Operational Environment
In addition to economic transformation, Ethiopia is currently undergoing political changes following the appointment of a new prime minister; outbreaks of violence occur in parts of the country, including in the capital, and might continue throughout 2019. While Ethiopia, with an estimated population of more than 100 million, has made notable progress in terms of poverty reduction and investment in social services, food insecurity, natural disasters and other humanitarian crises remain prevalent.
Ethiopia remains committed to maintaining open access to asylum procedures, allowing refugees to seek protection and assistance, including access to basic social services, on its territory. Ethiopia currently hosts more than 900,000 refugees from countries including Eritrea, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen. In addition, an estimated 2.8 million people are internally displaced, with a significant number expected to require humanitarian assistance throughout 2019.
The Government of Ethiopia made a set of significant pledges to strengthen refugee rights at the September 2016 Leaders’ Summit on Refugees. The government is now in the process of translating these into national legislation, as well as a national comprehensive response strategy and related guidelines for implementation. A National Coordination Office (NCO) was established as the key body for the implementation of the CRRF and the pledges in Ethiopia, guided by the CRRF.
In addition to its traditional humanitarian partners for the refugee response, UNHCR is increasingly working with development actors, as well as the private sector, particularly in relation to the CRRF. For the refugee response, a Refugee Coordination Group was established, in addition to technical working groups. For the IDP response, UNHCR leads the Protection Cluster.
The developed multi-year, multi-partner strategy aligns with the UN Development Assistance Framework for Ethiopia (UNDAF), and is also related to the Nairobi Declaration and its accompanying IGAD-plan related to the delivery of solutions, whilst maintaining the protection space and promoting self-reliance and inclusion of refugees into national systems.
Key Priorities
In line with the CRRF, UNHCR will focus on creating the enabling environment for transforming the refugee response in Ethiopia, while protection and humanitarian assistance will be provided to registered refugees, including the expected close to 77,300 new arrivals, mostly from Eritrea and South Sudan.
In 2019, UNHCR will focus on:
- Ensuring access to asylum and humanitarian assistance to refugees;
- Developing opportunities for inclusion of refugees into national systems and services;
- Monitoring the protection of, as well as assisting, IDPs.