This petition is posted on this International Peace Day Friday 21, September 2018 by the initiator of the idea and starter of this petition, an International Human Rights Lawyer and Researcher, Saron Lisanework.

There is an urgent need to create a cabinet level Ministry of Peace, National Reconciliation and Unity in Ethiopia that assumes a leadership role among federal and regional government institutions in designing a national peace, reconciliation and unity road-map. The proposed Ministry would be responsible for overseeing, coordinating, and integrating the implementation of comprehensive policies, strategies, programs and projects that promote unity, peace and reconciliation among different ethnic groups throughout all regions of Ethiopia.

A Ministry for Peace, National Reconciliation and Unity  would provide an institutional focal point to bring about a holistic, integrated and consolidated reconciliation and peace building effort in Ethiopia. The proposed Ministry initiative would prevent “piecemeal” peace and reconciliation initiatives being implemented in isolation and focus on designing comprehensive initiatives which intersect and cross-fertilize with each other to maximize social impact. Hence, it would be ideal to build long lasting peace and stability by managing existing ethnic tensions and reducing risks of future conflicts in an institutionalized manner.

Through the years, various protests by different ethnic groups broke out in Ethiopia that led to the death of thousands of people and the displacement of over a million. After the New Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed took office in April 2018, the Government of Ethiopia renewed its commitment to peace and reconciliation by undertaking several commendable initiatives for building peace, national reconciliation and unity. Though numerous innovative reconciliation, peace and national unity initiatives are underway, government and stakeholders have not placed an institutional heft behind the effort to address the causal issues of ethnic and political conflicts and prevent their future recurrence through reconciliation. In light of this, the inadequate institutional mechanisms to address the issues of ethnic conflict in Ethiopia must be considered as a serious concern. There is no overall national ministry responsible for organizing and coordinating the country’s long-term and sustainable peace and reconciliation initiatives; hence the petition aims to fill this gap.

The gravity of ethnic and political tensions in Ethiopia requires an integrated, holistic and comprehensive response that is not ad-hoc and piecemeal. Bearing in mind different stakeholders are involved in the peace building process and considering these institutions are active in different spheres of work, building consensus and cohesiveness on the national agenda for peace and reconciliation is crucial. The need to ensure coherence and consistency among the numerous stakeholders necessitates the establishment of a cabinet level Ministry in charge of the planning, coordinating and development of all reconciliation, peace and national unity initiatives in the country.

 Mission

To set up a pivotal government institution that facilitates the process of national unity and reconciliation and the enhancement of sustainable peace through its institutional, procedural and technical activities towards the main goal achievement of building a united country where diversity is respected and celebrated.

Vision
To establish an institutional framework that lays the foundation for a united, strong, reconciled and prosperous nation that recognizes unity in diversity.

Proposed Mandates
As an independent government institution, the proposed Ministry of Peace, National Reconciliation and Unity will have the following mandates

