Ethiopia will host the 5th International Conference on Federalism from 13-16 December 2010 in Addis Ababa, in partnership with the Forum of Federations. The International Conferences on Federalism were initiated in 1999 by the Forum of Federations with the first conference in Mt. Tremblant, Canada. This was followed by a second conference in 2002 in St. Gallen, Switzerland, a third in Brussels, Belgium, in 2005, and a fourth in New Delhi, India, in 2007.
The 5th International Conference will be the first hosted by an African country; previous conferences took place in North America, Asia and Europe (twice). The theme of the 5th International Conference on Federalism, 'Equality and Unity in Diversity for Development', reflects the need for sustainable development in federal, federalizing or decentralizing countries in Africa and other non-Western regions. Sustainable development requires equality and unity in diversity, qualities necessary for the emergence and sustenance of social peace and democracy.
About the Conferences on Federalism
The international conferences on federalism are organized by the government of the host country in partnership with the Forum of Federations. These conferences provide a platform for practitioners and experts to share experiences on the challenges associated with operation of federal and federal-type systems. All previous conferences have had participation from the highest levels of government, including heads of state, heads of government, heads of constituent units, legislators, senior officials, as well as young professionals, academics, and private sector and non-governmental organization (NGO) representatives. Both the number of participants and countries of origin of participants grew from conference to conference. While 500 participants coming from 25 countries participated in Mt. Tremblant, the New Delhi conference hosted 1300 participants from 116 countries.
Topics of the Conference
The topics and themes for the conference follows the well established tradition of concentrating on topics that are relevant to the host country as well as to federal, federalizing and decentralizing countries in the region and around the world.The theme 'Equality and Unity in Diversity for Development' will be discussed under five topics. These topics, to be considered in parallel, are as follows:
Topic 1: Federalism and the Democratization Process
- What conditions make federalism a necessary form of state, and what are the major constitutional and institutional challenges to federal states in the initial stages?
- How do newly federalizing and democratizing countries address the challenges of bridging the gap between democratic federal institutions and authoritarian political cultures?
- What are the roles of domestic and external actors (civic, financial, political, etc.) in facilitating or frustrating the federalization and democratization processes?
Topic 2: The Impacts of Regionalization and Globalization on Federations
- What is the impact of sub-regionalization, regionalization and globalization on federations?
- What lessons could be learned from the experience of federal systems under developed regional arrangements elsewhere in the world for the design and operation of regional integration in Africa and other regions of the world?
- What lessons can be learned from the practices followed in the course of international cooperation involving federal type states?
Topic 3: Unity in Diversity through Federalism
- How can the imperatives of unity and diversity be reconciled during the formation of federations?
- What kinds of policies are favorable for maintaining unity in diversity in the operation of a federation?
- How can federations protect and accommodate minorities and disadvantaged groups?
Topic 4: Federalism and Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution Mechanisms
- What factors have proven key to the success (or failure) of federalism to play its potential role in reversing deep-rooted conflict?
- What have been the experience and results in the use of 'last resort' mechanisms (e.g., courts, second chambers) in resolving significant conflicts in federations?
- What lessons can be learned from how federations deal with security matters, including intergovernmental relations and traditional institutions and practices at the national and other levels?
Topic 5: Fiscal Federalism and Equitable Development
- What factors can guide the assignment of responsibilities and revenue-raising powers towards promoting equitable development and reducing potential fiscal conflicts?
- How can federations promote fiscal responsibility, accountability and transparency in a context of fiscal interdependence between levels of government?
- How can federations or potential federations work to reconcile regional and national interests, both economic and environmental, in natural resources such as oil, gas, minerals, water and forests?
For more information, you can download the conference's issue paper by clicking here.