USAID’s Feteh activity celebrates five years of judicial reform

The United States Agency for International Development/Ethiopia (USAID) celebrated the impact of its Feteh (Justice) project, a $22 million (1.2 billion Birr activity). USAID/Ethiopia Deputy Mission Director Thomas Staal was joined by representatives from the Ministry of Justice, federal courts, regional supreme courts, the Ethiopian Federal Advocates Association, and civil society organizations working on legal and judicial reforms at a celebration event marking the successful completion of this project.
“Feteh has functioned as a ‘flagship’ program, leading the way for legal reform in Ethiopia,” said Deputy Mission Director Staal during his remarks.
Feteh began in February 2019, in response to the Government of Ethiopia’s request for assistance with legislative reform and support of its implementation. Feteh partners with legal institutions, including both federal courts and regional supreme courts, the Ministry of Justice, public prosecutors’ offices, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC), the office of the ombudsman, public defenders’ offices, law schools, civil society organizations, and the media. After the first two years at the federal level, the project was extended to include the Oromia and Amhara regional governments and to advance legal reform through key institutions such as the EHRC, the ombudsman’s office, media, and universities.