Building lasting peace requires inclusive dialogue, local leadership, and community-driven solutions. To mark International Day of Peace, the Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations for Elections (CECOE) brought together diverse local voices across three of our Bequ Zega Hub, Adama, Bahir Dar, and Assosa for impactful conversations on peacebuilding, conflict resolution, and social cohesion.
Here is a look at how our hubs celebrated peace in action:
📍 Adama Civic Education Hub CECOE convened students, government officials, media professionals, and traditional elders, including Abba Gadaas and Haadha Siinqees for an open conversation on peace. Beyond the absence of conflict, participants reflected on peace as mutual understanding, respect, and shared responsibility, culminating in a collective Pledge for Peace.
📍 Bahir Dar Hub The hub hosted panel presentations highlighting indigenous conflict resolution mechanisms in the Amhara region and the role of media in peacebuilding. Community members and experts actively discussed the opportunities and challenges of utilizing both traditional resolution structures and media as tools for sustainable peace.
📍 Assosa Hub (Benishangul-Gumuz) CECOE gathered leaders from religious councils, women’s and youth associations, disability organizations, and regional development partners for experience-sharing and issue identification. A major highlight was showcasing the documented journey of the Peace Mothers, whose grassroots mediation work demonstrates the transformative impact of community-led interventions.
At CECOE, we believe peace is built every day through dialogue, education, and active civic participation.
🔗 Learn more about our civic engagement programs and join the Bequ Zega movement at https://lnkd.in/emgpGuT6
What if learning about democracy, human rights, elections, and peacebuilding were available in one accessible online space?
Biqu Zega is now available online.
The Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations for Elections (CECOE) has launched the Biqu Zega E-Learning Platform, a digital space that brings civic learning closer to learners, civic actors, and communities across Ethiopia.
Whether someone is discovering civic engagement for the first time, seeking to understand their rights and responsibilities, or strengthening existing knowledge, Biqu Zega offers an opportunity to learn at their own pace and in a language they understand.
Available in Amharic, Afaan Oromoo, and English, the platform brings together learning resources across six areas:
Civic Engagement
Democracy and Constitutionalism
Governance and Accountability
Human Rights and Inclusion
Electoral Processes
Peacebuilding and Social Cohesion
These areas are closely connected to everyday civic life. They help users explore how people participate in their communities, understand democratic processes, hold institutions accountable, protect human rights, and contribute to peaceful and inclusive societies.
More Than an Online Course Platform
Biqu Zega is part of CECOE’s wider approach to creating spaces for civic learning, dialogue, information sharing, and locally relevant action.
Its purpose goes beyond sharing information. By making civic knowledge more accessible, Biqu Zega seeks to support people in moving from learning to participation—and from understanding civic issues to engaging with them.
A Space to Learn and Engage
Users can explore different topics, discover new areas of interest, and build knowledge that can support meaningful civic participation. The platform is designed for both beginners and those looking to deepen their understanding of civic issues.
Through this initiative, CECOE continues its work to promote inclusive democracy, civic engagement, human rights, and peacebuilding by strengthening civic actors and expanding access to learning opportunities.
Explore the platform and begin your civic learning journey today.
ADDIS ABABA – The Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations for Elections (CECOE) released its "Monitoring Report: Nomination, selection, and appointment process of the new members of the National Election Board of Ethiopia." The report provided an in-depth, assessment of the NEBE's 2025 board member appointment process, which concluded on June 12, 2025.
The report identified both the commendable aspects and the deficiencies of the recent selection and appointment procedure. On the positive side, CECOE acknowledged the process's strengths, including the successful utilization of diverse public outreach channels to solicit a wide range of nominations. The report also highlighted the notable ethnic and religious diversity among the shortlisted candidates as a positive step towards fostering an inclusive electoral institution.
However, the analysis also pointed to several critical areas for improvement. A central finding of the report was the lack of transparency surrounding the shortlisting phase, specifically the insufficient public disclosure of the exact criteria that were used to narrow the pool of over 1,000 nominees. Furthermore, the report noted a significant overrepresentation of candidates with legal backgrounds, suggesting a need for greater emphasis on candidates with varied technical and managerial expertise to ensure a more balanced board.
In its concluding section, CECOE provided a series of specific, actionable recommendations. These proposals were directed at key stakeholders, including the Nomination Committee, political parties, and Civil Society Organizations, with the aim of promoting greater transparency, enhancing the diversity of skills, and strengthening the overall integrity of future appointment processes for the NEBE.
The Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations for Elections (CECOE) has finalized its preparation to observe the remaining and outstanding elections in Benishangul Gumuz, Afar, Central Ethiopia, and Somali regions.
CECOE has conducted a one-day trainings to a total of 15 Long Term Observers (LTOs) who were drawn from its member organizations in Assosa, Semera, Butajira, and Jigjiga cities, and deployd them to observe the pre-election environment.
CECOE also organized trainings for the Short Term Observers(STOs) on June 19 and 20, 2024 in Asossa, Semera, Butajira, and Jigjiga cities to equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge to observe the electoral process on polling day.
In addition, CECOE has also organized simulation exercises for STOs on how to report to CECOE’s Data Center their observation findings in real time using the state of art technology SMS and Apollo.
On June 23, 2024 CECOE will deploy a total of 84 stationary observers who will observe the whole election day process in the polling stations where they are assigned to observe the voting processes.
CECOE will publish a comprehensive observation report consisting of the pre-election, election Day and post-election observation findings.