•  Promoting and enhancing national unity, reconciliation and lasting peace throughout Ethiopia
• Developing mechanisms for early detection of areas of potential conflicts and disputes, and taking appropriate preventive measures
• Promoting the role of Ethiopia as an African and Global Peacemaker or Peacebuilder developing new approaches to conflict prevention and the transformation of conflicts by peaceful means, at home and abroad.
• Implementing the 1999 UN Declaration and Program of Action on a Culture of Peace to safeguard human rights and enhance the security of persons and their communities.
• Developing programs and projects ideal for  identification of root causes of conflicts
• Taking proactive and preventive measures to thwart new or emerging conflicts when designing reconciliation and coexistence initiatives
• Researching, articulating and helping bring about non-violent solutions to conflicts at all levels in an organized and coordinated manner
• Designing strategies for restoring and strengthening unity, peace and reconciliation among the Nations, Nationalities and Peoples of Ethiopia.
• Designing a National Policy on Reconciliation, peace and unity
• Monitoring the implementation of the National Policy on Reconciliation, Peace and Unity by governmental institutions, leaders and the population
• Formulating innovative programs and projects that aim to promote reconciliation and national unity
• Educating , sensitizing and mobilizing the public in areas of national unity and reconciliation in different languages
• Designing and implementing reconciliation interventions in consultation and with the participation of relevant stakeholders
• Addressing issues of conflict in Ethiopia by promoting non-violent approaches that encourage community involvement and responsibility, such as Non-violent Communication and Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Launching public awareness and education campaigns on the National Policy on Reconciliation, Peace and Unity
• Playing Recommendation and advisory role in formulating policies and strategies required for the peace and consensus building
• promoting gender equality and the integration of gender perspectives into peace-building and peacekeeping
• Assisting with dialogue facilitation, mediation and confidence building activities between conflict-affected societies and communities
• Promoting racial, religious and ethnic tolerance and building a culture of peace based on the celebration of differences
• Working in concert with traditional community dispute reconciliation processes and organic-community-led approaches to restoring peace, facilitating reconciliation and enhancing community resilience
• Assisting in the establishment of community based conflict prevention and reconciliation programs
• Making expert recommendations on the latest techniques for diplomacy, mediation and peaceful conflict resolution methods to the government
• Monitoring and Evaluation of relevant national reconciliation and unity programs and projects being implemented at field level
• facilitating negotiation, mediation, and other conflict prevention and resolution efforts, and supporting regional co-operation initiatives
• Establishing a public website for the purposes of soliciting and receiving ideas for the development of peace and reconciliation from the community
• Organizing lessons learning and experience sharing programs in reconciliation and peace building.
• Promoting the participation and integrity of all sphere of society in the peace and reconciliation process in Ethiopia
• Training civilian peacekeepers who provide support in civilian police and peacekeeping activities
• creating an environment which allows each culture to contribute its values, perspectives and behavior in constructive ways to all reconciliation initiatives
• Carrying out research, organizing events, disseminating ideas and making publications on the promotion of peace, unity and reconciliation among Ethiopians
• Creating reconciliation platforms for people or groups in conflict
• proposing measures that can contribute to the eradication of divisionism among Ethiopians and reinforce unity and reconciliation
• Reviewing various government legislation, programs and strategies that are being implemented, and are due to be implemented in light of National Reconciliation and unity
• Facilitating dialogue among different political parties, communities, organizations and other groups, in order to prevent conflicts from arising in the future
• Drafting and Signing reconciliation and peace agreements with domestic and international parties
• Collaborating with other Ministries, governmental Institutions, NGOs and private entities as well as other stakeholders in matters relating to national reconciliation, and peace building.
• Identifying constrains to National unity and reconciliation and taking corrective action based on discussion and consensus with the relevant stakeholders
• Supporting the development of peace education at all levels, including post-secondary peace and conflict studies
• Organizing and giving reconciliation and peace trainings for community elders, religious leaders, school teachers, media professionals, celebrities and other stakeholders
• releasing accessible, open and transparent information on progress towards reconciliation in the country proactively and responsibly
• Taking action to institutionalize peace journalism and reconciliation friendly media into the media ethics by working closely with the Ministry of Information and Communication
• Facilitating the development of peace summits at which parties of a conflicts gather to undertake non violent communication in view of finding mutually beneficial solutions
• Proposing appropriate solutions to issues that may emerge in the process of peace building and reconciliation
• Denouncing and fighting actions, publications, and utterances that promote any kind of division and discrimination, intolerance and xenophobia
• Developing regional programs that pair cities in different regions of Ethiopia for artistic, cultural, educational and faith-based exchanges
• Developing a peace education curriculum and peace education materials in collaboration with the Ministry of Education
• Designing educational media programs to promote peace, national reconciliation and unity
• Establishing Peace and Reconciliation Youth Networks that promote peaceful means of resolving differences
• Advising Government Authorities on required policies and actions for reconciliation and building a lasting peace
• Preparing an annual report and other reports that may be deemed necessary, on the level of attainment of national unity and reconciliation in the Country
• Working on rehabilitation in areas where conflicts have occurred

In support of the already existing global movement for every country in the world to establish a Ministry or Department of Peace, We, the undersigned, stand for the creation of a Ministry of Peace, National Reconciliation and Unity within the government of Ethiopia. The need for such a separate peace ministry/ department has emerged from our recent history, and we fully support the use of available governmental resources to establish such a department now to ensure the prevalence of peace and order in Ethiopia. Hence, we respectfully ask the House of Peoples’ Representatives to take a lead and legislate to establish an Ethiopian Ministry of Peace, National Reconciliation and Unity.