16. From 9 to 16 September 2009, the CRM visited the Regional States. Members of the Team held interactive sessions with stakeholders in Tigray, Oromia, Addis Ababa City Council, Dire Dewa, Harari, Gambella and Benishagul-Gumeze. The regional visits allowed the CRM to validate the CSAR with key stakeholders in the Regions and have their perspectives on the governance situation in Ethiopia. In each region, the sessions commenced with a courtesy call on district officials. Thereafter, the CRM met with stakeholder groups who all gave their perspectives on governance and strides in development in Ethiopia. Prominent among these were women’s groups, the youth, people with disabilities, the elderly, minority groups, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), academia, the media, small businesses, faith-based organisations (FBOs), trade unions, private sector operators, and community-based organisations (CBOs).The visits to all the regions were very useful in providing the CRM with a clear picture of the state of governance and decentralisation in Ethiopia. 17. The Team returned to Addis Ababa for a wrap-up session with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, on 17 September 2009. In all, the Mission had very fruitful deliberations and exchanges. 1.4 Structure of the Report 18. This report is in seven chapters. This introductory chapter is followed by a historical and contextual overview of Ethiopia. Chapters Three to Six evaluate the four APRM thematic areas (Democracy and Political Governance; Economic Governance and Management; Corporate Governance; and Socio-Economic Development) respectively. Each of these chapters has two sections- the first analyses the extent to which Ethiopia has subscribed to the codes and standards of good governance listed in the APRM questionnaire and how many of them have been signed, ratified and domesticated. The second part appraises the APRM’s objectives for that thematic area. Each section begins with a summary of the CSAR, followed by the findings of the CRM and, finally, the APR Panel’s recommendations on the identified challenges. Effort has also been made to highlight commendable practice in boxes. 19. Chapter Seven discusses the cross-cutting issues considered critical due to their wider impact on governance and therefore requiring holistic, immediate and urgent attention. 20. The NPOA received from Ethiopia and the comments of the Government are annexed to the report, as mandated by the APRM rules. - 46 -