.
Tibebu also mentioned that participants’ identification has been ongoing in 940 districts across the country, with the commission finalizing these activities in 850 districts. Participants’ identification will take place in the remaining districts in the coming weeks.
“Out of the 130,000 citizens who participated in the preliminary activities, more than 14,000 have been selected to take part in the agenda collection for the final dialogue. The representatives are drawn from different states and segments of society, excluding Addis Ababa, federal institutions, and Diaspora communities.”
The spokesperson further highlighted that the commission has completed the identification of representatives who will participate in the final dialogue in Afar, Benishangul Gumuz, Gambella, Harari, Sidama, South Western Ethiopia, South and Central Ethiopia states, as well as in Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa city administrations.
Participants’ identification is ongoing in Somali and Oromia states, and after completing these activities, the commission will have 70-75% of the total representatives required for the final dialogue. The remaining 25 to 30% will be filled through participants’ identification and agenda collection activities in Amhara and Tigray states, with preparations underway for this purpose.
Currently, the commission has finalized the preparations to launch the agenda input collection from public forums. In this regard, the state-level agenda collection forum is expected to take an average of eight to ten days, requiring preparations in terms of labor force, logistics, security, and other areas, he remarked.
BY MENGISTEAB TESHOME
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SATURDAY 13 APRIL 2024
