Participants at a consultative workshop are discussing policy in connection with the Ethiopian National Dialogue Process. Today's event is part of the effort by the Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations Council (ECSOC) in engaging in the National Dialogue by playing a supporting role to the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission (ENDC).
Fifty-two youth-focused and youth-led civil society organizations have come together to form the “Alliance of Youth CSOs for National Dialogue”. The Alliance which was launched officially on October 11, 2022, aims to empower these CSOs to contribute to the realization of the meaningful participation of young people in the national dialogue in a principled and coordinated manner.
ECSOC has been engaged in different initiatives to support the efforts toward the success of the National Dialogue in the country. In line with this, a gap was identified where there was a gap in the participation of youth-focused and youth-led CSOs in the National Dialogue process. In order to bridge this gap, ECSOC along with the concerned CSOs is coordinating the organizations working with the youth to form the Alliance.
In his opening remark, Executive Director of ECSOC, Henok Melesse said “The alliance that will be formed today, aims to fill such visible gaps by ensuring the active participation of the youth,” he added, “by mobilizing young people in both rural and urban areas, it is possible to help them become active participants in the dialogue and make the process successful.”
In his welcoming speech, the Chairperson of the Interim Committee of the Alliance, Biruk Yirgalem, said "we are delighted to be working closely with the council to contribute to the success of the National Dialogue process." Biruk also underlined that activities are underway to ensure the inclusion of youth at the regional level.
Representatives of the youth-focused and youth-led CSOs at the launching of the alliance have pledged their commitment to engage in the process with a high standard of ethics and a spirit of foresight.
Over 300 representatives of local and international Civil Society Organizations came together on September 23, 2022, with the aim of mobilizing resources to respond to the dire emergency humanitarian situation in Ethiopia, particularly, for internally displaced people (IDPs). This comes as thousands of people were internally displaced amid the resurgence of armed conflict in the Northern part of Ethiopia. The Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations Council has called on CSOs to make maximum effort to ensure that internally displaced persons and people facing urgent humanitarian needs have access to the much-needed emergency response. In his opening remark, Executive Director of the Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations Council, Henok Melese said “serving humanity is the main characteristic of civil societies. We are here today to provide immediate humanitarian support to those who have been displaced from their homes and are facing urgent humanitarian needs due to the resurgence of the armed conflict. He added, “Now is the time to step up our efforts by providing urgent humanitarian aid to support the thousands of people who have been displaced and are facing the impacts of the war. On behalf of our council, I would like to urge all CSOs to play their role to reach our people in need of support.” Director General of the Authority for Civil Society Organizations (ACSO), Jima Dilbo has also called on all Civil Society Organizations to step up their efforts to reach out to citizens that are in desperate need of humanitarian aid with lifesaving support. CSOs and partners at today’s event have pledged over 11 million birr in cash and in-kind heeding the urgent humanitarian support call by ECSOC & ACSO.
