and institutions, and to respect the FDRE Flag and Emblem. Article 17 of the Proclamation 654 / 2009 provides that Ethiopian nationals have the duty to pay due honor to the Flag of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The duties of the individual in light of the conception of the African Charter offer a new perspective of the personal responsibility towards fellow citizens, the community, and the state. In this light, the principles enshrined in the FDRE Constitution, enables the government to instil a national consciousness to help cement and unite individuals and different nations within the state. Citizens are also under a duty to declare their income truthfully to the appropriate agencies and pay tax promptly in accordance with Proclamation 286/2002 and other relevant laws. All citizens are under a duty to respect the dignity of other citizens and the rights and legitimate interests of others to live in peace, unity and harmony and in the spirit of common brotherhood; to contribute to the development and well-being of the community and cooperate with the appropriate organs in the maintenance of law and order. As provided under Article 92 (4) of the Constitution, citizens also have the duty to protect the environment. Article 28 of the African Charter states that: “every individual shall have the duty to respect and consider his fellow beings without discrimination, and to maintain relations aimed at promoting, safeguarding and reinforcing mutual respect and tolerance.” In this regard, the preamble to the FDRE Constitution highlights that the peoples of Ethiopia are “firmly convinced that the fulfilment of the common objectives requires full respect of individual and people's fundamental freedoms and rights to live together on the basis of equality and without any sexual, religious or cultural discrimination; and by continuing to live with our rich, and proud cultural legacies in territories we have long inhabited, have, through continuous interaction on various levels and forms of life, built up common interests and have also contributed to the emergence of a common outlook.” This is the consciousness that the state has undertaken and has been able to foster, working hard to shift the allegiance of the community to the state. Duties for the Family Article 27 of the African Charter provides that “every individual shall have a duty towards his family and society, the state and other legally recognized communities and the international community. The Revised Family Code stipulates the duty of spouses to each other, and under Article 49, it 125