Ethiopia has a long-standing history of hosting refugees. The country maintains an open-door policy for refugee inflows into the country and allows humanitarian access and protection to those seeking asylum on its territory. In 2004, a national Refugee Proclamation was enacted based on the international and regional refugee conventions to which Ethiopia is a party (1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, and its 1967 Protocol and the 1969 OAU Convention). Continued insecurity within neighbouring states has resulted in sustained refugee movements, either directly as a result of internal conflict and human rights abuses or as a result of conflict related to competition for scarce natural resources and drought-related food insecurity. Ethiopia provides protection to refugees from some 19 countries.
Ethiopia has well-established refugee response and coordination processes in place, based on the Refugee Coordination Model (RCM), which are anchored in a solid framework of refugee law and procedure. An inter-agency Refugee Coordination Group comprised of the heads of agencies, and other senior staff supporting the national refugee response meets quarterly to discuss strategic and inter-sector operational issues. Active sector working groups include Protection, Health, Education, WASH, Shelter, Energy, and the Environment, together with a Child Protection/SGBV sub-working group that meets on a monthly basis. The refugee response in Ethiopia brings together fifty operational partners, including the Government of Ethiopia’s Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs (ARRA), supported by UNHCR – the UN Refugee Agency, in coordination with UN agencies, international and national NGOs.
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