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The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has done everything possible to meet the demands of refugees in Ethiopia, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
The partner action of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for the Needy in Ethiopia has completed the construction of 65 of the 100 planned shelters in various locations of Gedeo, in the southern nations, nationalities and West Guji in the states of Oromia , benefiting 358 vulnerable internally displaced returnees. In the Kamashi area of the Benishangul-Gumuz region, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has conducted follow-up visits to three districts to assess return conditions and identify gaps and respond to protection incidents. Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has provided relief items to 530 displaced people in the Haro Limu woreda in the East Wollega area of Oromia state.
The Ministry of Education has initiated consultations with education and health partners on the possible reopening of schools during the new academic year. Schools have been closed since March due to COVID-19, leaving more than 200,000 refugee children out of school. The Ministry of Education is also working with partners to develop guidelines on how to mitigate COVID-19 and ensure a safe learning environment.
The report noted that, meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has received $ 1.8 million from Education Cannot Wait to strengthen its response to COVID-19 in education. August 2020, Ethiopia is one of the largest refugee-hosting countries in Africa, hosting 779,261 registered refugees and asylum-seekers as of August 31, 2020. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees continues to expand efforts COVID-19 Precautionary and Prevention among Refugees and Host Communities. It is strengthening community awareness, providing soap and water, installing hand washing stations, improving health services, and providing PPE for health workers and first responders.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is actively involved in the humanitarian response to returning internally displaced persons and other conflict-affected communities, including in Gedeo, West Guji, East and West Wollega. The distribution of emergency relief items to Ethiopians displaced by recent floods in Afar, Somali, Oromia and other regions is ongoing, the report added.
In terms of health coverage, the report noted that essential primary health care activities are being maintained in all refugee camps, which are currently part of the ongoing national campaign to improve awareness and testing for COVID-19. . An additional 200,000 face masks have been delivered to refugee camps to enhance protection for front-line responders, while infrared thermometers, disposable gloves and surgical masks have been procured for distribution. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has donated 160 hospital beds and 170 mattresses to ARRA in Melkadida to increase camp-level capacity and medical equipment for the Dollo Ado COVID-19 treatment center.
With regard to food security and nutrition, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees report indicated that refugees continue to receive only about 84 percent of the minimum standard food ration of 2,100 kcal per person per day. This has kept the global rate of acute malnutrition in most camps above acceptable standards. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, ARRA and the World Food Program have reviewed the values of cash transfers for refugees in the Somali, Jijiga, Benishangul-Gumuz, Tigray and Afar regions, where refugees receive currently combined cash and food assistance, price increases in local markets.
With regard to refugees in camps, the report noted that refugees have received an average of 18.8 liters of water per person per day. Four camps, including Barahle, Buramino, Hitsats and Kebribeya, received less than 15 liters per person, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and his partners are working to improve the situation. More than 80 percent of refugee populations in camps have received hygiene promotion messages and activities related to COVID-19. Over 38,600 hand-washing facilities, 37,218 households and 1,430 communal facilities have been installed in the camps, meaning that just over a quarter of households now have the necessary facilities.
In terms of shelter coverage, the report noted that 51% of the refugee population in Ethiopia’s camps are in need of transitional shelters. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees continues to work to reduce the shelter gap by constructing new transitional and emergency shelters and maintaining existing ones. In August, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, together with his partner ANE, completed 44 of the 70 shelters planned for vulnerable internally displaced returnees in the Gedeo area of the state of Nations, Nationalities and Peoples of the South.
Following the successful results of the pilot tests and evaluation of cash-based interventions in the camps around Jijiga, the report says, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is working to increase the use of cash elsewhere. The cash will be used in lieu of a variety of in-kind relief supplies. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is exploring ways to provide support to elderly refugees and those with underlying health problems as a result of the economic impact of COVID-19. The cash will also be used to respond to the situation of internally displaced persons, as well as to support the reintegration of Ethiopian refugees who voluntarily return to their country.
Regarding the coordination and management of the camps, the report mentions that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and ARRA work in close coordination with partners to ensure efficient and coordinated delivery of protection and assistance to refugees. . Coordination meetings at the camp and area levels and technical working groups continue to be held. When accessing energy for refugees, he noted that despite efforts to improve refugees’ access to energy for cooking, lighting and other uses, the gaps remain huge, particularly in energy for cooking, where only 8 percent of households have access to alternative sources.
According to the report, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is working to improve the situation by distributing briquettes, solar lights and the electricity grid when possible. In the Afar region, the installation of the necessary infrastructure to connect the Aysaita and Barahle refugee camps to the national electricity grid was completed. Once turned on, it will energize basic services in the camps, including communal kitchens, street lighting, mills, schools and health centers. As part of its reforestation and environmental rehabilitation program, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has planted approximately 778,000 tree seedlings in and around 24 refugee camps during the current rainy season.
On livelihoods and self-reliance, he stated that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees continues to work with the Government of Ethiopia and development partners in advancing the economic inclusion of refugees and communities in reception, adding that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees supports ARRA to implement the procedural directives in Ethiopia’s permit on work and residence permits, as well as business licenses, under joint programs that will be designed to benefit both refugees and Ethiopians. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is coordinating with strategic partners to monitor the socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in refugee-hosting areas and to develop mitigation measures that will minimize the impact on economies and markets. premises, as well as to plan the publication. -COVID-19 livelihood recovery interventions for affected populations.
To improve durable solutions, the report indicated that providing resettlement opportunities remains a top priority, as conditions for voluntary repatriation are unfavorable for most refugees and local integration programs have not yet been implemented. In 2020, the target for resettlement submissions is 1,800, of which 1,024 have already submitted. 245 people have gone to different resettlement countries so far this year.
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The report mentions that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has also facilitated the transfer of 89 refugees to Italy as part of the Second Protocol of the Italian humanitarian corridor. While departures are currently on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is advocating for the ARRA and the immigration department to resume departures to certain resettlement countries as soon as possible. possible.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees The main government counterpart in the response to refugees in Ethiopia is the Agency for Refugee and Returned Affairs. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees also works closely with 57 humanitarian and development partners and is part of the humanitarian team in the country where refugee programs are strategically discussed to ensure that refugee needs are presented and adequately addressed throughout the United Nations system.
According to the report, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees relies on a well-established coordination forum, which includes the cross-sectoral Refugee Coordination Group, along with national and regional sectoral working groups. As part of the global compact on refugees, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is fostering partnerships with relevant government ministries, regional and local authorities, as well as with development partners and the private sector.
In the report, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, together with the Agency for refugee and returnee affairs, coordinates national action for the protection of refugees and asylum-seekers, including in the search for solutions. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is also part of the inter-agency response to the situation of internal displacement in Ethiopia, including leading the Protection Group.
