The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC), the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights East Africa Regional Office (OHCHR-EARO) and the Ministry of Justice of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia organized a workshop for the National Mechanism for Reporting and Follow-up (NMRF) and the Inter-Ministerial Committee. The workshop, held from February 19 to 22, 2024, aimed to support the government of Ethiopia in fulfilling its reporting obligations. This involved the timely and high-quality submission of reports on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).
The workshop brought together participants from various state institutions, including representatives of the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Women and Social Affairs, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Planning and Development, Ministry of Defense, National Disaster Risk Management Commission and Refugees and Returnees Service.
During the workshop, participants were acquainted with the applicable state reporting guidelines and procedures on the UPR and ICESCR, as well as the recommendations/concluding observations of the previous review cycle. The session then progressed to practical report preparation, where participants collaboratively outlined initial inputs on indicators, key issues, data/information needs and identified sources.
A significant outcome of the workshop was the consensus among participants on a roadmap for the subsequent stages of report preparation. This roadmap included timelines for data collection, verification, analysis, report writing, consultations with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and the National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) and the validation process.
In the workshop sessions, OHCHR-EARO underscored the UPR process as a unique opportunity for Ethiopia to self-assess treaty compliance, identify areas of improvement, and commit to enhancing engagement with international treaty mechanisms. Similarly, as the coordinating body for reporting on the UPR and the ICESCR, the Ministry of Justice undertook to submit Ethiopia’s UPR report for the 4th cycle of review in August 2024 and the ICESCR during Ethiopia’s 2017 fiscal year (2024/2025).
In her opening remarks, EHRC Deputy Chief Commissioner, Rakeb Messele, highlighted EHRC’s commitment to continue building the capacity of the Ethiopian government and CSOs in reporting to international and continental human rights treaty bodies with the aim of enhancing compliance with human rights standards. Rakeb indicated that “EHRC will submit its complementary reports on the UPR and the ICESCR,” stressing that “reporting by itself is not an end; concerted measures to implement recommendations of treaty bodies is necessary.”
