Addis Ababa, July 20, 2026 (FMC) — Participants of Ethiopia’s National Dialogue Conference have entered substantive deliberations on the core agenda items assigned to their respective working groups, marking a key phase in the country’s ongoing national consultation process, the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission (ENDC) said.
In a statement issued today, ENDC Commissioner Ambassador Mahmud Dirir said the commencement of the deliberations represents a critical stage of the consultation process, enabling participants to exchange perspectives, listen to diverse views, and engage in constructive discussions on issues of national importance.
Ethiopia launched its historic National Dialogue Conference in Addis Ababa on July 15, bringing together around 4,000 participants from across the country. The participants are deliberating on the core agenda items identified through the previous stages of the national dialogue process.
The commissioner said participants have been organized into subgroups based on the agenda items assigned to them and have started detailed discussions following comprehensive briefings on the pre-consultation process, the selected agendas, and the procedures of the dialogue.
He explained that the ongoing consultation phase is designed to provide participants with the opportunity to present their views, understand the perspectives of others, and contribute to a broader process of reaching shared understanding on the identified issues.
According to Ambassador Mahmud, the agenda items are being deliberated through a structured working group arrangement. A main working group comprising 500 participants has been established for each agenda item, with each group further divided into 10 subgroups consisting of 50 participants.
He noted that a total of 80 subgroups are currently engaged in deliberations on the assigned agenda items.
To ensure the effectiveness of the consultation process, the ENDC has deployed around 160 experienced and trained facilitators to support and guide the discussions, the commissioner said.
He added that approximately 256 meeting secretaries have also been assigned to facilitate the smooth conduct of the national consultation sessions and effectively document the proceedings.