The Authority for Civil Society Organizations (ACSO) dissolved 477 civil society organizations last week for failing to report for over two years. Despite successive appeals by the Authority, the organizations failed to submit their appeals to the ASCO with the month window open after the final deadline. Of the 805 organizations that received warnings, 328 successfully appealed with reasons for their inability to submit their reports in due time, citing security problems and fund shortages. The eleven-member Board which passed the decision is comprised of designations from the Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations Council, government representatives, and members of youth and women associations. Organizations can appeal the decision to the Federal High Court within a 30-day window according to the Organization of Civil Societies Proclamation ratified four years ago. There are 4,000 CSOs registered to operate in the country, with a little over 600 of them being international. Many civil society organizations began entering Ethiopia after the 1970s famine which had garnered worldwide attention. Several fresh sets of reforms are afoot by the Authority, including the revision of its laws and frameworks to enhance the regulatory landscape of civil organizations. One of the latest directives by the Authority requires CSOs with foreign roots to provide a two-year work plan which clearly highlights their program expenses, source of funds and project details for registration.
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