The Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission (ENDC) officially launched the agenda items gathering consultative meetings at the First Chapter of the dialogue here in Addis Ababa yesterday. While the meetings have taken place in some of the regions of the nation, the launching of similar event in Addis Ababa can be taken as a significant milestone in ensuring the effective progress of the dialogue nationwide.
Ethiopia has been making a very long preparation to conduct a national dialogue which is anticipated to bring about viable solution to decades old political problems. It is as such historical because this kind of wide ranging and in-depth dialogue has never taken place in the country before. As a result, the long-time taken to prepare for it is indeed worth the time and effort as it is supposed to transform the alarming situation in the country completely and could promise a bright future.
Yet, many Ethiopians also long for the time to commence the actual dialogue, carry it out effectively and proceed to the routine activities. Such feeling is created due to the impact of the various unfavorable incidents that caused the delay and rescheduling the Commissions time table to conduct the actual event. The Commission’s success in carryout the activities so far and convening this consultative meeting is a great leap forward. It is also hoped that it will effectively discharge its remaining works in the coming weeks and months.
Now that the Addis Ababa Chapter of the agenda items collection for the national dialogue has been launched, it is possible to speak with due certainty about the effectiveness of upcoming similar events in other regions. Addis Ababa takes the lion’s share of the political and economic activities of the entire nation and the start of the event here is so symbolic. With a population estimated at more than 4 million, Addis Ababa is structured in 11 Sub cities and 119 woredas which make it the biggest city in the country, and also inhabited by citizens from across the nation and even more populated than some regional states.
As a result, the metropolitan city has the potential to reflect the burning desires, the ambitions, and outlooks of the linguistic, cultural and religiously diverse people of the nation. It has also been an emblem of unity, cohesion and synergy of the people of the nation as almost everyone in all corners tunes to the progresses that occur in Addis Ababa as miniature of the entire nation. It plays a meaningful role in setting a positive pace in the historical political and economic journey of the nation.
Therefore, participants of the consultative discussion here in Addis should also do their task with due responsibility to meaningfully pinpoint the burning issues of the residents of the metropolis, discuss them thoroughly and come up with vital and prevalent topics that are the most burning ones among the public. This will be helpful not only for residents of the city but also for participants of the remaining regions.
The ENDC indicated that the participants in the consultative meeting opened yesterday in Addis Ababa included representatives from religious, civic society, and political institutions at every level.
ENDC Chief Commissioner Professor Mesfin Araya indicated on the occasion that the participants in the consultation phase represent a wide cross-section of the Addis Ababa population, including community leaders, women, youth, teachers, the business community, and those displaced from their homes or facing limited participation for various reasons.
This makes the consultation a great leap forward as it focuses on identifying key national issues where the people need to reach consensus on and contribute to the efforts to address the problems of the nation once and for all. Hence, all stakeholders should discharge their historic responsibilities for the best accomplishment of the consultation.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD THURSDAY 30 MAY 2024
