Over the years, FSS has continued to receive generous support from the donor community, including: DFID, European Commission, Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Irish Embassy, Japanese Embassy, Netherlands Embassy, Norwegian Embassy and SIDA. FSS has also worked closely with kindred CSOs such as the Ethiopian Economic Association (EEA) and the Ethiopian Women Lawyers' Association (EWLA). FSS is a founding member of the Poverty Action Network of Ethiopia (PANE) and the Union of Ethiopian Civil Society Associations (UECSA). Since 2004, it has been managing the CODESRIA Africa Review of Books.
Conferences and Workshops
In line with its commitment to fostering relationships and collaboration with other sectors of the Civil Society, FSS participated in a number of meetings hosted by kindred organizations. Among these are: the Sub-Regional Roundtable on Poverty Reduction in the Horn of Africa Region, with a view to assessing the level of Civil Society Engagement in the PRSP Process (28 December 2006); General Assembly of the Union of Ethiopian Civil Society Associations (UECSA), where FSS was elected to serve as Board member (6 March); a presentation by the FSS Environment Researcher at the 8th Conference of the Ethiopian Society of Soil Science (27 April); and the Second International Conference organized by the African Child Policy Forum (11-12 May) on the theme of "Violence Against Girls in Africa".
Three presentations were made by FSS researchers at the Ethiopian Economic Association’s 4th International Conference on the Ethiopian Economy. FSS directors also participated on two public discussions organized by UECSA on “Identity of Civil Society Organizations and Their Role in the Democratization Process in Ethiopia”, held at the Ghion Hotel in June and July 2006.
FSS Partners’ Day
FSS launched its first ever “Partners Day” on 26 October 2006. The occasion had the objective of enhancing networking and partnership with existing and potential partners, and creating greater awareness of the Forum’s activities and achievements. The main activities included the display of FSS advocacy posters, publications, and newspaper clippings of coverage of FSS programme events. The showpiece of the occasion was the screening of a documentary film about FSS. During the discussion following the screening of the FSS Documentary Film, guests invited from the private sector pledged to work with FSS in forging partnership with the private sector.
Fourth Congress of the Association of African Historians
FSS will be co-hosting with the Department of History of Addis Ababa University the 4th Congress of the Association of African Historians, scheduled to be held in Addis Ababa on 22-25 May 2007, on the theme of “Society, State and Identity in African History”. The event is sponsored by the African Union Commission, which is providing the required funds. A committee composed of members of the two hosting institutions has already completed the task of selecting from the nearly 170 abstracts that had been submitted in response to the call for papers. Scholars from all over the continent, as well as from Europe and North America, are expected to attend.
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