Ethiopia

Advocacy for Ethiopia

What’s Happening?

Ethiopia hosts just under a million refugees from neighboring countries including Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan. Most are confined to camps, though some live in urban areas like Addis Ababa. Ethiopia is also home to some 4.5 million internally displaced people, the product of a range of conflict and climate-related drivers. Parts of Ethiopia remain difficult for humanitarians to access, and displaced people struggle to find adequate shelter and access to education and health services. While Ethiopia has shown openness to policies that will allow some displaced people – namely refugees – to access the labor market, rights denials continue, and tensions are growing in some regions.

What Must Be Done?

Refugees International continues to push for aid access to all parts of Ethiopia. After a pause in food aid last year, some aid has been restored. But much more is needed, in concert with longer-term programming that supports livelihoods and education. As Ethiopia braces for the effects of a changing climate – including flooding, droughts, and other shifts in weather patterns – and as it receives thousands of new refugees from neighboring countries, it must remain stable and provide full access to rights for refugees and IDPs. Ethiopia needs to lead with policies that further aid access and invest in its displaced and local populations alike.