The Council of Ministers on its session of 26 September 2020 has passed two major decisions in the legal reform context. One of the key decisions passed was on the Criminal Procedure Code and Evidence law Proclamation. This draft proclamation will substitute the 1961 Criminal Procedure Code of Ethiopia. The need for the reform was the gaps in the 1961 Criminal Procedure Code, to conform the criminal procedure to the international conventions Ethiopia has accepted, to the respect and protection of victims of crime and the respect for the human rights of suspects, defendants and criminals. The second key decision passed was on the draft proclamation to provide for Arbitration and Dispute Resolution Working Procedure. The latter draft proclamation aims at settling disputes out of court, expanding the areas of settlement of disputes for commercial and investment areas and recognizing culturally accepted dispute settlement options implanted in the society. The Cabinet sent these two draft proclamations for the Parliament for their deliberation and endorsement. Moreover, the Council of Ministers has issued into law the Accreditation Service Fee Regulation.
