Ethiopia is host to the second largest refugee population in Africa, sheltering 905,831 registered refugees and asylum seekers as of 31 August 2018.
*Please note that the monthly population update is frozen until 18 January 2019 to allow for the smooth conduct of the ongoing L3 registration
Between January and August 2018, 36,185 refugees arrived in Ethiopia, mostly from South Sudan and Eritrea.
UNHCR is actively participating in the humanitarian response to the IDP situation in Ethiopia and has deployed two Emergency Response Teams to Gedeo and West Guji. The teams are supporting the authorities with site management and the co-ordination of responses to protection needs. UNHCR is also providing emergency kits to the displaced people.
Working with Partners
- UNHCR's main government counterpart to ensure the protection of refugees in Ethiopia is the Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs (ARRA). In addition, UNHCR works in close coordination with some 50 humanitarian partners and is part of the Humanitarian Country Team in Ethiopia, where refugee programmes are discussed strategically to ensure that the needs of refugees are adequately presented and addressed across the UN System. UNHCR is also building on a well-established coordination fora, including the inter-sector Refugee Coordination Group, together with national and regional sector working groups. As part of the CRR approach, UNHCR is furthering partnerships with line ministries, regional and local authorities, as well as development partners.