Good Governance
and Democracy in Ethiopia
With a view to fostering a
critical debate around governance and development in Africa, the
Forum for Social Studies and Heinrich Boll Foundation are
launching a series of lectures entitled "Good Governance and
Democracy in Africa".
The first guest speaker in
the series was Dr. Kojo Busia,
Officer-in-Charge, APRM Support Unit at UNECA. Dr. Busia's title
was
'The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM): A new Approach to
Strengthening Governance Institutions and Systems in Africa.'
He highlighted the need for
creating a working environment ensuring the increased
involvement of African civil society in the APRM process.
In his opening remark,
Executive Director of Forum for Social Studies, Prof. Bahru
Zewde, said such public lecture series would help raise
awareness on conflict resolution and poverty alleviation among
others, in Africa enhancing the sharing of experiences among
Africans in how to solve their problems.
The lecture was held at
Hilton Hotel, Addis Ababa, on 22 June 2007, starting from 6:00
PM (15:00 GMT).
The
4th Congress
of the Association of African Historians held from 22-25
May 2007 in Addis
More than 150 pertinent
scholars from within and outside Africa have gathered here in
Addis Ababa in the 4th Congress of the Association of African
Historians (AAH) which was held May 22 - 24, 2007.
read more
A
"National conference on
Academic Freedom in Ethiopian Higher
Education Institutions"
was held from
26th -27th
April 2007, at Semen Hotel, Addis Ababa. The Conference in its
final deliberation draws Recommendation.
Click here
IGTK Public Discussion
on Banking in Ethiopia
The Forum for Social Studies
organized a public discussion on the development of the banking
sector in Ethiopia. The discussion, which was launched under FSS’
Intergenerational Transfer of Knowledge (IGTK) series, featured
a public lecture (in absentia) by the prominent Ethiopian
banker, Ato Teferra Degife. It was held at the Hilton Hotel on
18th May 2007. read
more
"Emperor
regime laid the foundation for good governance"
The
Emperor period laid a historical foundation for better
industrial relations by gradually dumping the then slave-master
type relation, says a scholar who contributed a lot in
modernizing industrial laws during the 1950’s.
While
lecturing at FSS’s Inter-generational Transfer of Knowledge
program, Ambassador Tefera Haileselassie, who had
served at senior posts at the civil service and diplomatic posts
during the Emperor Haileselassie’s and the Derg period
respectively, said the foundation for good governance in the
industrial sector contributed to the development of the economy.
Read more (Amharic)
Tsion Michael Andom shares knowledge and
life at FSS IGTK forum
(read Amharic version)
PDF 366KB
As part of its
Inter-Generational Knowledge Transfer program series, the Forum for
Social Studies (FSS), organized on Friday (January 12, 2007) a forum
entitled, “The Contribution of Women to Development.”
read more
FSS reveals its preliminary findings on Decentralization Policy
December 19, 2006
FSS has been conducting a research focusing on the Ethiopian Government's
decentralization policy since June 2006.
The study covers four main Regional States
namely; Oromiya, Amhara, Tigraye and SNNP as well as in two selected Zones
in Addis Ababa. The findings of its preliminary report were revealed on
December 19, 2006 at Addis Ababa Ghion Hotel at 8:30 AM.
Researchers, government representatives,
Regional officials and experts, representatives of partner organizations
and the civil society as well as concerned bodies were part of the
gathering.
Click here to read Amharic
press release PDF 84kb
English
version
The
Fourth African Historians Historian Association to be held in Addis
Over 70 pertinent scholars from within and outside Africa will gather here in
Addis Ababa in the 4th Congress of the Association of African Historians (AAH)
due to be held May 22 - 24, 2007.
Read more
"Emperor
regime laid the foundation for good governance"
The
Emperor period laid a historical foundation for better
industrial relations by gradually dumping the then slave-master
type relation, says a scholar who contributed a lot in
modernizing industrial laws during the 1950’s.
While
lecturing at FSS’s Inter-generational Transfer of Knowledge
program, Ambassador Tefera Haileselassie, who had
served at senior posts at the civil service and diplomatic posts
during the Emperor Haileselassie’s and the Derg period
respectively, said the foundation for good governance in the
industrial sector contributed to the development of the economy.
