[{"bbox": [85, 153, 323, 185], "category": "Section-header", "text": "2 RATIONALE"}, {"bbox": [85, 219, 233, 247], "category": "Section-header", "text": "2.1 Context"}, {"bbox": [96, 264, 1134, 426], "category": "Text", "text": "Ethiopia has long been considered as a politically and economically stable country, an anchor of stability in the Horn of Africa. In the past years, however, conflicts have simultaneously occurred in different areas and regions. The conflict in the northern part of the country has resulted in the highest levels of political violence in Ethiopia since the end of the Ethiopian-Eritrean War in June 2000. Power struggles, and disputes over elections and political reform are among several factors that led to a crisis, which has caused not only a dire humanitarian situation, but also a strong polarisation and fragmentation of the Ethiopian society."}, {"bbox": [96, 436, 1134, 650], "category": "Text", "text": "Current negotiations and the National Dialogue recently launched by the government are expected to bring new opportunities for peace and reconciliation. The government has recently created the National Dialogue Commission with the mandate of oversee “broad based inclusive public dialogue that engenders national consensus¹”. The Ministry of Peace, created under proclamation No 1097/2018, promotes \"peace, democracy and development\" and \"focus on maintaining law and order, and create political unity among [the peoples] of the nation\". However, there is no coherent policy on peace building and conflict prevention, and therefore their implementation relies heavily on the formal legal, reinforcement and judicial systems, despite the fact that the majority of communal conflicts are settled through traditional mechanisms."}, {"bbox": [96, 660, 1134, 981], "category": "Text", "text": "Increasing conflicts have raised the need for more effective and inclusive peace structures and processes. Local peace structures have traditionally played a significant role in preventing, de-escalating, and resolving conflicts. They are also thought to be better placed to build and sustain peace through their close knowledge of the local culture, as well as community relations and dynamics. However, challenges related to capacity building, infrastructure and integration into larger peace architectures undermine their potential to further contribute to conflict prevention and resolution. There is a need to improve the effectiveness, but also the inclusiveness of local peace structures. While women and girls have been disproportionately affected by conflict, they are also disproportionately under-represented in customary and formal peace structures and processes. Giving a stronger voice to women and girls means to recognise the added value of their inclusion and participation, but also ensure capacity building and adequate space so that they can lead reconstruction and dialogue processes at local, regional and national levels. Women’s inclusion in peacebuilding processes is essential for the long-term success of any peace-building effort in Ethiopia."}, {"bbox": [96, 991, 1134, 1153], "category": "Text", "text": "Violent conflicts have led to mistrust between political and opinion leaders and also segments of the society and the destruction of the social fabric. If the population do not deal with their traumatic experiences, transform negative attitudes and perceptions, rebuild trust in each other, and learn new ways of nonconflict behaviour, conflicts may easily start again. Peace education and culture can be a powerful tool to deal with increasing conflicts and tensions in an ethnically and politically divided society such as the Ethiopian one. This is especially important for the youth, as new generations will lead the development of the country."}, {"bbox": [96, 1163, 1134, 1430], "category": "Text", "text": "The consequences of conflict include increasing number of deaths, destruction of infrastructures and services, acute food shortage, human rights violations and abuses, and massive population displacements, among others. In fact, 85% of forced displacement in Ethiopia (more than 3.5 million people) is due to conflict related causes². Recent conflicts have seen an increase in violence against civilians. In particular, women and girls have been affected by the ongoing conflicts in an unprecedented manner. Rape and sexual violence, which was already a matter of great concern in the country context, has significantly increased during the war in northern Ethiopia. Women and girls have been the victim of violence on a massive scale: subject to acts of physical and psychological torture, as well as the looting of their households, and forced displacement. This has added to the already deep gender inequality and unfavourable situation of women in the country. It seems likely also to result in a substantial increase in female-headed households and female poverty."}, {"bbox": [85, 1555, 890, 1577], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹ Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission Establishment Proclamation No. 1265-2021, 13 February 2022."}, {"bbox": [85, 1577, 1143, 1622], "category": "Footnote", "text": "2 IOM DTM, Ethiopia — National Displacement Report 10 (August - September 2021) at https://dtm.iom.int/reports/ethiopia-%E2%80%94-national-displacement-report-10-august-september-2021"}, {"bbox": [1038, 1681, 1143, 1705], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 4 of 20"}]