Council of Ministers Regulation  No. 432/2018

Council of Ministers Regulation to Provide for the Establishment of the Ethiopian Diaspora Agency

This  Regulation  is  issued  by  the  Council  of Ministers pursuant to Article 5 of the Definition of Powers and  Duties of the  Executive Organs of the Federal     Democratic    Republic    of     Ethiopia Proclamation No.916/2015(as amended) and Article 56 (1) of the Foreign Relation Service Proclamation No. 790/2013.

1. Short Title

This  regulation may be cited as the “Ethiopian Diaspora   Agency   Establishment   Council   of Ministers Regulation No. 432/2018”.

2.Definition

In    this    Regulation,    unless    the    context otherwise requires:

1. “Ministry” or    “Minister”    means    the Ministry or Minister of Foreign Affairs of the

Federal    Democratic    Republic    of Ethiopia, respectively;

2. “Proclamation” means the Foreign Relation Service Proclamation No. 790/2013;
3. Ethiopian Diaspora”  means  an  Ethiopian National    or    a    foreign    national    of

Ethiopian origin that permanently resides abroad;

4. “Council” means  an  entity  established  to undertake  Diaspora  and  related  activities

pursuant to this   Regulation;

5. “Mission” means   Ethiopia’s   diplomatic mission,    permanent    mission,    consular

office or trade office abroad;

6. “Regional State” means any State referred to in  Article  47(1)  of  the  Constitution  of the Federal    Democratic    Republic    of Ethiopia and  includes the administrations of  Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa  ;
7. The definitions provided under article (2) of the  Proclamation  shall  also  apply  to this regulation;
8. Any expression  in  the  masculine  gender includes the feminine.
9. Establishment
10. The Ethiopian  Diaspora  Affairs   Agency (hereinafter  referred  to  as  “Agency”)  is hereby  established   as   an   Autonomous Federal Government organ having its own legal personality.
11. The Agency  shall  be  accountable  to  the Ministry.
12. Head Office

The Agency shall have its head office in Addis Ababa and may have other branches elsewhere in Ethiopia as may be necessary.

5. Objectives

The objectives of the Agency include:

1. Implementing the    Ethiopian    Diaspora Policy; and 2.  Protecting   the   rights   and   interests   of Ethiopians  Diaspora  in  collaboration  with

relevant bodies.

6. Powers and Duties of the Agency

The Agency shall have powers and duties to;

1. facilitate Diaspora affairs;
2. establish a   system   of   registration   and documentation of Ethiopian Diaspora;
3. support the  existing  and  future  Ethiopian Diaspora media outlets abroad.
4. establish a  system  to  facilitate  knowledge and technology transfer opportunities to be

accrued  from the Ethiopian Diaspora;

5. establish and administer financial and other contribution collection systems;
6. support events organized by the Ethiopian Diaspora at home and abroad;
7. support and facilitate institutional capacity of    Ethiopian    Diaspora    societies    and

organizations   on   their   effort   to   acquire legal    personality    and    support

locally organized   Diaspora   organizations   to   be fully functional ;

8. Coordinate and  facilitates  conditions  for the    Ethiopian   Diaspora    to   engage    in

voluntary activities in Ethiopia;

9. provide the  necessary  support  to  entities working  in  Diaspora  engagement  at  the

Federal and Regional level;

10. encourage and support Ethiopian Diaspora to actively get involved in investment and knowledge

transfer  ,  and  follow up  on  its implementation;

11. prepare studies and          policy recommendations  on  Diaspora  and  other

related issues;

12. create working mechanism  with  relevant domestic and foreign institutions;
13. Undertake other activities necessary for the accomplishment of its objectives.
14. Organization of the Agency

The Agency shall have:

1. Advisory Council;
2. A Director  General  and  Deputy  Director Generals        to    be    appointed    by    the

Government;

3. The necessary staff.
4. Members of the Advisory Council
5. The members of the Council, including the chairperson, shall   be   appointed   by   the

Government,  and  their   number  shall   be determined as necessary.

2. The Director  General  of  the  Agency  shall act   as   member  and  the  secretary  of  the

Advisory  council .

9. Powers and Duties of the Advisory Council

The Advisory Council  shall  have powers and duties to:

1. Provide strategic  direction  to  implement the objectives of the Agency ;
2. Evaluate the   Agency’s   wok   plans   and implementations;
3. Hold consultations        and        provide recommendations  on  matters  presented  by

the Director General.

10. Meetings of the Advisory Council
11. The regular  meetings  of  the  Council  shall be   held   every   three   months;   provided,

however,  that  an  urgent  meeting  may  be held whenever necessary.

2. There shall  be  quorum  where  more  than half   of   the   members   of   the   Advisory

Council are present at a meeting.

3. The decisions   of   the   Advisory   Council shall  be  by  consensus.  In  the  absence  of

consensus;   decisions   shall   be   made   by majority  vote  and  in  case  of  a  tie,  the

Chairperson shall have a casting vote;

4. Without prejudice to the provisions of this Article, the  council  may  adopt  its  own rules of procedure.
5. Powers and Duties of the Director General
6. The Director  General  shall  be  the  chief executive  officer  of  the  Agency  and  shall

direct  and  administer  the  activities  of  the Agency.

2. Without prejudice to sub-article (1) of this Article, the Director General shall:
3. a) implement the powers and duties of the Agency specified  under  Article  (6)  of this

Regulation;

1. b) employ and      administer      Foreign Relation Service Officers in accordance with   the Proclamation      790/2013 and    the    Foreign    Relation    Service Officers  Administration  Regulation  no 399/2017    and         support    staff    in accordance   with  federal  civil  service laws;
2. c) prepare and submit  to  the  Ministry  the work    program    and    budget    of    the agency,   and   implement   same   up   on approval  by the Government;
3. d) represent the  Agency  on  its  dealings with third parties;
4. e) prepare and      submit      the      work performance report to the Ministry;
5. f) prepare and submit  financial  reports of the Agency   to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Cooperation ;
6. The Director General may delegate part of his powers and duties to other officers and staff of

the Agency to the extent necessary for    the    efficient    performance    of    the activities

of the Agency.

12. Budget

The  Agency’s  budget  shall  be  allocated  by the Government.

13. Books of Accounts
14. The Agency   shall   keep   complete   and accurate books of account.
15. The books    of    account    and    financial documents of the Agency shall be audited

annually  by the  Auditor  General  or  by an auditor assigned by him.

14. Power to Issue Directives

The Ministry  may issue directives  necessary for the implementation of this regulation.

15. Effective Date

This Regulation shall enter into force on the date of publication in the Federal Negarit Gazette.

Done at Addis Ababa, this 29thday of October 2018.

ABIY AHMED (D/R)

PRIME MINISTER OF THE FEDERAL DEMOCRATIC  REPUBLIC OF ETHIOPIA