Ethiopia: Ad-Hoc Committee Deliberates On Draft Legislation of the National Public Diplomacy Council

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An Ad-hoc Committee representing more than 70 members of the Public Diplomacy Delegation who had been to Egypt and Sudan deliberated on the Zero-Draft dedicated to establishing a National Public Diplomacy Council today (October 1, 2015) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Chairing the session, Ambassador Ababi Demissie, Director General for Public Diplomacy and Communications at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized on the critical need to establish the National Public Diplomacy Council to the best end of maximizing the full pursuits of the country's Foreign Policy and National Security Strategy.

In such score, the Ambassador noted that the set up of the National Public Diplomacy Council remains instrumental in promoting Ethiopia's image building and branding in the international fora, and enhancing people to people relations, and promoting national consensus at home [JB emphasis].

Touching upon the Foreign Service Proclamation of the FDRE, Ambassador Ababi briefed the participants on the powers and duties of Foreign Service and Actors in Foreign Service Functions, under which the very conception and craft of forming the National Public Diplomacy Council had been based.

Following the Ambassador's explanatory remarks, members of the Ad-hoc Committee dealt at length on the draft legislation during which the round-table discussions markedly focused on the purpose, structure, member sectors, and duties and responsibilities of the National Public Diplomacy Council.

Upon constructive deliberations, the Ad-hoc Committee elected Dr. Arega Yirdaw, Dr. Hirut Woldemariam, Ato Amare Aregawi and Ato Getachew Belete to take the draft legislation as baseline and foresee the craft of a revised legislation, which would be open for consultations with all members of the Public Diplomacy Delegation and other relevant stakeholders.

Members of the Ad-hoc Committee also dealt with working on a Public Diplomacy Action Plan for the 2015/16 and forging further public diplomacy engagements with the rest of the Nile-Basin Countries.