Addis Ababa, August 11, 2026 (FMC) — Ethiopia’s National Dialogue Conference is moving toward its conclusion phase as participants advance from broad-based deliberations toward identifying common ground on issues of national importance, Chief Commissioner of the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission Professor Mesfin Araya said.
Briefing the media on the progress of the consultation, Professor Mesfin said the process has continued to advance through successive stages of discussion, allowing ideas raised at smaller levels to be progressively examined and developed by larger groups of participants.
He explained that ideas initially raised among groups of 10 and 50 participants were subsequently taken up by groups of 250, where they underwent further deliberation.
At the current stage, two groups of 250 participants have compiled and documented their deliberations and are presenting their findings to the 500-member consultation groups.
Members of the 500-member groups have begun examining the ideas presented to them and developing those they believe should be incorporated into the final outcome of the consultation, he said.
According to the Chief Commissioner, the 250 participants currently engaged in deliberations are expected to conclude their discussions this afternoon, while participants completing their discussions tomorrow morning will present their findings to the 500-member groups tomorrow afternoon.
Professor Mesfin said differences of opinion, arguments and occasional emotional exchanges witnessed during the early stages of the consultation are natural features of a process involving broad participation and diverse perspectives.
Participants have expressed different views because they see the dialogue as an opportunity to deliberate on issues of immediate and long-term national significance, he noted.
At the same time, he stressed that excessive emotional exchanges are not acceptable under the Commission’s rules of procedure, emphasizing respect, dialogue and the willingness to listen as fundamental principles of the consultation.
The Chief Commissioner also clarified that participants were not brought together to resolve individual issues raised by particular villages or localities, but to deliberate on matters of national significance, with Ethiopia placed at the center of the discussion.
He emphasized that the National Dialogue is not a decision-making forum but a process through which advice and recommendations are generated.
The recommendations emerging from the consultation will subsequently be conveyed to law enforcement institutions, legislators, legal interpreters, political parties and civil society organizations, he said.
Professor Mesfin also dismissed reports suggesting that the dialogue would reach decisions through majority voting or as a result of internal or external pressure.
He explained that the disagreements currently emerging among participants constitute the “divergence” phase of the consultation, describing it as a necessary stage in which different perspectives are openly articulated.
The process will subsequently move toward a “convergence” phase, during which participants are expected to move beyond individual positions and work toward common ideas centered on Ethiopia, he said.
Professor Mesfin noted that some issues initially viewed as highly controversial have already begun moving toward the center of discussion after participants recognized them as matters of shared national concern.
He said the consultation is progressing well and that the intensive deliberations involving around 4,000 participants are expected to be completed within the coming one to two weeks, following nearly a month of work.
Upon completion, the Commission will submit its proposals to the executive body, while implementation of the recommendations will be monitored and the progress made will be made public, he said.
Professor Mesfin expressed appreciation to Ethiopians at home and abroad who have been closely following and supporting the National Dialogue process with humility and commitment.