On 26 September, UNOAU facilitated a panel discussion at an event organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), to commemorate the International Day of Peace.

The event brought together over one hundred youth from various networks and universities in Ethiopia, and included speakers from media, academia, the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission (ENDC) as well as civil society organizations (CSOs). Amongst the panelists was Dr. Yonas Adaye, Commissioner at the ENDC, who spoke on progress and prospects for building the culture of dialogue through the activities of the Commission. Youth participants were particularly interested in understanding how women and youth have been included in the planned national dialogue.

The media representative touched on the new media landscape of Ethiopia, noting that it has largely negatively impacted the space for dialogue through hate speech and misinformation. He added that frameworks and laws will have to be put in place in the country to curb the on-going rhetoric on social media that has been fueling conflict amongst communities. Both Academia and CSOs representatives shared experiences working with grassroots communities having used traditional conflict resolution mechanisms to resolve conflicts both in Ethiopia, and at the Ethio-Kenyan border.