ETHIOPIA

AT A GLANCE
Official Name: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Chief of State: President Girma Woldegiorgis
Next Election: 2013
Capital: Addis Ababa
Population: 83 million (UN, 2009)
Independence: never colonized
Human Development Index: 171 of 182 countries (UN, 2009)
Global Gender Gap Index: 122 of 134 countries (World Economic Forum, 2009)
Gross National Income per capita: US$280 (World Bank, 2009)

Strengthening Ethiopia's Criminal Justice System

Status: Operational
Local Organization: Ethiopian Ministry of Justice (EMOJ)
Canadian Experts: Yvon Dandurand, Eileen Skinnider, Vivien Chin, Alisson MacPhail, Marion Paruk and Dr. Terry Waterhouse, the International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy in Vancouver (ICCLR)
Papers: Criminal Justice Admininstration Policy by Yvon Dandurand and his team

Deployment for Democratic Development worked closely with Ethiopia’s Minister of Justice to review its existing criminal policies and procedures, including gender-sensitive Alternative Dispute Resolution, in order to improve the functioning of its justice system. Criminal justice expert Yvon Dandurand and ICCLR associates provided recommendations on a proposed new national crime prevention and criminal justice policy, which will support reforms to make the criminal justice system more accessible, transparent and equitable for all Ethiopians. The new policy is a preliminary step toward comprehensive reforms to the country's Code of Penal Procedure. It provides an important element upon which the current review of the Ethiopian Code of Criminal Procedure is based.

In keeping with the requirements of the Ethiopian Constitution and the Ethiopian Government’s obligations under international law, our Canadian legal experts identified relevant international standards and best practices and provided a summary of the Canadian experience. They conducted comprehensive consultations with all stakeholders, including the Ministry of Justice, the prosecution, police, prison administration and the judiciary, with the aim of improving relations among these stakeholders and defining priority reforms they all could agree on.

Following the approval of the newly drafted criminal policy, the Canadian experts further identified the requirements for legislative action and a tentative implementation plan. They also identified the potential impact of the Criminal Justice Administration Policy on women, juvenile offenders and vulnerable populations, and they produced a draft organizational model for the Ministry. To facilitate their policy review and workshops, a comprehensive set of 27 briefing notes was produced for the EMOJ.

“Being able, through DDD, to respond in a timely manner to the urgent need for advice and support expressed by the Ethiopian government made a huge difference in terms of supporting the local movement for criminal justice reforms. It certainly happened at a very crucial time for Ethiopia.” - Yvon Dandurand

(l.) Emebet Kebede (CIDA-ECCO) and Legese Alemu, Project
Coordinator, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Justice, with Canadian expert
Yvon Dandurand.