Roughly 4,000 local and diaspora representatives are participating in the National Dialogue Conference in Addis Ababa, where discussions are centered on eight major pillar agendas aimed at reaching national consensus, according to the Ethiopian News Agency.
The assessment comes from participants who spoke to ENA about their experience in the ongoing sessions. ENA reported that some participants described the consultations as providing communities from various parts of the country with an opportunity to express their views freely.
Abbaa Gadaa Lemecha Lema, one of the participants, said diverse ideas are being freely raised and developed during the sessions. According to him, every participant is freely sharing their views and the process offers a path to resolving Ethiopia's deep-rooted issues step by step. He said the dialogue serves as an opportunity to pass on consensus and unity to the next generation.
Baye Bere, another participant, said the dialogue is inclusive, engaging all parties and reflecting diverse ideas. He said the ongoing dialogue is helping build a better Ethiopia by encouraging ideas to be freely raised and discussed during the consultations.
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Alemu Ashagre, a third participant, said the process is being conducted in a way that reflects the interests of all segments of society. He described the dialogue as a new culture of resolving problems through consultation, and said it would benefit both the present generation and those to come.
These accounts represent the views of participants speaking to Ethiopia's state news agency, not an independent assessment of the dialogue's scope or inclusivity. The eight pillar agendas under discussion have not been individually detailed in the available reporting.
The conference does not appear to include several major opposition and armed groups that have publicly declined participation in the National Dialogue process. The Abay Times has sought additional reporting on the composition of the conference and the status of groups that have stayed outside it.
