Commissioners Profile
Chief Commissioner Pro. Mesfin Araya
- Mesfin Araya – Chief Commissioner
Education
- MD in Medicine, Pavlov University
- PhD in Psychotherapy & Philosophy, Umeå University
- Diploma in Psychiatry, University of Groningen
- Certificate in Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University
Experience
- Psychiatrist, hospital director, and academic leader
- Provost at St. Paul’s Hospital
- Full Professor, Addis Ababa University
- Chairperson, Federal Hospitals Board
Roles and Responsibilities
- He shall serve as the chairperson of the Council of the Commission;
- Lead the overall activities of the Commission;
- Table the Agenda of the Council of the Commission;
- Call extraordinary meetings of the Council of the Commission as necessary;
- Oversee the overall activity of the secretariat;
- Represent the Commission in its relationship with other organs;
- Present a report to the House of Peoples’ Representatives;
- Present to the Council of the Commission a nominee to be appointed as Head of the Secretariat;
- Hire and administer the staff of the Commission in accordance with Federal Civil Servants Law;
- Prepare the budget of the Commission jointly with the Ministry of Finance and present the same to the House of Peoples’ Representatives for approval;
- Carry out other tasks assigned to him by the Council of the Commission.
Deputy Chief Commissioner Hirut GebreSelassie
- Hiroute Gebresillasie – Deputy Chief Commissioner
Education
- Master’s in Law, Sorbonne University
Experience
- Legal expert in government and international organizations
- UN Peacekeeping Head, Special Envoy for Sahel
- Peacebuilding roles in Africa and international missions
Roles and responsibilities
- Carry out the duties of the Chief Commissioner in his absence;
- Perform tasks assigned to him by the Chief Commissioner.
Commissioner Dr. Ambaye Ugato
Education
- Bachelor of Arts, History, Addis Ababa University
- Masters of Arts, Social Anthropology, Addis Ababa University
- PhD in social Anthropology, Martin Luther University, Germany
- Postdoctoral Degree certificate from Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology from Conflict and Integration Department, Halle/ Saale, Germany
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Max Net Aging, Rostock, Germany.
Experience
- senior peace and Dialogue advisor for five years;
- lecturer at Addis Ababa University in the department of Sociology and Social Anthropology;
- Lecturer in different private colleges;
- Advisor and Policy Researcher at the Max Plank institute for 2 years;
- One of the members of Multi Stakeholders for Initiative for National Dialogue – MIND- worked for 18 months by being Technical Advisor and Coordinator of Ethiopian Elders Council Network,
- Visiting Scholar in the University of Vermont, USA
- Visiting Research Fellow at Frobenius Institute in Goethe-University in Frankfurt.
Commissioner Dr. Ayrorit Mohammed
Ayrorit Mohammed – Commissioner
Education
- PhD & Master’s in Law, Amsterdam University
- LLB, Ethiopian Civil Service University
Experience
- Judge, lecturer, police research director
- Legal advisor at national and international levels
Commissioner Blen GebreMedhin
Bilen Gebremedhin – Commissioner
Education
- Master’s in International Law, Human Rights, and Humanitarian Law
- LLB, Addis Ababa University
Experience
- Senior roles at the Red Cross and New Zealand Embassy
- Advocacy and human rights expert
Commissioner Melaku WeldeMariam
Melaku Woldemariam – Commissioner
Education
- LLB, Addis Ababa University
Experience
- Legal advisor, former Secretary of Ethiopian Human Rights Commission
- Lecturer and legal practitioner
Commissioner Ambassador Muhamed Drir
Ambassador Mohammud Dirir – Commissioner
Education
- Master’s in International Law, University of Amsterdam
- BA in English Literature, Damascus University
Experience
- Ambassador to Egypt and Zimbabwe
- Minister
- IGAD peace negotiator
- Member of the Axum Obelisk Return Committee
Commissioner Mulugeta Ago
Mulugeta Aggo – Commissioner
Education
- LLB and LLM in Law
Experience
- Legal head and judge in Kefa Zone
- President of the Regional Supreme Court for 8 years
Commissioner Dr. TegegneWork Getu
Education
- PhD in development economics from Columbia University
- MA in Development Economic from Columbia University
- MIA in International Relations from Columbia University
- BA in Development management from Addis Ababa University
- Certificate in African Studies from Columbia University
Experience
- Under Secretary General UN General assembly and Conference services for 3 years;
- UNDP undersecretary General and UNDP Associate Administrator for 2 years;
- Assistant Secretary General and UNDP Africa Director for 4 years
Served as UN Resident coordinator and UNDP representative in Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone (5 years each); - Assistant professor in Rochester University New York for 1 year
- Assistant professor in Hunter Collage, New York for 1 year
- Advisor to Ministry of Planning Addis Ababa for 2 years
- Lecturer in Addis Ababa University for 2 years
Commissioner Dr. Yonas Adaye
Education
- PhD in Peace Studies, University of Bradford, UK;
- Associate Professor of Peace Studies at Addis Ababa University;
- Postgraduate Diploma (With Merit) in Research Methods for the Social
- Sciences, and Postgraduate Diploma in Security Sector Reform, University of Bradford, UK;
- BA (With Distinction) in English Literature and Linguistics (Addis Ababa University);
- MA in Teaching English as a Foreign Language and MA in International Relations (Addis Ababa University);
- Certificate, Trainer, (Teacher) Development, College of St. Mark and St. John, Exeter, UK;
- Cambridge University Certificate, (CELTA, British Council/ University of Cambridge);
- Certificate in Advanced Strategic Leadership, London, UK
Experience
- Director, Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS) of Addis Ababa University since July 2019;
- Supervisor of four local and one international (Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia – Leipzig University, Germany, joint program);
- PhD students in the broad area of Peace and Security as well as Global and Area Studies;
- Supervised over 50 local and 5 international MA students for the past 13 years in the broad areas of Global, Peace and Security studies;
- Associate Academic Director, IPSS, 2014 to 2019;
- Deputy Director, IPSS, since 2012 – 2014;
- Regular MA Program Coordinator 2009 – 2019
Deputy Director, IPSS, since 2012 – 2014;
Regular MA Program Coordinator 2009 – 2019;
Commissioner Zegeye Asfaw
Education
- LLB, Addis Ababa University
- LLM, Wisconsin-Madison University
Experience
- A lawyer by profession with long years of experience as public servant; served as in Ministerial capacity in different ministries: Ministry of Land Reform and Administration; Ministry of Agriculture and Settlement; Ministry of Justice, and Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (for a brief moment);
- Co-founder and Executive Director of an Ethiopian not-for-profit organization called HUNDEE-Oromo Grassroots Development Initiative for about 25 years;
- Co-founder and Board Chairperson of Busa0Gonofa Micro Financing Share Company focusing on rural women clients;
- Actively participated in grassroots activism and mobilization to combat harmful traditional practices (HTP) educated and popularized women’s human rights and empowerment;
- Actively engaged in environment protection; development of farmers’ marketing cooperatives and value chain development; humanitarian assistance to pastoralists and agro-pastoralists and appropriate social and economic services;
- Conducted studies on gender dynamics in three farming systems: mixed farming system; pastoralist, and hoe culture;
- Campaigned along with other civil society organizations to popularize human rights approach to development; and campaigned for the restoration of right full position of civil society organization leading to the proclamation of a new progressive civil society legislation