Ethiopia: UNHCR Operational Update, August 2022

Protection

“Protect and Solve”- Workshop on internal displacement: From 18-20 August, UNHCR organized its first workshop on internal displacement in Ethiopia, with the aim to share information and good practices about its support to the growing population of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Ethiopia, as well as to seek feedback and inputs to inform a draft IDP strategy.

Convened under the theme “Protect & Solve”, the event drew the participation of a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, including representatives from UNHCR’s Regional Bureau for the East and Horn of Africa and Great Lakes Region, Government Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS), the Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission (EDRMC), the Ministry of Peace (MOP), the Ministry of Justice, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC), as well as some of UNHCR’s main donors and partners.

The three-day workshop facilitated the exchange of ideas to help improve the response, including from external partners, and to inform a draft strategy guiding UNHCR’s continued engagement in the IDP response in Ethiopia. UNHCR is currently working on an action plan that will operationalize the strategy once finalized. The event featured a panel discussion, with the participation of RRS, MOP, EDRMC, EHRC and the Inter-Ministerial Task Force (IMTF – part of the Ministry of Justice), on the Government’s vision and way forward for the protection and assistance to IDPs in the country. It also served as a platform for a conversation on the importance of domesticating the Kampala Convention for the effective protection and assistance to IDPs in the country.

Issuance of civil documentation in Jijiga camps: A total of 206 Somali refugees in camps in the Jijiga area of Somali region were issued with civil documentation by Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS)as part of the ongoing vital events registration. The majority were birth registration while some refugee families were issued with death and divorce certificates. Overall, over 60,000 refugees registered their vital life events over the past years.

Training on PSEA/SH: Some 70 UNHCR staff members in Addis Ababa and Gambella received training on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) and Sexual Harassment (SH) with the aim to reinforce their knowledge and understanding of PSEA/SH issues. Offered by experts deployed from UNHCR’s headquarters and UNHCR Ethiopia, the training sessions were attended by 27 staff members in Gambella and 42 others in Addis Ababa, including members of the senior management. UNHCR and Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS) also facilitated the training of 22 staff members of the RRS who serve as PSEA focal points in different parts of the country. They are expected to train other staff members in their respective duty stations.

Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees