United Nations in Ethiopia

The Sustainable Development Goals are a call for action by all countries – poor, rich and middle-income – to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. They recognize that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that build economic growth and address a range of social needs including education, health, social protection, and job opportunities, while tackling climate change and environmental protection. These are the goals the UN is working on in Ethiopia:

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28 September 2022

International Day of Peace commemorated in Ethiopia

The event brought together Heads of UN agencies in Ethiopia, representatives of civil society organizations, youth and women networks and other stakeholders to discuss a range of issues on promoting the culture of peace. In her remarks at the commemoration of the International Day of Peace under the theme “Promoting the Culture of Peace”, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Ethiopia, Dr. Catherine Sozi, said, “Today, it is more important than ever to work for a culture of peace A culture of peace centred on human rights, justice and tolerance..” “We must tackle the deep-rooted inequalities that work against dignity and opportunity for all. We need to invest in social cohesion, recognizing that diversity is a richness, not a threat,” said Dr. Sozi. Speaking at event, Dr. Rita Bissaoonauth, Director UNESCO Addis Ababa Liaison Office to AU and UNECA and Representative to Ethiopia, underlined that peace should never be taken for granted. As we commemorate today, the International Day of Peace, we must note that a culture of peace is both a process and a product. It is a process of confidence-building and co-operation between peoples. “It is an on-going process, a long-term goal which requires constant engineering, vigilance and active participation by all individuals. It is a choice to be made on each situation, an everyday life decision,” said Ms. Bissaoonauth. “To be sustainable, peace must start with the dignity of every man and woman. It must be nurtured through the enjoyment of their rights and the fulfilment of their aspirations.” Mahder Dadi, program Director at Timran, a non-governmental organization that works to advance Ethiopian women's political and public leadership, noted the need ensure women’s participation at all levels of a peace process such as negotiators, peacekeepers, observers and signatories. “When women present in peace negotiations, they challenge norms and bring forth ideas and policy suggestions that would otherwise be ignored or forgotten,” Ms. Mahder said. The event held at the UN Economic Commission for Africa, Addis Ababa, also saw a panel discussion on a range of issues. The topics at the panel discussion included: the role of education in promoting the culture of peace: opportunities and policy-level initiatives; countering hate speech and disinformation in the era of the digital media: opportunities and challenges; and role of women and youth in promoting the culture of peace in Ethiopia.

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29 July 2022

World Refugee Day Commemorated

This year’s World Refugee Day was about the “RIGHT TO SEEK SAFETY”, which emphasizes that everyone, whoever they are, wherever they come from, and whenever they are forced to flee, has the right to seek protection. Within this global theme, the Ethiopian Government Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), local authorities and partners in Ethiopia celebrated solidarity, striving for sustainability, and seeking durable and dignified solutions for the forcibly displaced. The central WRD event was held at the Abrehot Library in the capital Addis Ababa on 21 June, with high-level participation of RRS, UNHCR, UN agencies and partners, donors, and refugees themselves. Ethiopia is the third-largest refugee-hosting country in Africa, sheltering 850,000 registered refugees and asylum-seekers. At the event held at the Abrehot Library, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Ethiopia, Dr. Catherine Sozi, expressed gratitude to the Government of Ethiopia and host communities for the generosity and humanity shown to the over 850,000 refugees, despite facing the impact of multiple shocks themselves. Director General of the RRS Tesfahun Gobezay said in his WRD remark, “This year, we celebrate the Day with the theme “everyone has the right to seek safety,” perhaps a value Ethiopians live for and a legacy they maintain for generations to come. For us, it is not who they are, where they come from or what they believe in what matters most, but the dignity and protection refugees and asylum seekers deserve. That is why Ethiopia received them with open doors and hands stretched to embrace them.” In his WRD address, UNHCR Representative in Ethiopia Dr. Mamadou Dian Balde said: “Over decades, Ethiopia has demonstrated solidarity with the people who were forced to leave their homes – by generously receiving them and offering refuge. On this World Refugee Day, UNHCR wishes to thank the Ethiopian Government for its continuing solidarity with the forcibly displaced and for keeping the country’s doors open for the people in need of shelter and protection, in spite of its domestic challenges,” the UNHCR Representative added. The event at the Abrehot Library included presentation of the key components of the Country Refugee Response Plan (CRRP), a planning and coordination tool for the 2022 refugee response in Ethiopia. Bringing together 37 humanitarian and development partners, developed in close cooperation with the RRS, the CRRP, in the total amount of USD 605 million, outlines the needs and planned response for all refugee populations in the country. Every year on 20 June, the World Refugee Day (WRD) is commemorated around the globe, celebrating the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their homes to escape conflict or persecution. It is also an occasion to build empathy and understanding for their situation and to recognize their resilience in rebuilding their lives, while also acknowledging their contribution to their hosting communities.

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13 July 2022

ILO promotes industry exposure for vocational trainers to address skills gaps in Ethiopia

A public-private partnership led by the ILO Country Office in Addis Ababa is providing industry interface to trainers from vocational institutes, enhancing their understanding of skills in demand and evolving management practices in Ethiopia. In 2021, the ILO through PROSPECTS Ethiopia programme conducted a “TVET system assessment in Somali and Tigray regional states, Ethiopia, with a focus on inclusiveness”. The assessment underlined the importance of maintaining a ratio of 30 per cent theory and 70 per cent practice in TVET training, while in practice, students spend far too little time in industries.
The assessment found that enterprises do not want to risk damaging their machines by giving access to inexperienced TVET students. The root of the issue was that already challenged vocational training systems have poorly capacitated teachers and trainers which affect their ability to transfer skills to their students. Jean-Yves Barba, Chief Technical Advisor, ILO PROSPECTS Ethiopia, explained: “In fact, there are many cases where students discover their trainers have not had prior practical training or that their knowledge is outdated as per industry standards. In a bid to fill this skills gap among trainers, we felt the urgent need to put in place an up-skilling programme model with support from the industry.” In February 2022, the ILO, in collaboration with the Ethiopian Employers’ Federation (EEF) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), piloted an initiative whereby eight trainers of the public Jigjiga Polytechnic College (JPTC) acquired hands-on vocational and work management skills through a 45-day workplace attachment. “Each trainer was assigned to work with one supervisor which created one-on-one working relationships and provided space for observation and discussion. The trainers received exposure to different occupations, including sanitation and plumbing, electrical and building installation, construction finishing, and aluminium manufacturing and installation,” said Luladay Aragaw, National Programme Officer, ILO PROSPECTS Ethiopia. Two member companies of the EEF, SETS Ethiopia and Sunshine Construction, participated in the workplace attachment programme. A pleased company site manager from one of the enterprises reported said, “We would be more than happy to receive additional cohorts as the current ones have also transferred skills of work discipline and diligence and curiosity to our own workers, while encouraging them to constantly ask questions of themselves and others.” Given that the skills needs of enterprises evolve rapidly, the involvement of employers’ organizations in skills governance arrangements is compelling. Work-based learning has the potential to reduce skills mismatch, meets the skills demand of a fast-changing labour market, and provide cost-effective training. “The ILO with its tripartite structure offers leadership in facilitating interaction between employers’ organizations and skills development institutions. Improving dialogue between them will ultimately improve private sector development, strengthen school-to-work transition and yield better return on investments to employers,” added Jean-Yves Barba.
ILO PROSPECTS in Ethiopia now plans to expand the work attachment programme to provide trainings to more trainers from TVET institutes. In future, the ILO will advocate for mainstreaming the work attachment models into the TVET education system. PROSPECTS is a four-year “Partnership for improving prospects for forcibly displaced persons and host communities”, financially supported and spearhead by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, and bringing together five agencies (IFC, ILO, UNHCR, UNICEF and the World Bank).

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17 June 2022

Weeklong activities in Ethiopia to celebrate World Environment Day 2022

World Environment Day (WED), celebrated yearly on 5 June, is the United Nations flagship day to promote worldwide awareness and action towards the environmental agenda in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals. In Ethiopia, WED 2022 activities were led by the Ethiopian Environmental Protection Authority (EEPA) and supported by UNEP Addis Ababa Liaison Office (UNEP AALO). With this year’s campaign slogan, Only One Earth – focusing on Living Sustainably in Harmony with Nature, a range of activities were organised between 3-6 June in both Addis Ababa and Jijiga. An exhibition was launched between 3-6 June at Friendship Park in Addis Ababa, promoting and increasing awareness of interventions in Ethiopia that contribute to environmental sustainability and climate action. It displayed technology, products, services, and initiatives from actors such as the government, national organisations, the private sector and SMEs, to promote dialogue and cooperation between diverse stakeholders and create awareness as well as inspire action among the public. A national conference was organized alongside the exhibition, including a set of panel discussions in Addis Ababa, with parallel sessions held in Jijiga. Keynote speakers from government, international and national organisations, academia, and national media were represented – discussing topics including Early Warning Systems and Mitigation Measures in Ethiopia; the role of CSOs, media, women and youth in environmental protection and management in Ethiopia; and the social and economic importance of forests. At the national conference session in Addis Ababa, a keynote speech delivered by a.i. Head of UNEP Addis Ababa Office, Dr. Margaret Oduk, set the tone for the day – highlighting the urgency of the triple planetary crisis, and that the progress Ethiopia has made in this field needs to not only be maintained and scaled-up, but ultimately become the basis for interventions and policy for years to come. The sessions of the conference held in Jijiga included two panel discussions, a World Environment Day Marathon, tree planting and waste picking. The activities were kicked off by H.E Frenesh Mekuria, Deuputy Director General at the Ethiopian Environmental Protection Authority, highlighting the climate and environmental challenges Ethiopia face and urging everyone to contribute to restoring and protecting nature.

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Press Release

19 August 2022

Message from UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Ethiopia on World Humanitarian Day

We mark World Humanitarian Day every year on 19 August to express solidarity with the millions of people affected by humanitarian crises around the world and pay tribute to the humanitarian workers who help them. Today is a day we reflect on our accomplishments and commit to redouble our efforts to respond and reach the millions in need. 2022 continues to be a challenging year with multiple and simultaneous crises demanding our attention. Conflict and violence in several pockets of the country, drought in eastern and southern Ethiopia and floods in parts of the country are causing loss, displacement and suffering to millions of Ethiopians. Today, Ethiopia hosts one of the largest number of people requiring humanitarian assistance. In the face of this enormous challenge, we remain committed to reaching all people in need and to carry our work upholding the principles we so cherish, the principle of impartiality, the principle of neutrality and the principle of operational independence. At the center of it all are aid workers and front-line responders who selflessly put their lives at risk and sacrifice their comfort and their time with family to help those in need. Thank you for your passion, your selflessness and your sacrifice! I would also like to thank our government and donor partners for their generous support to the people in need in Ethiopia given the ever-limited resources available. I count on your continued support to ensure that the people in need in Ethiopia receive the critical assistance they require, the dignity they deserve and the resilience to withstand future shocks. This year’s World Humanitarian Day theme is: It Takes a Village. Let us be that village to bring the assistance and hope to the millions of people in need in the country. Together, we can. Dr. Catherine Sozi, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Ethiopia

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Press Release

08 June 2022

United Nations Report launched in Ethiopia, urges cooperation between Volunteers and States in Africa

Despite the socio-economic impacts of the pandemic, interest in volunteering has not waned in Africa and across the world. Volunteering in communities has endured despite limited mobility and resources. While Covid-19 restrictions have prevented many people from volunteering in person, many have switched to volunteering online. The fourth State of the World’s Volunteerism Report (SWVR 2022) ‘Building Equal and Inclusive Societies’ was launched today in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia by H.E Dr. Ergoge Tesfaye, Minister, Ministry of Women and Social Affairs for Ethiopia at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. The launch was also attended by His Excellency Ambassador Mohamed Lamine Thiaw, Permanent Representative of Senegal to Ethiopia and the African Union, His Excellency Ambassador Hans Lundquist, Ambassador of Sweden to Ethiopia, Mr. Cleophas Torori, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative among other representatives from UN Member States, United Nations (UN) entities, the African Union Commission (AUC), diplomatic community, volunteer community and the private sector. The SWVR 2022 Report findings provide an interesting and timely opportunity to analyze the strategic role of volunteering for peace and development in the African continent. The SWVR 2022 Africa regional launch provided key stakeholders with an opportunity to shine the spotlight on transformative volunteering models that have emerged across different countries in Africa around service delivery, policymaking and participation, governance, decision-making and social innovation. The launch took the global discussions on the Report to the regional level to initiate and generate momentum for a sustained regional conversation on SWVR 2022 findings and raise awareness among stakeholders, policymakers, and institutions in Africa. Speaking during the launch, H.E Ergoge Tesfaye noted that through volunteerism, more people participate in development at all levels of society empowering them to fully engage in their development priorities. “Volunteering represents essential capacities for communities and nations to pursue social, economic and environmental goals,” - H.E Ergoge Tesfaye, Minister, Ministry of Women and Social Affairs of Ethiopia said while launching the Report. The Report draws on case study research in Africa, Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Among the five regions, Africa demonstrated the highest volunteer rates – the share of the total working-age population (15 years and over) who volunteer. While other regions display monthly volunteer rates of 9 to 10.6 percent, Africa far exceeds this with monthly volunteer rates of 17.5 percent. Additionally, two African countries - Senegal and Kenya – were selected for a 2021 global multi-country survey by UNV and Gallup that informed the SWVR 2022 findings on the contribution of volunteers to COVID-19 response in the global south. The survey found relatively high levels of volunteer participation in COVID-19 response in Senegal and Kenya, with volunteer action rates of 98% and 92% respectively –the highest among eight other countries that participated in the survey. Speaking during the launch of the Report, Mr. Cleophas Torori, Deputy Resident Representative for UNDP Ethiopia noted that volunteerism provides an important opportunity for everybody, including marginalized groups, to have their voices heard and their actions recognized. “Engaging and integrating volunteers will help us move forward together, allowing us to mitigate future challenges and sustain our resilience as a human collective,” he said. “The findings of the report provide critical information for policy makers to ensure we ‘leave no one behind’ in our quest for development, particularly following the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the inequalities in the region and the world,” said Ms. Lucy Ndungu, Regional Manager for UNV East and Southern Africa Regional Office also said during the launch event. The SWVR 2022 comes at a crucial moment as countries start to build forward from the pandemic and institutions need to engage volunteers as key partners. “To build forward better, it will be very important for volunteers to be regarded as essential partners in development,” said Mr. Benjamin Mirichi, an International UN Volunteer from Kenya serving with UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The Report identifies three models to highlight volunteer-state relationships – the deliberative governance, the co-production of services and the social innovation – and offers policy recommendations. Decision makers are encouraged to: Promote volunteering beyond service delivery to include social innovation and inclusiveness. Strengthen public social recognition of volunteers especially as they are not financially rewarded. Create space where both volunteers and state authorities can share their experiences and establish common ground. Invest in measurement and data on volunteers and support research on volunteerism. As part of the SWVR preparation, UNV and Gallup conducted research to study the patterns of volunteerism during COVID-19. The multi-country primary data collection was conducted in March-April 2021, including a survey of eight thousand people in eight countries – Bolivia, India, Kenya, Lebanon, Senegal, Thailand, Turkey and Uzbekistan. -------------------------------------------------- Notes to Editors: For more information and to schedule interviews please contact: Kevin Ochieng kevin.ochieng@unv.org Getachew Dibaba Ayanee getachew.dibaba@un.org For the full Report and other resources go to: Full Report: https://swvr2022.unv.org/ SWVR Key Messages and Policy Recommendations: https://swvr2022.unv.org/key-messages-and-policy-recommendations/ SWVR Trello Board: https://trello.com/b/MXkphT2K/state-of-the-worlds-volunteerism-report-2022 About the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme: The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that contributes to peace and development through volunteerism worldwide. Volunteerism is a powerful means of engaging people in tacking development challenges, and it can transform the pace and nature of development. UNV is administered by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

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Press Release

26 May 2022

UN Headquarters Observes International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers on 26 May

UN Headquarters will observe the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers on Thursday, 26 May 2022. Secretary-General António Guterres will lay a wreath to honour the nearly 4,200 UN peacekeepers who have lost their lives since 1948 and will preside over a ceremony at which the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal will be awarded posthumously to 117 military, police, and civilian peacekeepers, who lost their life serving under the UN flag last year. Among the peacekeepers to be honooured posthumously are three Ethiopian peacekeepers who served with United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA): Cpl Solomon Ayalew Gared, Sgt Abebe Tesfaye Masiresha, and Sgt Tekelargay Tinikshu Haile. During a special ceremony, the Secretary-General will award the “Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage” posthumously to Captain Abdelrazakh Hamit Bahar of Chad, who served with the United Nations Integrated Multidimensional Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). The medal is named for a Senegalese peacekeeper who was killed in Rwanda in 1994 after saving countless civilian lives. This is the second time the medal has been awarded since the inaugural medal was presented to Captain Diagne's family in his honour in 2016. The Secretary-General will also award the ‘2021 Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award’ to Major Winnet Zharare, a Zimbabwean military observer, who served with the UN Mission in South Sudan. Created in 2016, the Award “recognises the dedication and effort of an individual peacekeeper in promoting the principles of UN Security Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security.” In his message, the Secretary-General said: “Today, we honour the more than one million women and men who have served as UN peacekeepers since 1948. We pay tribute to the nearly 4,200 heroes and heroines who sacrificed their lives in the cause of peace. And we are reminded an age-old truth: peace can never be taken for granted. Peace is the prize. We are deeply grateful to the 87,000 civilian, police and military personnel now serving under the UN flag who are helping to realize the prize of peace worldwide.”
The theme for this year’s observance is “People. Peace. Progress. The Power of Partnerships.” According to the Secretary-General, “Around the globe, UN peacekeepers work with Member States, civil society, humanitarians, the media, the communities they serve and many others, to foster peace, protect civilians, promote human rights and the rule of law and improve the lives of millions of people.”
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, said: “Every day, UN peacekeepers work to protect vulnerable people in the world’s most fragile political and security situations. The dangers they face are greater than ever, with increasing global tensions, ever-more complex threats from terrorist attacks to organized crime and the use of Improvised Explosive Devices as well as a surge in mis and disinformation targeting our missions and the communities we serve. Despite these challenges, peacekeepers persevere alongside our many partners in the collective pursuit of peace. Today, we thank them for their tremendous contribution and remember with great sorrow our colleagues who have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving the cause of peace.” The International Day of UN Peacekeepers was established by the General Assembly in 2002, to pay tribute to all men and women serving in peacekeeping, and to honour the memory of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace. The General Assembly designated 29 May as the International Day of UN Peacekeepers in commemoration of the day in 1948 when the UN’s first peacekeeping mission, the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), began operations in Palestine. Since then, more than 1 million women and men have served in 72 UN peacekeeping operations.
Schedule of Events at Headquarters on 26 May 09:30 a.m.: The Secretary-General will lay a wreath in honour of fallen peacekeepers at the Peacekeepers Memorial Site on the North Lawn. (If inclement weather, the ceremony will be held near the Chagall window in the Visitors’ Lobby). Only UN Photo and UN TV will cover the ceremony. It will not be webcast live, but will be available on demand soon after the event: https://media.un.org/ 10:00 a.m.: The Dag Hammarskjöld Medal, Military Gender Advocate of the Year, and Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage ceremonies will be held in the Trusteeship Council and shown live on UN Webcast: https://media.un.org/ 12:00 p.m.: Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix will be the guest at the noon briefing. It will be webcast live at https://media.un.org/ # # # # # Media Contacts: Douglas Coffman, Department of Global Communications -+1 (917) 361-9923, e-mail: coffmand@un.org; or Hector Calderon, Department of Peace Operations +1 (917) 226 5219 e-mail: hector.calderon@un.org For more information, please visit the Peacekeepers Day websites here: https://www.un.org/en/observances/peacekeepers-day; or https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/international-day-of-peacekeepers-2022

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Press Release

12 April 2022

UNHCR seeks US$205 million to deliver life-saving assistance to over 1.6 million people affected by the northern Ethiopia conflict

Sixteen months of conflict in northern Ethiopia has created a humanitarian crisis. Civilians, including refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) have been displaced, amid widespread reports of gender-based violence, human rights abuses, loss of shelter and access to basic services, and critical levels of food insecurity. More than 2 million Ethiopians have fled in search of safety within the country, and almost 60,000 across the border into Sudan. Several camps and settlements hosting Eritrean refugees have been attacked or destroyed, further displacing tens of thousands within Ethiopia. Funds raised will help us to provide essential protection and humanitarian assistance to those impacted by the violence. At least 60,000 IDP households will be assisted with shelter and emergency relief items. We will establish additional protection desks –adding to the more than 60 already set up – to identify people with specific needs and to refer survivors of gender-based violence to services, and we will support the reintegration of 75,000 IDP families, who wish to return to their homes. We welcome the quick response of the Ethiopian government to identify new sites to settle the displaced refugees, which requires resources. UNHCR will support the government’s Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS) and partners to complete the Alemwach site, in the Amhara region, so that Eritrean refugees can be relocated as soon as it is possible to do so, and to ensure essential services. A new temporary site for Eritrean refugees caught up in the fighting in Afar region is similarly in need of urgent investment. Together with RRS and partners, we are aiming to get 20,000 refugee children back into school. In eastern Sudan, UNHCR will provide critical protection and assistance to Ethiopian refugees, including by building shelters that are more durable, and strengthening health care and education. Activities to prevent and respond to gender-based violence and to provide psychosocial and mental health support will be scaled up. UNHCR will also boost preparedness for flooding and extreme weather ahead of the upcoming rainy season. Opportunities to earn an income will be enhanced both for refugees and the communities that host them. Of the US$205 million, US$117 million will support the needs of Ethiopian IDPs and Eritrean refugees in the Afar, Amhara, and Tigray regions of Ethiopia, while US$72 million will help us support Ethiopian refugees in Sudan. Some US$16 million will be used for preparedness as part of contingency measures for any potential influx into neighbouring countries (Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan). While UNHCR continues to reinforce its protection and humanitarian assistance, we reiterate our call to all parties of the conflict to protect civilians in line with their obligations under international humanitarian law and to provide safe and unhindered access to all those in need.

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