A/HRC/44/49/Add.1 agency’s decisions to freeze the assets of the Ethiopian Human Rights Council and to close 124 human rights organizations since the passage of the Charities and Societies Proclamation.8 18. In response to these criticisms, Ethiopia adopted the Organization of Civil Societies Proclamation, in February 2019. Significant changes include the repeal of the previous 10 per cent foreign funding restrictions, the removal of many of the intrusive powers of the overseeing agency, and the right of organizations to appeal registration decisions issued by the overseeing agency. 19. The Special Rapporteur met with the newly reformed Agency for Civil Society Organizations to discuss the effects of the new legislation. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the fact that out of the new Agency’s 11 board members, seven were previously members of civil society organizations. During the meeting, representatives of the Agency informed the Special Rapporteur that it had not denied any application for registration and that it hoped to partner with civil society organizations in their development while ensuring that they complied with the law. As at December 2019, 1,379 civil society organizations, including 456 new organizations, had registered under the new proclamation which had only been in force since March 2019 – covering over 100 themes. The Agency aims to provide a response to registration applications within 15 days and to increase engagement with what it considers “partners for development” – a drastic shift from the previous context. It also hopes to expand its services through the creation of branch offices at the regional level, and the creation of a Civil Society Fund – a fund designed to provide support for civil society organizations that work with vulnerable groups such as women, children, and persons with disabilities. 20. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the passage of the Organization of Civil Societies Proclamation and the subsequent activities of the Agency. The work of civil society is crucial for the promotion of human rights. Overly restrictive laws and authoritative agencies can hinder the work of these organizations by placing undue burdens on their functioning and making them hesitant to engage in activities that could be seen as critical of government. The Special Rapporteur encourages the efforts of the newly reformed Agency to open up civic space, including to increase women’s participation in public and political life and at all levels of governance. The positive aspects of the civil society reform, namely appointing board members who are independent of the Government and promoting the efforts of civil society organizations that work with vulnerable populations, should be replicated in other areas of legal reform. 21. In this context, the Special Rapporteur would also like to specifically commend, and urge further, the inclusion of women in the country’s offices of power. The current Government has made progress in gender equality: Sahle-Work Zewd was the first woman to be elected President, the Prime Minister appointed women to half of his Cabinet, and 37 per cent of those elected to Parliament are women. These achievements stand as globally significant signs that the State is taking seriously its role in opposing gender discrimination and is recognizing the necessity of women’s involvement in a peaceful and prosperous democracy of the future. Ensuring stable access to education throughout primary and secondary school and pushing for representative leadership in universities will undoubtedly create a sustainable path for women to become truly included and empowered in the next generation of leadership in Ethiopia. 2. New media law 22. Media laws in Ethiopia have undergone a number of reforms in the past few decades. Prior proclamations, such as the Press Law of 1992 and the Proclamation on Freedom of the Mass Media and Access to Information of 2008, were criticized for imposing defamation provisions on journalists and giving the authorities broad authority over licensing and registration.9 In the years preceding the recent reforms, protestors, opposition leaders, human rights defenders, and local election observers were arrested, and the mounting pressure on journalists led to the shutdown of numerous newspapers. 8 9 See https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile? gId=19173. A/HRC/WG.6/19/ETH/3, para. 43. 7