Secretary General, Interreligious Council of Ethiopia

Pastor Zerihun Degu Menegeste was born in 1966 in Ethiopia and is the current Secretary General of the Interreligious Council of Ethiopia. Pastor Menegeste obtained a Master of Arts in Leadership from the Pan Africa Christian University, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Bible and Theology from Addis Ababa Bible College. Constantly seeking more knowledge, he is currently studying Peace and Security Studies at Addis Ababa University. His work in interreligious dialogue and peaceful coexitence spans internationally, and includes but is not limited to collaborations with USAID/Ethiopia, which led him to obtain a certificate of appreciation from United States President Barack Obama; with Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light; and with the Dialogue Africa Forum 2 centered on the theme of “Establishing and Sustaining the Culture of Coexistence and Mutual Understanding”, where he received a certificate of gratitutde for his contributions, consturctive comments, and inspirational ideas. Pastor Menegeste is heavily involved in the Ethiopian and African evangelical communities, and is a board chair and member of different organizations such as the Ethiopian Evangelical Churches Fellowship, the Africa Evangelical Fellowship, and the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation since 2014. Through his work, he has established collaboration networks with governmental and non-governmental organizations, and represents the Interreligious Council of Ethiopia at national and international levels, which rendered him an important African figure in the field of interreligious dialogue. Biography as at 20.08.18