On June 14, 2023, the Coalition of Ethiopia Civil Society Organisations for Elections (CECOE) conducted a comprehensive short-term observer training in Hawassa City. CECOE has been one of the key actors in the bid to promote a free, fair, and transparent election in Ethiopia, and the training was part of this ongoing effort to promote democratic values and uphold the sanctity of the election process. The training spanned a period of one and a half days and was divided into four training groups. The primary objective of this training was to equip observers with...

The Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations for Elections (CECOE) successfully observed the referendum that was held on 6 February 2023 in the six zones and five special woredas of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People’s Region (SNNPR). In a bid to systematically observe the referendum, the CECOE recruited, trained and deployed 434 stationary and 76 mobile observers. The stationary observers were present to observe all the election processes at their assigned polling stations until the results were announced while the mobile observers were...

On the 13th of December 2022, the Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations for Elections (CECOE) conducted organized a one day training of for trainers (ToT) for trainers who will train referendum observers. The training is part of CECOE’s preparation to observe the referendum in the  South Nation, Nationalities and  People’s Regional State (SNNPR) slated for February 2022. The 15 trainees drawn from different  zones of the SNNPR regional state and CECOE’s staff will cascade the knowledge they acquired to more than 1,300...

From the 23rd to the 30th of November 2022, the Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations for Elections – CECOE conducted five different trainings on Peacebuilding and Conflict mitigation. The trainings were provided as part of CECOE’s effort to augment the role of CSOs in Peacebuilding and Conflict mitigation. A total of 194 trainees drawn from different parts of Ethiopia participated in the trainings. Of the five trainings, the first Training of Trainers (ToT) was conducted in Addis Ababa on 22 -23 November 2022. This ToT was followed by four other...

On 6 October 2022, CECOE organized a national  Dialogue Session on Citizenship and Ethnic/National Identity in Ethiopia.  The main objective of the session was aimed at creating a platform for discussion among different actors where genuine dialogue between competing views on Ethiopian citizenship and ethnic identity can take place. The dialogue was opened by CECOE’s Executive director, Abera Hailemariam, who welcomed everyone and went on to describe the coalition’s aim to promote democratic culture.   The two presenters and discussants at...