The Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations Forum (ECSF) is a nonpartisan, independent, inclusive, and voluntary national platform established in May 2013 in view of solving the common concerns and challenges of the Civil Societies Organizations (CSOs) in Ethiopia. In pursuant of attaining its objectives including creating a conducive environment for CSOs’ effective engagement in the course of the national development endeavors; establishing institutional platform; and contributing towards effective management of the preparation of the CSOs proclamation no.1113/2019 process in collaboration with key stakeholders (specifically, ministry of Justice and CSOs at national and regional levels). Notable to mention, the Forum has mobilized and enabled more than 500 CSOs leaders to participate in the draft proclamation public hearing at the House of People’s Representatives.

Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations Forum (ECSF) has performed commendable activities, some of the main impactful are as follows. It has carried out various activities to resolve legal, Institutional, and Operational issues of CSOs through different strategies such as evidence-based dialogues by engaging media, research-based advocacy, publications of cases, consultative meetings, and lobbying.

Following the enactment of the new proclamation, many noticeable results have been achieved by the Forum.  First, the forum played a leading role in the establishment of the CSOs Council, which was one of the major milestones in the country’s CSOs sector history. The Forum’s contribution to the formation of the council includes:- taking a leading role in the development of the Council’s Bylaw, strategic plan, and CSOs code of conduct; carrying out huge tasks for the first General Assembly meeting; and serving as hosting organization for more than 10 months till the full staffing of the secretariat. Secondly, the Forum has conducted a number of awareness creation workshops and training on the new CSOs proclamation, promoting SG Policy for its members, Creating awareness on the CSOs Code of Conduct to almost all regions (except Afar and Tigray), Creating awareness on the New CSOs directives covering 10 regions and their respective Zones. Thirdly, ECSF has initiated and facilitated the Federal Level GO_CSOs Forum; initiated Annual Regional CSOs Networks Experience sharing platforms; and supported the formation of the Ethiopian Professional Associations Alliance. Last but not least, the Forum has begun promoting the playing role of CSOs (&Their Networks) in Citizen Engagement, Peacebuilding, and conflict resolution; Policy Advocacy for the betterment of CSOs operating space in development issues, including in the National Dialogue, etc.  

The Forum has successfully implemented a number of projects. Some of the major ones include The Right to Freedom of Association: An instrument for the creation of a self-regulated vibrant Civil Society Sector; Promoting Citizen-State Engagement for Inclusive Social, Economic, and Political Rights through strengthening the capacity of local CSOs; Plugin CSOs’ and Media to Ethiopia’s Democratic Transformation Process, aimed to enhance the operational capacity of Networks/Consortia and CSOs towards ensuring public inputs in the justice reformation processes; Enhancing Human Right Protection (HRP), Gender Equality (GE) and Social Inclusion (SI) in Government Responses to COVID-19 Pandemic in Ethiopia; Improve citizen engagement in the legal and judicial reforms in Ethiopia; Towards Institutionalization of Citizen-State Engagement in Ethiopia: Realizing Vibrant CSOs and Dependable Trust and Confidence among Engagement Actors; and  Co-opting CSOs and their Networks in the Institutionalization of Citizen-State Engagement and Peacebuilding in Ethiopia. These projects are mainly funded by CSSP2, USAID-Feteh (Justice Activity Project, and National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

Recently the forum has designed its five-year (2023-2027) Strategic Plan, aligned with the changing landscape of the CSOs sector in Ethiopia, namely the enactment of new CSOs law, the establishment of the CSOs Council, and the country situation has necessitated critical reviewing of the internal and external situations and redefining the mandate and strategic direction of the Forum. Moreover, the Internal Policy Manuals have been revised and finalized. These include Human Resource, Financial, Procurement Manuals, and Property Administration Manuals.

The forum will continue working towards performing tangible jobs; envisioned substantive and positive change can be achieved in Governance, Democratization, Human Rights, and livelihood of our people.