Read more (Amharic)
Tsion Michael Andom shares
knowledge, life experience at FSS IGKT forum
As part of its Inter-Generational Knowledge Transfer program series, the Forum
for Social Studies (FSS), organized on Friday (January 12, 2007) a forum
entitled, “The Contribution of Women to Development.”
Friday’s guest speaker was Tsion Michael Andom who, among other attributes, is a
pioneer in fashionably designing and promoting Ethiopian cultural dress. Tsion
shared the audience her experience 25 years ago. more
Historical Overview of
Malaria Eradication in Ethiopia
The Forum for Social Studies (FSS) held its tenth Public Lecture Series on November 17 at 6:00 PM
at the Hilton Hotel, Ibex Nyala Hall. The theme of the dialogue was “Historical overview of Malaria Eradication Activities in Ethiopia”.
Dr. Tena Abera, who has extensive experience
in the field, was the guest speaker. He discussed, among others,
his experience in the field and the efforts of malaria eradication
during the period of the Imperial Era. more
Harvesting water will boost Ethiopia’s growth
An environment researcher has said that Ethiopian farmers should make use of
water harvesting to deal with the problems caused by irregular rainfall in the
East Africa country’s highland areas.
More
FSS marks its
first Partner's Day
The Forum for Social Studies (FSS), an independent
policy-oriented research institution, said it has been organizing forums aimed
at enabling the public discuss various policies and draft laws designed by the
government. more
FSS held its
second round Inter-Generational Transfer of Knowledge (IGTK)
TEFF
farmlands escalate soil erosion
An environmental researcher says
that a significant volume of social is being eroded in Ethiopia
annually. Utilization of alternative agriculture methods and changing feeding
habits play significant role to ensure food security and conserve natural
resources.
Environment
researcher with Forum for Social Studies (FSS),
Dr Daniel Kassahun told ENA that
over 84 million tons of soil is eroded annually from teff farms
particularly in northern and central Ethiopia.
more
FSS
held its eighth Inter-generational Transfer of Knowledge
The Forum for
Social Studies (FSS) held its eighth Public Lecture Series. The
theme of the dialogue was “Urban Planning: The case of Addis Ababa on Friday 14,
April 2006 at 6:00 PM at the
Hilton Hotel.
Ato Getachew Mahtem-Selassie, a
landscape architecture,
the guest speaker had discussed, among others, his experience in the field
and the first Master Plan of Ethiopia. Getachew told the gathering about the
visions and predicaments of urban planning during the Emperor Hailesellassie
Era.
The overarching
goal of the proposed Lecture Series is to promote inter-generational transfer of
knowledge. Every two months the program features some of the senior and
experienced citizens to share their knowledge and experience with the young
generation.
FSS believes
this kind of lectures would help to boost the efforts in combating poverty and
promote development management.
Commercial Sex workers indigenous
to Addis Ababa
Unlike the situation a few decades ago, commercial sex inAddis
Ababa has increasingly become an occupation of women born and brought up in the
city, a study reveals.
The new study, “Poverty and the Social Context of Sex Work in
Addis Ababa’, by Bethelehem Tekola, indicates that more than 50% of the women
who are engaged in the sex trade are born and grew up in the city.
The expansion of urban poverty over the last three decades and
the further socio-economic complications are the main reasons that the sex
workers are indigenous to the city, says the paper published by the Forum for
Social Studies (FSS).
Read More
FSS launches a
development-oriented radio program in Debub
FSS has launched a development-oriented radio
program called “Jember” via the South Nations and Nationalities Peoples FM
100.9. The weekly 30 minutes program is on air beginning Sunday January 22,
2006, from 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM.
The goal of the FSS’ radio program is to develop educational
programs promote development in the region helping to mobilize public
participation and take up of development activities. This could be viable
through disseminating multiple views and information through the programs to
reach a large population to promote positive dialogue and change.
read more
A day-long workshop aimed at understanding the process and
outcomes of the Ethiopian Federal Government resettlement program, which has
relocated several hundred thousand people since 2003, has been held on Monday 19
December at Hilton Hotel.
Case studies carried out by the Forum for Social Studies in
collaboration with staff and graduate students of Addis Ababa University in 11
sites of the Amhara, Oromia, SNNPR and Tigray regions were presented at the
workshop.
To read the
summary of the papers presented at the conference
click here.
The Forum for
Social Studies (FSS) held its sixth Public Lecture Series. The theme of
the dialogue was “Journalism and Development in Ethiopia: A personal
Experience as of 1950’s” on Friday 18, November 2005 at 6:00 PM at the Hilton
Hotel. more
FSS is pleased to announce the appointment of
Prof. Bahru Zewde as its new Executive Director to
replace Dessalegn Rahmato who has served the institute for nearly a decade.
Prof. Bahru Zewde is one of the founders of the
FSS and had served the Forum as Board Chairman for two terms until recently.
Bahru Zewde is also Resident Vice-President of the
Organization for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa (OSSREA)
and Editor of the
Africa Review of Books.
He is
Emeritus
Professor of History at Addis Ababa University. He has authored several books
and articles, most notably A History of Modern
Ethiopia 1855-1991
(Second Edition) and Pioneers of Change in Ethiopia: The Reformist
Intellectuals of the Early Twentieth Century. His edited books include:
Ethiopia: The Challenge of Democracy from Below
(with Siegfried Pausewang) and Between the Jaws of
Hyenas: A Diplomatic History of
Ethiopia
1876-1896 (by Richard Caulk).
He has
served as Chair of the Department of History at Addis Ababa University
(1982-1986) and Director of the Institute of Ethiopian Studies at the same
University (1993-1996).
Political instabilities and uncertainties
are vices that hamper the growth of Ethiopia's celebrated corporate entity:
Ethiopian Airlines. In its 60-year history, the company's growth was slowed
twice in the mid 1970s and early 1990s.
At public discussion held at the Hilton
Hotel on Friday, September 23, 2005, Col. Semeret Medhane, current board member
and the first Ethiopian chief of the airline said the most critical period was
in the 1970s when the 1974 revolution ousted Emperor Hailesellasie, whom he
commended for realizing the importance of an airline for a landlocked country
such as Ethiopia. more
Conference
exploring options for making the tenure regime a force of development
The
land issue has continued to be a significant issue and a
challenge to the
development effort of the country. But the debate on land has become bogged down
on the subject of private versus public ownership which left out a wide array of
important issues that have major significance for the development effort.
A day long
conference aimed to move away from this stalemate argument towards a more
fruitful dialogue exploring options for making the tenure regime a force for
development has been held at the Hilton Hotel, on August 5, 2005. more
Runaway population growth root cause of food
insecurity: Study
Ethiopia’s food
security challenges are multi-faceted and require a multi-sectoral approach.
However, a new study argues, the root cause of the problem is its ‘runaway
population growth’.
The article published
on the recent Bulletin of the Forum for Social Studies (FSS) says demographic
pressure in combination with aggravating environmental degradation and economic
malaise creates ‘a dangerous situation to the health of the country’s
citizens.’ more
FSS organizes Inter-generational Transfer of Knowledge
The Forum for
Social Studies launches a Public Lecture Series to promote inter-generational
transfer of knowledge. The program will feature some of the senior and
experienced citizens to share their knowledge and experience with the young
generation. more
FSS kicks off
research project on Differential land taxation
FSS begins a new
Research Project on Differential land taxation, " Towards the Development of Environment-friendly Agricultural
Land Taxation System in Ethiopia."
The project proposal,
designed by Daniel Kassahun, PhD, Environment Researcher at FSS, takes a new
angle of policy strategy to implement sustainable land management practices
which could systematically regulate the current degradation problem in Ethiopia.
Read Executive Summary of the Project Proposal
Despite
the new initiatives underway, in particular user right documentation, tenure
insecurity still remains the overriding problem of the land system in Ethiopia
and if the country is to address the complex problems of rural development and
natural resource management a sustained and informed debate on the land issue,
based on research and the views of the stakeholders, is necessary, says
Dessalegn Rahmato,
a leading researcher in the field. more
Democratic reform is a new phenomenon in Ethiopia, despite a history stretching
back over 3,000 years, and has been largely driven by local pressure rather than
by the international community, a new report says.
more
When Ethiopia's government decided last year to relocate 2 million struggling
farmers and save them from the country's cycle of starvation, the desperate
villagers here signed up as pioneers in the effort. As they climbed aboard a
truck headed for more fertile land, they sang and danced in celebration.
more
President Girma
calls for issuing uniform land use policy
President Girma Wolde-Giorgis said the government needs to issue a uniform land
policy in order to be able to protect land degradation.
more
Address: Forum for Social Studies, P. O. Box 25864 code 1000 Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia
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