International Day of Peace Commemorated in Ethiopia

This year’s commemoration coincides with the marking of the mid-point on the way to 2030 in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals.

Eight years ago, Member States of the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals making a solemn promise to the people of this planet: A promise to build a world of health, progress and opportunity for all.

Speaking at the commemoration of the Peace Day in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, UN Assistant Secretary-General and UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Ethiopia, Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, said globally the Sustainable Development Goals are in deep trouble.

“Only 15 per cent of the targets are on track and many are going in reverse.  Instead of leaving no one behind, we risk leaving the SDGs behind,” he said.

“Under current trends, 575 million people will still be living in extreme poverty in 2030, and only about one third of countries will meet the target to halve national poverty levels,” Dr. Ramiz said.

The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator said there is no peace without development and no development without peace.

“Dialogue is an essential ingredient for building consensus among people who have different views and mobilizing their collective efforts towards an inclusive, rights-based, sustainable development which is the best defence against the risks of violent conflict,” said Dr. Alakbarov.

Dr. Yonas Adaye, Commissioner, the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission, said the Commission is working with a range of stakeholders including the civil society, political parties, elders and youth and women networks, among others, to ensure inclusivity and achieve the objectives of the Commission.

The Commission has made progress in terms of identifying representatives who will participate in the national dialogue from different regions of the country, the Commissioner said.

Dr. Yonas also said that the Commission is using both bottom-up and top-down approaches for collecting agenda for the dialogue. He said the Commission is engaging communities on the ground with a view to harnessing indigenous knowledge and age-old understanding that has kept Ethiopia intact. He also said the top-down approach considers political leaders, elites and other actors.

According to the Commissioner, instability and conflicts coupled with some subjective issues including public perception on the success of the national dialogue that is being influenced by the dynamic context of the country as well as disinformation and fake news in the digital media are challenges for conducting the national dialogue.

The Peace Day commemoration also served as a platform for discussing two topics in relations to promoting peace in the country: Intergenerational Dialogue and Digital Media Platforms.

The Intergenerational Dialogue brought together speakers from different generations to discuss the initiatives in advancing peace and factors that affect the progress towards sustainable peace in the country. Representatives of different organizations particularly members of youth and women networks engaged in the session that served as a platform for discussing structural, legal, economic, educational and cultural issues that positively or adversely contributed to the country’s journey towards sustainable peace.

Similarly, the session on Digital Media Platforms explored the growth and diversity of digital platforms and their use by Ethiopians. The session discussed the benefits and costs of the platforms as well as ways to harness them to promote the culture of dialogue and advance peace in the country. Representatives of different organizations also discussed integrity (disinformation, misinformation and malinformation), hate speech, fact-checking, media literacy, underscoring the role of individuals and institutions should play in promoting peace.

The event brought together representatives of government, the UN agencies, international organizations, civil society, the private sector, academia, youth and women networks and media.

The United Nation in Ethiopia organized the event in partnership with the UN Association-Ethiopia and Talent Youth Association.

Remarks by UN Assistant Secretary-General and UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Ethiopia, Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov