UNHCR Ethiopia Fact Sheet, April 2020
Ethiopia is one of the largest refugeehosting countries in Africa, sheltering 761,819 registered refugees and asylum seekers as of 30 April 2020.
UNHCR is scaling up efforts to prevent and limit the potential spread of COVID-19 among the over 761,000 refugees and the communities hosting them. Prioritized areas of preparedness include enhancing community awareness and provision of soap and adequate water supply, social distancing, procurement of medical supplies and PPEs, and furnishing isolation and treatment centers.
UNHCR has reviewed its Corporate Risk Register and maintained 22 risks, including five that recognize the risks posed by COVID-19. These are Emergency Preparedness, Disease Outbreak, Nutrition, Water Supply and Business Continuity. Proactive measures to mitigate against the risks have been taken and are ongoing with necessary urgency.
Working with partners
- UNHCR’s main government counterpart to ensure the protection of refugees in Ethiopia is the Agency for Refugees and Returnees Affairs (ARRA), within the Ministry of Peace. UNHCR also works in close coordination with 57 humanitarian and development partners, and is part of the Humanitarian Country Team in Ethiopia where refugee programmes are discussed strategically to ensure the needs of refugees are adequately presented and addressed across the UN System. UNHCR builds on a well-established coordination forum, including the inter-sector Refugee Coordination Group, together with national and regional sector working groups. As part of the GCR/CRRF, UNHCR is furthering partnerships with line ministries, regional and local authorities, as well as development partners and the private sector.
