Addis Ababa, 26 May 2023 – The Government of Japan has provided US$ 3 million through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to support the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission (ENDC).

Financing by Japan will go toward enhancing the staffing and technical office capacity of the ENDC and strengthening public awareness of the national dialogue process. In detail, one hundred PCs, twelve vehicles for approaching more people and other essential items will be provided to the ENDC office; handbooks and leaflets for promoting Ethiopian people’s understanding of the national dialogue will be made, translated and published; and thirty experts will be employed for advising and addressing the national dialogue. The project is expected to contribute to the participation of approximately 1.5 million people in the national dialogue across Ethiopia.

Japan’s support is part of a partnership coordinated by UNDP through a US$ 35 million multi-year project that provides technical, financial, and operational assistance to build the ENDC’s capacity to deliver on its mandate.

During the ceremony, Ambassador Ito expressed her hope that the grant aid project will help the ENDC in its work to give Ethiopian people a greater sense of unity as a country and a better understanding of each other among different regions and areas as well as among different ethnic groups.

“The Ethiopian national dialogue is a significant and unprecedented initiative with the potential to write a new social contract for Ethiopia through dialogue and debates around critical issues with direct relevance to democratization, lasting peace, and sustainable development of the country,” noted Turhan Saleh, Resident Representative for UNDP Ethiopia.

The ENDC was established, with 11 Commissioners, by the House of People’s Representatives in February 2022 (Proclamation No. 1265/2021) with a three-year mandate to lead an independent, inclusive, and transparent national dialogue across the country.

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