PROFILE

Daniel Bekele (Male)

Date of Birth:  February 17, 1967

Daniel Bekele is Head of Policy Research and Advocacy Department of ActionAid Ethiopia, a branch of ActionAid International, committed to fighting poverty and injustice by empowering poor and marginalized people. 

Daniel studied Law at the Addis Ababa University from 1984-1989 and has been one of the prominent lawyers of the county. Shortly after his graduation, Daniel was the legal counselor for the Ethiopian sugar corporation from 1998-1990. He then became an independent consultant of law, human rights and development in the year to come.

 

As a lawyer, qualified to practice all areas of law in all jurisdictions of Ethiopian courts, Daniel had the opportunity to cover various substantive and procedural areas of the law. He has handled, investigated, litigated, advised and tried a considerable number of cases and prepared various types of sizeable legal documents.

 

He was extensively consulted with the NGO sector focusing in the areas of capacity building, strengthening civil society, networking with the voluntary sector, study on the enabling environment for the sector, promotion of services in democracy building, human rights education, law reforms, and converging human rights and law with development initiatives.

 

He has been an active participant in a number of civil society organizations and professional associations such as the Ethiopian Bar Association and the Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association in gender discriminatory law reform initiatives, human rights & women rights education and defending women in difficult situations.

 

He also served as a national program advisory committee member for Oxfam Canada’s Horn of Africa capacity Building Program and participated in a number of Oxfam Canada’s program in designing and implementing its capacity building and also civil society strengthening projects.

 

In the mean time Daniel also worked as a part time instructor at the Law faculty of the Ethiopian civil service college.  

 

Daniel returned to his studies to the Addis Ababa University in 1999- 2001 to continue a Masters Degree in Development Studies with his commitment to advance his knowledge and understanding of development issues. After working as director for the department of Legal services and secretary to the board of directors of both United and Lions Insurance Company for one year, Daniel went to the University of Oxford, UK (2002-2003) to pursue his Masters studies in Legal research. He completed his studies as a distinction student and is a PhD candidate of Law at the same University.

 

It was with his strong desire to actively participate in the civil society sector and contribute to the poor people of his country that Daniel joined Actionaid in 2004. He has been well known for being a promoter and an outspoken personality of human rights. Daniel has been relentlessly working to create an enabling environment to the civil society sector. He has even been the lead drafts person of the civil society alternative draft legislation on registration and operation of CSO/NGOs in Ethiopia.

 

Working closely with partner organizations of ActionAid such as Organizations for social Justice in Ethiopia (OSJE), Daniel has been an activist of the global call to action against Poverty (G-CAP), a world wide movement supported by UN millennium campaign. Along with Netsanet Demissie of OSJE, Daniel has also been an organizer and member of the executive committee of the Network of Ethiopian NGO's and CSOs that monitored the May 15, 2005 election.

 

An unfortunate event clouding the civil society sector happened after the arrest of Daniel on November 1st, 2005 by the incumbent government following the contested May 15 national election and unrest that led to the deaths of several people. Daniel now finds himself in jail along with his associate Netsanet Demissie facing charges of treason and outrage against the Constitutional order and the Constitution and being denied the right of bail.

 

Publications and Some Research Study Papers of Daniel Bekele

 

·          “Constitutional and Human Rights Teaching Manual for Ethiopia.” (An important piece of work financed by the Washington based National Democratic Institute, 1998, Co-author)

 

·         “The legal Framework for Freedom of Expression in Ethiopia”, (Published by Article 19 the London based Global Campaign for freedom of Expression, February 2003.)

 

·         “Issues on Domestic Application of International Human Rights Law.” (A study paper presented for a national workshop organised by The Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association, March 2002)

·          “Report on the Enabling Environment for the Ethiopian NGO Sector.” (Published by PACT, a Washington based International Development Agency, [co-author and author to three consecutive reports] Years 2000, 2002 and 2004.)

·         "The Legal Responsibility of NGO Board Members under Ethiopian Law" (A study paper and training guide for NGO board development training programme).

 

·          “Commentary on the Draft NGO Legislation of Ethiopia.” (A study paper presented for a National Workshop on the Draft NGO Legislation of Ethiopia, May 2002)

 

·         “Issues on Domestic Resource Mobilisation.” (A discussion paper presented for a workshop organised by PACT, a Washington based International Development Agency, 1999.)

 

·         “Issues on the Formation and Operation of Civil Society Organisations in Ethiopia.” (A study paper presented for a national consultative workshop organised by The Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association, 1998)

 

·         “Co-operative International Freshwater Management: Towards Co-operative Use of the Nile River.” Published in the Cambridge Review of International Affairs (University of Cambridge, Issue No. 12.2, 1999, Co-author)