By Staff Writer
(NAIROBI, Kenya) — The Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO) reported organized patterns of behavior among participants seeking to amplify one-sided perspectives and establish dominance during the Ethiopian National Dialogue Assembly.
The statement comes as the National Dialogue Commission (ENDC) announced that 4,000 assembly delegates will convene on Wednesday to approve the final recommendation document following more than a month of deliberations.
Speaking on behalf of EHRCO, Executive Director Tesfaye Gemechu—who participated as a representative of the Ethiopian Council of Civil Society Organizations—outlined key observations regarding the assembly’s group dynamics and organizational structure.
Tesfaye noted visible efforts by certain actors to steer discussions in a single direction and exert pressure during working sessions, though overall interpersonal friction remained lower than initially anticipated.
EHRCO raised concerns over the regional selection processes for the 120-member core committee—comprising 15 representatives across eight agenda groups—pointing out that regional selection methods led to shared ideological clusters rather than balanced representation.
Addressing inquiries regarding decision-making protocols, Tesfaye explained that facilitators prioritized mediation to bring conflicting sides to a middle ground, resolving extreme agendas through compromise rather than formal voting.
The Council clarified that approved outputs represent policy recommendations rather than immediate laws, with items potentially routing to legislative bodies, constitutional amendments, or public referendums, such as debates regarding Addis Ababa.
Tesfaye characterized the initiative as a valuable foundational experience and confirmed that EHRCO’s four-expert monitoring team will issue a comprehensive report following the assembly’s conclusion.
In a concurrent briefing, National Dialogue Commission Deputy Commissioner Hirut Gebreselassie announced that the harmonization phase for agenda proposals is nearly complete.
The 120-member committee presented harmonized recommendations to their respective 500-member working groups to collect cross-group inputs.
Addressing procedural complaints, Deputy Commissioner Hirut stated that a dedicated grievance committee evaluates participant appeals before submitting recommendations to the Commissioners’ Council for final decision.
The compiled inputs will go before the full assembly of 4,000 participants on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, marking the end of the initial assembly phase.
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