Advocacy for Ethiopia hosts Conference on Good Governance, Peace, Security, and Sustainable Development in the Horn of Africa in Washington DC, from April 9 – 11, 2010.
Announcement and call for papers:
The Horn of Africa continues to be extremely fragile. The sub-region’s volatility has increased significantly in the post 9/11 period. The total collapse of Somalia and the irresponsible and imprudent intervention of outsiders in the affairs of Somalia have created fertile ground for the rise of radical Islam in the region. Hence, the complex ethnic, religious and inter-state tensions make the Horn of Africa one of the most volatile places in the world. The Ethio-Eritrea boundary conflict remains unresolved. The absence of democratic institutions in the Horn of Africa and the new tension in the Sudan further makes the sub-region one of the most conflict-ridden and with a potential for more explosive scenarios ahead.
The purpose of this conference is, therefore, to bring together scholars, civil society leaders, activists, diplomats, journalists of the free press and representatives of the international community to one forum to highlight potential tragic conflicts that have escaped the minds of many in the past. The focus of the discussion will be on how to democratize Ethiopia, the biggest entity, in the Horn of Africa. The democratization of Ethiopia will certainly pave the way for peace, security, democracy, good governance, and sustainable development in the region at large.
The conference is sponsored by a number of civil society networks and advocacy organizations. In many respects this conference will be a unique and historical forum. At the end of the conference, a public meeting will be held where distinguished personalities will address the participants and the community at large. The viability of bringing change through the ballot box will be examined and how to clip the wings of the dictatorship will be outlined. Participants will make commitment to a roadmap for democratizing Ethiopia. Focus will be given to the state of the free press in Ethiopia and the plight of journalists who faced extreme difficulties, persecution and exile for doing their jobs. The conference will also hold a special program to honor those who have made notable sacrifices in the struggle for freedom and democracy. Civil society leaders and academics from the US and rest of Africa will share their experiences.
The three-day long conference will be in Washington DC. It is scheduled to be held from April 9 to 11, 2010. We are expecting it to be the biggest conference that has ever been organized to exclusively focus on Ethiopia within the context of the Horn of Africa.
The State of Governance in Ethiopia:
Past and present elections, post election scenarios; the state of governance, the state of human rights, freedom of the press, ethnic relations in today’s Ethiopia; the quest for a lasting democracy and good governance, etc.;
The role of civil societies, independent judiciary, independent security, freedom of the press in democratizing Ethiopia, etc.;
The State of the Ethiopian Economy:
Poverty, dependence, debt and foreign investment; the role of the TPLF as a Business Empire and a political party; economic inequality and the lack of equitable and sustainable development ; opaque land grab deals with foreign companies and implications for food self –sufficiency , national security and the environment; etc;
Peace and Security Challenges and Prospects in the Horn Africa:
Mr. Meles Zenawi’s policies in the region, the policies of foreign powers in the Horn of Africa, border issues; Prospects and Solutions for the Future of Ethio-Eritrea relations;
The threat of terrorism in the region; absence of good governance, ethnic politics, environmental degradation, climate change, consequences of being landlocked, etc. as causes for interstate and intrastate conflicts, instability, and insecurity in the Horn of Africa sub-region; Conflict prevention and resolution.
The papers must be short and presentable in 20 minutes or less. They must also be in either Amharic or English. Other Horn of Africa indigenous languages are acceptable provided there is translation and an interpreter is available at the cost of the presenter. Tables and annexes must be kept to the minimum.
This is an independent forum that does not advocate the political view of any single party or organization. Papers should be sent to the e-mail address below by March 26, 2010. The organizing committee calls upon all concerned to support and attend this historic conference.
Contact e-mail: [email protected]
Concerns and queries could be addressed to Horn of Africa Conference Organizing Committee secretariat Telephone number @ 202-386-3037
Horn of Africa Conference Organizing Joint Committee
Advocacy for Ethiopia (AFE)
Ethiopian National Priorities Consultative Process (ENPCP)
4 thoughts on “Horn of Africa conference”
What is wrong with ethnic politics? What is wrong if ethnics in Ethiopia speak out for their freedon? It was, has been and will be in the ethiopia to be a member of one ethnic a national of that country, so it is by far better to accommodate these two natural and existing realty of Ethiopia. The opposite definetely will damage the unity.
