CHR aims to promote policy discussion and dialogue among relevant policy makers, high and mid-level federal and regional government officials and leaders of civil society as well as local and international researchers and experts to promote common understanding and facilitate action on policy and practical measures related to the protection of various human rights in general andthe rights of women, children, persons with disabilities, workers, refugees and other vulnerable groups in particular . The policy dialogues and discussions are also held to address various issues of justice in the country and also include matters that relate to the realization of economic, social and cultural rights, economic policies and implications on human rights and the rights of women, children, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups. By reflecting on pertinent and contemporary issues and identifying gaps in the relevant legal and policy frameworks and forging strategic collaboration withstakeholders, the CHR uses the policy dialogue and discussion forums to generate policy recommendations or options which bear practical relevance and contribute to respondingto contemporary problems.
Accordingly, CHR has organized several policy dialogue forums on relevant national issues that are related to human rights promotion and protection in Ethiopia. In this regard, under STRACE-I and the current STRACE project, STRACE-II,CHR organized and led fourpolicy dialogue forums. The policy dialogue forums were conducted
Between November 5 and 6, 2018,when it organized a policy dialogue forum under the overarching theme of “Protection of Women’s Rights and the Administration of Justice in Ethiopia”.
The forum facilitated evidence-based and policy-oriented dialogue among 32 (nine female and twenty three male) relevant stakeholders including academics, practitioners and key institutional actors highlighting outstanding issues in the protection of women’s rights and suggested policy options to address the gaps.
Subsequently, the CHR organized a policy dialogue forum between November 4 and 5, 2019, under the theme of “Confronting the Past & Building the Future: Promises of Transitional Justice in Ethiopia”.
The theme was timely as Ethiopia was undergoing reforms and changes following the reform in 2018. The forum introduced stakeholders with the concepts and practices of Transitional Justice as a mechanism of confronting past human rights violations as well as building a just, peaceful and democratic society and created a platform for 49 (8 female and 41 male) stakeholders including academics, practitioners, and key institutional actors for dialogue on relevant historical, policy, legal and institutional issues that inform the various Transitional Justice processes in Ethiopia. During the dialogue papers were presented by experts and discussions were made on 9 themes. Following the policy dialogue forum on transitional justice, policy consolidation workshop was held on 31 January and 1 February 2020, in collaboration with Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (RWI) with a small group of mainly academic experts which further interrogated and refined the findings and conclusions of the policy dialogue.
Later on, considering contemporary challenges in Ethiopia and the 2021 general election, CHR organized a policy dialogue forum on the theme “Rule of Law, Human Rights, and Democratic Election in Ethiopia” from September 21-22, 2020.
The national policy dialogue forum focused on the interplay amongst rule of law, human rights and democratic election in Ethiopia. The forum brought together fifty (seven female and forty three male) policy makers from government agencies and representatives of CSOs and political parties. During the forum, papers were presented by experts and discussions were made on twelve sub-themes.
Between October 2 and 3, 2023, CHR organized a policy dialogue forum on an overarching theme of “Contributions of the Academia to the Transitional Justice Policy Options for Ethiopia”.
The overall objective of the policy dialogue forum is to create a platform for policy discussion of expert academicians and researchers in the field of Transitional Justice to contribute to the ongoing policy discussion and inform the policy development on transitional justice. The Center has commissioned research papers on what have been identified as gray areas that needed further research and input from the academic community. The policy dialogue forum targeted experts on transitional justice who were selected primarily from different academic and research institutions across the country. Within this overarching theme, the participants deliberated on the major sub-themes such as the roles of national and sub-national government, traditional dispute resolution mechanisms, digital technology and survivors centered approaches in the context of transitional justice with a view to gather concrete recommendations/inputs for policy development. Relevant research papers were presented by experts on these sub-themes. These presentations were followed by focus group discussion on each sub-theme.
In this year, on August 28 and 29, 2024, the CHR is planning of organizing a policy dialogue forum on the theme of “The Status of Compliance with Socio-economic Rights Obligations in Ethiopia – Progression or Regression?”
Again, the objective of the policy dialogue forum is to create a platform for policy discussions, among stakeholders, on socio –economic rights and their status in Ethiopia. The policy dialogue is meant to facilitate discussions on the general themes of the concept and legal recognition of socio-economic rights, a reflective assessment on the policy framework of socio-economic rights in Ethiopia and the human rights –based approach to policy development on socio-economic rights in Ethiopia. The event is also planned to foster a policy dialogue and discussions on such specific themes as the rights to housing, education, health, work, and adequate food. In addition, discussions are meant to be facilitated on a specific theme of monitoring compliance with international treaty obligations of the country with regards to the fulfilment of socio-economic rights of its citizens.
