Weekly Message

Ethiopia Has Prevailed!

Ethiopia has successfully concluded the National Dialogue Conference, marking a historic political milestone. The extensive consultation process led by the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission over recent years culminated with four thousand participants deliberating on eight key national agendas.

The decision by the Prosperity Party-led "Medemer" administration to resolve Ethiopia’s long-standing political fractures through ideas, dialogue, and public consultation—rather than force and conflict—has borne significant fruit.

Established four years ago under Proclamation No. 1265/2021, the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission gathered agendas through broad public participation ranging from the local kebele level to the diaspora, bringing the nation's core questions to a nationwide forum. This conference brought together four key stakeholder groups comprising 4,000 participants, over 150 advisors, and eight sub-groups of 500 participants each. Through its chosen methodology, the Commission successfully achieved its objectives, demonstrating that the outdated era of gun politics has come to an end.

At the opening of the dialogue conference, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) addressed Ethiopia's political culture, stating: "Our politics begins with harsh words and ends with harsh actions; this cycle must stop once and for all." This calls for shifting our political culture from conflict to dialogue, from force to ideas, and from a zero-sum game of winners and losers to shared solutions and consensus. Grounded in this vision, Ethiopians came together to generate solutions for long-term national progress, fostering a civilized culture of table discussions, debate, active listening, and problem-solving.

The philosophy of Medemer prioritizes recognizing diversity rather than denying it, expanding mutual listening, shifting from an "I" to a "We" mindset, and seeking collective truths and solutions. Conducted in this spirit, the National Dialogue Conference has laid a strong foundation for transforming our political culture.

Over the past 40 days, discussions focused on eight fundamental agendas: nation-building, state structure and political systems, federal cities, religious affairs, institutional capacity and the rule of law, socio-economic issues, anti-corruption and good governance, and peace building. These topics address not only today's challenges but also lay the political, social, institutional, and economic foundation for future generations.

Therefore, the success of this dialogue is not just an immediate achievement, but a foundation laid for the future of Ethiopia. Because the conclusion of the dialogue marks the beginning of a new phase to implement these recommendations, the continued engagement of all Ethiopians, stakeholders, political forces, and institutions is essential, and we must commit ourselves to working toward this goal.