30Sep
Key messages of the report (September 2022 – September 2023)
- DETF-EU has continued its sustained activities at the heart of all significant Advocacy and Digital Public Diplomacy Initiatives for Ethiopia in Europe before and after the Peace Agreement. More than 130 hours of meeting in 12 months (44 uninterrupted weekly meetings with summary records), besides the many group working sessions.
- Over twenty letters (four joint statements co-signed by Ethiopian Diaspora organizations across four continents) have been sent through more than 25 ‘000 emails to key influencers in Europe and North America. DETF-EU has conducted more than 50 Twitter campaigns with a reach ranging from 4.5 to 25 million viewers.
- Several webinars to engage the Diaspora in Public Diplomacy and raise awareness were organized including a well attended meeting to introduce the work of the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission to leaders and influencers in the Ethiopian Diaspora in Europe. Our Pan-African wing also organized sessions in English to inform Africans about the situation in Ethiopia with panelists of caliber.
- A New website at DefendEthiopia.EU was developed, with a refreshing new look and feel. This digital renovation introduced intelligent algorithms and tools that streamlined the process of designing and launching effective digital campaigns.
- DETF-EU did not have any written documents for its organization. An Organization and Code of Conduct document was drafted by an editorial group and approved by the Steering Committee as a guiding document.
- Several Defend Ethiopia EU country representatives appeared in Media (both in and outside Ethiopia) giving interviews to support the objectives of the Task Force.
- New members have joined from Denmark and Finland. In September 2022, the number of Steering Group members was 11. All countries now have alternate members, which took the total number of Steering Group members to 25. Efforts are underway to have members from Austria, Greece and Malta, widening the Task Force to make it genuinely European.
- Defend Ethiopia Task Force in Europe (DETF-EU) was among the recipients of the recognition award by the Ethiopian Diaspora Agency in January 2023.
- The Ethiopian Diaspora’s overwhelming support at the start of the conflict in November 2020 has been gradually eroded with the series of events that unfolded in the course of the years 2022-2023. By September 2023, the support of the Diaspora community at large was effectively very low as evidenced by the quantitative evaluation of engagements in our campaigns.
- Undertaking solution-oriented actions towards lasting peace and peaceful settlement of political differences will have an effect on re-engaging meaningfully the Diaspora community at large and reverse the current trend of disengagement in silence or opposition to the government.
