The refugee response in Ethiopia brought together 54 operational partners, including the Government of Ethiopia’s Agency for Refugees and Returnees Affairs (ARRA), supported by UNHCR, in coordination with UN system in Ethiopia. UNHCR worked with the Federal and Regional governments to create space within the humanitarian response for diversified operational partnerships, including the private sector. UNHCR continued to work towards the enhancement of existing and new partnerships opportunities for the sustainable transitioning of humanitarian assistance to early-stage development programming, as envisioned in the Global Compact on Refugees and the CRRF, including engagements with the IKEA Foundation in Melkadida, and the World Bank.
UNHCR’s operation in Ethiopia has, since 2018, worked actively to enhance its engagement with IDPs. In 2020, UNHCR led the Protection Cluster at national and regional levels, working with the Government and other stakeholders to manage the risks and impact of displacement within the context of the Kampala Convention.
UNHCR embarked on a new form of enhanced partnership with UNICEF in 2020 and made a joint commitment on transformative change in the sectors of education, WASH and child protection. UNHCR and UNICEF jointly developed a two-year Blueprint for Joint Action for Ethiopia, aiming to transform the quality of life for refugee children and their families by enhancing refugee children’s access to education ensuring that they can access clean, sustainable and environmentally sound WASH services; addressing protection concerns and ensuring quality, child-friendly response services; and identifying context specific barriers to inclusion in national systems to enable joint advocacy for policy change in Ethiopia. UNHCR and UNICEF will learn from lessons of these joint actions and finalize a new and transformative partnership upon completion of a two-year period.