The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has included Ethiopia as part of a group of 49 countries from across the world to hold national consultations to help produce a post-2015 global development agenda.
A joint press conference here in Addis Ababa was held by the State Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Dr. Abraham Tekeste, and by the United Nations Resident Coordinator, UNDP Resident Representative and UN Humanitarian Coordinator, Eugene Owusu. Mr. Owusu explained that "when the MDGs were drafted almost 13 years ago, citizens did not get to contribute to the Agenda, through the type of national level consultations that we are now offering". Now they will be able to do so. National consultations will be taking place at three levels: three regional level consultations with a wide variety of stakeholders, three focus group consultations and one national level consolidation. It is expected that these national discussions in all countries will be finalized by February, next year.