UNDP’s support to the dialogue between the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) in Oromia and civil society organizations (CSOs) – including ten women CSO representatives from rural areas – enabled the first direct engagement between civil society and local justice authorities to improve the prevention and reporting of sexual and gender-based violence and other crimes.
UNDP supported the Ethiopian delegation to attend the meeting of the UN Human Rights Committee in Geneva to discuss the Government’s reports on the implementation of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT).
UNDP provided technical assistance to the Ministry of Justice and the newly formed Interministerial Task Force established to lead on the development of the transitional justice policy.
While the people and the economy of Ethiopia have demonstrated remarkable resilience, the multiple and overlapping crises that began with COVID-19 have hindered Ethiopia's development. These shocks have compounded previous challenges, such as slow economic growth, the 2016-2017 drought, and the widespread 2019 locust infestation, which depleted the coping capacities of affected communities. According to the UN socioeconomic impact assessment, the combined impact of these stresses since 2020, has deteriorated the well-being of the people and has stalled or reversed recent development gains, including the progress towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
To respond rapidly and effectively to the rule of law and access to justice needs, UNDP in Ethiopia designed a project to support the Justice Bureaux in Oromia and Somali regions and to provide policy and technical support to the Offices of the Attorney General in the two regions. The project was implemented due to support from UNDP’s Global Programme for Strengthening the Rule of Law, Human Rights, Justice and Security for Sustainable Peace and Development. The overall aim of the interventions was to improve the delivery of justice services, especially to vulnerable individuals, and to increase the inclusion and representation of women in the justice system.
Gender equality remains a key development challenge in Ethiopia, especially at the regional level. UNDP sought to include women in all its engagements with the Justice Bureaus and the Offices of the Attorney General (OAG). In both regions, however, the number of women in justice institutions remained low, so it was challenging to ensure equal representation. Despite these challenges, UNDP continued to work closely with its national partners to ensure that available female staff was given opportunities to participate in the project activities.
In addition to further bolstering inclusivity, UNDP supported dialogue and collaboration between the OAG in Oromia and CSOs to improve prevention and reporting of sexual and gender-based violence and other crimes. Ten women CSO representatives from the rural areas participated in the dialogue. This approach reflects the UNDP Gender Equality Strategy which highlights the importance of linking interventions to local/grassroots organizations. This first direct engagement between CSOs and local justice authorities has laid a foundation for sustainable collaboration.
HUMAN RIGHTS
Through separate UNDP funding, UNDP supported the Ethiopian delegation to attend the meeting of the UN Human Rights Committee in Geneva to discuss the Government’s reports on the implementation of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT). The reports were sent to the Committee Against Torture in 2020, but their consideration was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE
One of the key pillars arising from the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement signed in late 2022 was the commitment towards the formation of a transitional justice policy in Ethiopia. The Ministry of Justice sought technical assistance from UNDP to support the newly formed Interministerial Task Force established to lead on the development of the new policy. UNDP worked closely with the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) and UN Women to support the design of a comprehensive, integrated and context-specific transitional justice policy in Ethiopia which included countrywide consultations and consultative workshops with experts and other key stakeholders. The new Transitional Justice Policy was approved by the Government in March 2024 .
Lessons learned and good practices
Since April 2022, the Country Office has been implementing activities in four selected Ethiopian regions through its flagship Regional Engagement Framework. Oromia and Somali Regions were among the key beneficiaries of the initiative. Considering that some of the activities included components on democratic governance and participation, the project worked closely to complement and coordinate with other development initiatives related to justice and rule of law activities in these two regions. This has resulted in an increase in confidence between UNDP and the Offices of the Attorney General in Oromia and Somali regions. The Attorney Generals in both regions have expressed commitment to build on the achievements of the project and to continue working with UNDP to strengthen the rule of law and improve human rights protection.
Civil society in Ethiopia is being formed and its capacities to engage in policy development are still limited. There is no platform for information sharing among civil society organizations and government bodies. The establishment of such a platform or a communications channel could address the issue of underreported crime in the country and would enable the CSOs to advocate for more effective investigation and survivor-oriented services. To address this shortcoming, UNDP facilitated a strategic dialogue between CSOs and the Offices of the Attorney General.
UNDP sought cooperation with the Oromia Legal Research Institute and the University of Jijiga Faculty of Law in the Somali Region. These potential partners hold local legal expertise which could have a positive impact on the institutional capacities of all local parties ensuring national ownership and long-term sustainability of interventions beyond the project lifespan.
Looking forward
UNDP will continue to implement a broad spectrum of development interventions for better governance, access to justice and rule of law, gender equality and women’s empowerment, conflict prevention and peacebuilding, jobs creation, livelihood improvements and resilience building. The regional engagement approach is expected to provide UNDP with first-hand experience on how development/policy interventions at federal level are impacting changes at regional and sub-regional levels, and also to inform its work at upstream levels.