Good ídea.I agree.
“The Ethio-Eritrea boundary conflict remains unresolved”!!!!!!
At the request and unequivocal agreement by BOTH Eritrea and Ethiopia, the so called “Border” conflict, which by the way has nothing to do with “Border” has gone to international court and the Eritrea Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC) has given its verdict which is final and binding. What is there to be “Resolved”? The key issues are the acceptance by Weyane and the unconditional respect of the democratization of Eritrea Ethiopia boundary; and the orderly evacuation by Weyane from Eritrean territory!
As long as we are not willing to address those critical issues, no amount of dancing around the bush is going to make any conference as successful as the proponents would like us to believe!
The Horn of Africa Conference may bring a lasting peace to Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, and Djibouti in particular and to all other African states in general.
All Africans always look to Ethiopia as if Ethiopia is the mother of all African states, and their moral and political dependency on this country of 80 million people shows their strong allegiance to Ethiopia when they unanimously elected its oppressive leader, Meles Zenawi twice as their undisputable leader to represent them in the Global Climate Conference.
The Horn of Africa Conference should carefully examine the main factors why the African leaders nominated a dictator to represent them in big conferences. One can simply say that the reason they re-elected him twice is he is like them a dictator, a criminal, a thief, and a friend of the West but a formidable enemy of his own people by selling their most fertile lands and their young children to foreigners.
I hope the Horn of Africa Conference will have a serious discussion about the land deal, the illegal selling of orphan children and the travesty of justice which is going on in the continent of Africa, especially in Ethiopia which is held hostage for almost two decays by a tribal leader, Meles Seitanawi (Zenawi).
The Horn of Africa Conference should come up with some solutions to the problems the Ethiopian military gang squad has been disseminating throughout Ethiopia and its neighbor countries.
For example, what is the main reason that Ethiopia invaded Somalia in 2006, and which country of the African states gave Ethiopia the green light to invade a sovereign and a neighboring country, and its unprovoked invasion has rendered millions of Somalis homeless and thousands dead or wounded? The Horn of Africa Conference must address such regional and national issues and determine to condemn the belligerent country and its dictator who is the cause of destabilization and border conflicts in our continent.
For how long Africans have to suffer under undemocratically elected dictators such as Ethiopia’s, Sudan’s, and Somalia’s unofficially elected leaders? I wish the Horn of Africa Conference will bring the Ethiopian leadership problems to the discussion table first, because if the leadership problem in Ethiopia is solved, there will be no other big problems to talk about except the minor ones.
For instance, if the Palestinian problem is solved, it is believed the whole Middle East problem can be solved; therefore, the Horn of Africa Conference should focus on the Ethiopian problem only since Ethiopia is on the verge of collapsing and ready to disintegrate into smaller states like the former Balkan country – Yugoslavia. If Ethiopia is broken apart, we will see endless political, religious, ethnic, and border conflicts in the entire Horn regions for a long time to come. Such conflicts, of course, will benefit the Islamist terrorists, and in order to stop the spread of terrorism in Africa, the Western nations with their economic and military might may occupy some Horn regions or incite a particular region in the Horn of Africa to rise up against the other region as the United States did with Ethiopia against Somalia.
This time, however, the United States will be heavily involved in the Horn affairs, and its involvement may not be mostly beneficial to the Horn states except to divide them and allow them to be its new customers in buying new weapons from the American companies. The involvement of America in the Horn of Africa will never bring economic development, democracy and the rule of law, except confusions, divisions, and, finally, cultural and political capitulations to the Western powers. One has to ask oneself: Has America’s involvement in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan brought political stability and economic development? Not at all, except, perhaps, in South Korea.
To avoid foreign meddling in our Horn states, the Horn of Africa Conference must spend energy, time, and money to deal with the Ethiopian dictator and to bring him down from power he has been holding for almost 20 years without the will of the people of Ethiopia.
Few months from now, there will be an undemocratic election in Ethiopia where the person who has the guns and the bullets will certainly win, and before such degrading event takes place, the Horn of Africa Conference must have a plan to help Ethiopia conduct a democratic election for the first time in its history. I firmly believe a democratic Ethiopia will bring peace, stability, and prosperity, not only to the Horn of Africa but to the rest of the African continent.