Building Civil Society? An Assessment of the new Ethiopian Civil Society Law and Its Promise for Promoting Democracy

Abstract

A key part of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s effort to promote the development of civil society is a new law, proclamation 1113/2019, which significantly expands the allowed activities of civil society organizations (CSOs) – especially in comparison to the earlier 2009 law. We examine the genesis of the new law, which was promulgated after the wave of protests in 2016–2019, as well as its impact on the ability of CSOs to work on advocacy of human rights and democracy promotion. The article concludes with an assessment of the new law’s role in the possible expansion of the development of CSOs in the country.