Agency For Civil Society Organizations (ACSO) (Ethiopia)

Different documents witness that Civil Society Organizations start to appear 50 years ago. The registration was carried out by the then called Ministry of state administration. The registration also based on the civil code no. 321/1966. After the Derge regime came to power in 1975 till its down fall in 1991 there had been no, whether Civil Society Organization of both endogenous and foreign Organization one which were registered and carried out their activities. This was due to the ban for freedom of association. As of 1985, however, because of the then famine some foreign aid organizations like, Oxfam Uk, Care---- etc. Were given recognition after their request to the Ethiopian Relief and Rehabilitation Commission and children’s commission. They were also required to sign a general agreement and to present authenticated certificate of registration showing its establishment together with constitutive act from its country of origin. However the commission was not entitled to register societies by law. Since 1991, however, both the Charter of the Transition Government and the FDRE Constitution, which has been ratified by the people of Ethiopia, and its provision on article 31, a great deal of charities and societies registered and licensed to carry out their activities. Due to that many Ethiopians organized Civil Society Organization and have become beneficiary. Several foreign Organizations have used the opportunity to carry out their activities in the country as well. The license Civil Society Organizations were issued by the ministry of Interior Affairs since 1991–1995. The 1995 Proclamation no 4/1995 which was to decide the authority of the executives had been improved to the Proclamation No. 47/2006 and gave power to Ministry of Justice to register and license faith based and non-for- profit non-governmental organizations. In the past 50 years there about 3822 Civil Society Organizations were existed in the nation, the study of Civil Society Organizations agency from a randomly taken 1918 (50.2%) samples has revealed the fact that only 739 (38.5%) used to communicate with Ministry of justice, association registration office. The rest 1119 (61.5%) were cut off with the office.