Public Dialogue

Public Dialogue Forums and Public Lecture Series

Since its inception, the Forum for Social Studies has used the program of public dialogues as a flagship activity  to bring together government decision makers and the wider public to deliberate on policy and development issues of mutual concern. In the main, these have assumed the shape of workshops and symposia as well as panel discussions and lectures involving researchers, policy makers, legislators and members of the public. FSS has too often published results of these discussions and disseminated same for wider access and readership.

As part of its mission to promote a participatory policy space and advance informed debate on important development issues, FSS played a leading role in galvanizing Civil Society Organizations to bring their input to the Poverty Reduction Strategy Program (PRSP) in 2001-2002. Not only did it organize a dialogue series on the subject, including one where the voices of the poor were directly aired, but it was also instrumental in establishing the Poverty Action Network of Ethiopia (PANE), which was set up with the objective of monitoring the implementation of PRSP (now re-named PASDEP).

A summary of the main policy dialogue series that have been conducted on important development issues is presented as follows:

1. Environmental Policy Dialogues Series: 

• Environment and Environmental Change in Ethiopia, 2003
• Environment, Poverty and Gender, 2003
• Environmental Conflict, 2003
• Economic Development and its Environmental Impact, 2003
• Government and Environmental Policy, 2004
• የግልና የጋራ ጥረት ለአካባቢ ህይወት መሻሻል (የሰሜን ሸዋ ገበሬ­ዎች ተሞክሮ) ; 2004
• Environmental Challenges of Contemporary Ethiopia and the Indispensable Role of Indigenous Trees; 2004
• Grassroots Discussion on Experiences of Environmental Protection

2. Inter-Generational Transfer of Knowledge (IGTK)

2.1. IGTK Phase I

In 2005, FSS launched the Inter-Generational Transfer of Knowledge (IGTK) Public Dialogue series.

2.2. IGTK Phase II

3.  Culture and Development (2009-2011)

Because of the interest it generated the” IGTK” public dialogue series phase I and phase II was followed by another public lecture titled ” Culture and Development”.  The “Culture and Development” lecture series was intended to explore the relationship between culture and development. All too often, development is perceived in quantitative and material terms, with GNP as a sort of infallible index of prosperity. But development is an all-encompassing phenomenon, including spiritual/mental as well as material well-being. The dialogue series was envisaged to address both the cultural factors for or against development and its cultural dimensions.

This program went on for 2 years and covered the following themes by different presenters.

4. Public Debate on Climate Change, Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development in Ethiopia

In 2010, in keeping with its track record of organizing successful public forums, debates and consultations on development and policy issues, FSS initiated a new bi-monthly dialogue series with on Climate Change, Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development in Ethiopia. The overall objective of the lecture series is to create awareness, promote environmental consciousness and accountability, and inform policy/decision makers about the challenges posed by global climate change and local environmental degradation on poverty reduction and the achievement of accelerated and sustained economic development in Ethiopia. The program was planned to run from February 2010 to February 2011.

Aims and Objectives

The overall objective of the lecture series is to create awareness, promote environmental consciousness and accountability, and inform policy/decision makers about the challenges posed by global climate change and local environmental degradation on poverty reduction and the achievement of accelerated and sustained economic development in Ethiopia.

• A total of seven papers will be presented covering the following issues: Impacts and evidences of climate change in Ethiopia; climate change, environmental degradation and poverty linkages; climate change and agriculture; climate change and heath, climate change and gender issues;
• Encourage proactive engagement and dialogue (on environmental and sustainable development issues) between policy makers, CSOs and researchers;
• Publication of a comprehensive report (a book) containing all the six presentations and the policy issues and recommendations gathered from the discussions dialogues.

Dialogues conducted:

FSS is committed to creating a policy-research nexus through original research on emerging challenges, successes and prospects of national development endeavors. While ensuring that all its research is conducted using standard scientific methods of investigation, FSS, nevertheless, strives to ascertain the policy relevance of its research in terms of the key issues it raises, the field data it generates, the critical analyses it provides and the recommendations it puts forward

Focus Areas

1)      Climate change in Ethiopia: Local manifestations, impacts and national responses;

2)      Climate change, poverty and the MDGs in Ethiopia;

3)      Climate change and environmental degradation linkages in Ethiopia;

4)      Climate change and agriculture in Ethiopia;

5)      Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Policy Issues in Urban Areas of Ethiopia.