Dialogue Commission to Submit Final Recommendations Ahead of Parliamentary Transition

The National Dialogue Commission (NDC) will present its complete dialogue report, participant recommendations, and an implementation strategy to the House of Peoples’ Representatives (HoPR) before September 22, 2026, chief commissioner Mesfin Araya (PhD) announced in a press briefing on Thursday.

The submission is timed to precede the end of the current parliament’s five-year term in late September, ensuring the outgoing legislature receives the final output of the commission it created.

“The commission was established and assigned by the sitting parliament, whose term expires at the end of September. Therefore, we will present our findings before the house dissolves,” Mesfin said at the NDC headquarters in Addis Ababa.

Following the Prosperity Party’s victory in the June national elections, a new government and parliament will take office shortly after the Ethiopian New Year. While the commission’s core mandate concludes alongside the sitting parliament’s term, Mesfin clarified that the NDC will not immediately close its doors.

“It does not mean the commission closes its office entirely,” Mesfin noted, adding that remaining staff will focus on documentation and auditing as operational departments gradually wind down. The long-term future of the commission will be determined by the incoming parliament.

The upcoming submission follows the conclusion of the 38-day national dialogue conference held in Addis Ababa from July 7 to August 22, 2026, where more than 4,000 delegates deliberated on over 400 agenda items categorized under eight primary pillars.

In line with its founding proclamation (1265/2014), the NDC has compiled every participant input into a structured report alongside an implementation roadmap designed for government  organs. The recommendations will be distributed to all three branches of the federal government, regional state governments, and the two city administrations.

Handling of recommendations for the Tigray region will follow a unique path. While Tigray was represented by 164 delegates during the dialogue, its regional recommendations will be handed over directly to the federal government for the time being rather than the regional administration due to prevailing political realities, said the commissioner.

Mesfin emphasized that the NDC functions strictly as an advisory body, with no mandate to make binding legal decisions.

“None of the recommendations we collected are final decisions; they are advisory inputs intended to guide formal decision-making,” Mesfin said. “There is no concept of ‘unresolved issues.’ Every piece of input will serve as a resource for government organs.”

The chief commissioner cited debates over the national flag as an example. While delegates unanimously endorsed the green, yellow, and red base colors, opinions diverged regarding the emblem at the center. Suggestions included replacing the current star with symbols representing the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) or the Battle of Adwa. The final decision on the emblem will be left to the appropriate state authority.

While the commission confirmed that all underlying documentation and raw data will eventually be released to the public, Mesfin declined to provide a specific date for when the reports will be published.

International partners contributed approximately USD16 million to the initiative, covering nearly half of the commission’s operational expenses.