RRS, UNICEF ink MoU to improve services for refugees, vulnerable communities

Addis Ababa, December 8, 2023 (FBC) – The Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS) and UNICEF today signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen their strategic collaboration pertaining to refugees and Ethiopian returnees in the country, a joint statement confirmed.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between RRS and UNICEF aims to improve access to essential services including education, healthcare, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), child protection, social protection, and education for refugees, Ethiopian returnees, women and children, adolescents, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable communities. In addition, the MoU aims to promote self-reliance and integration, strengthen protection systems, and advocate for the rights of refugees and Ethiopian returnees.

“This MoU is a significant step forward in our efforts to protect and support refugees and Ethiopian returnees in Ethiopia. By working with UNICEF, we can ensure that refugees and returnees can access the essential services and support they need to survive and thrive,” said Ms. Teyiba Hassen, Director General of the RRS.

The MoU acknowledges Ethiopia’s long-standing tradition of protecting refugees and ensured the right to access basic services. It aims to support the RRS in fostering an environment that helps refugees and hosting communities to become self-sufficient, find long-term solutions to refugee problems, encourage peaceful coexistence between refugees and host communities, and receive and assist with the reintegration of Ethiopian returnees.

“Children are disproportionately affected by conflict and displacement. This MoU will help us to ensure that refugee and returnee children in Ethiopia have access to the education, health care, and protection they need to reach their full potential,” said Mariko Kagoshima, UNICEF Deputy Representative in Ethiopia.

The RRS plays a critical role in coordinating and overseeing refugee programs in Ethiopia. RRS manages and coordinates the implementation of projects in the refugee camps, sites, and surrounding host communities through its administrative structures available at the head quarter, branch offices and refugee camp/site.

UNICEF’s role in Ethiopia includes ensuring inclusive access to basic services and protection from abuse, violence, exploitation, and neglect for refugee and returnee children and their families. In humanitarian situations, UNICEF’s commitment to children is outlined in its Core Commitments to Children (CCCs). As a subsidiary organ of the United Nations, UNICEF has a global mandate and authority to work towards protecting the well-being of children and vulnerable groups, including those affected by refugee situations.

According to the joint statement, the signing of the MoU came at a time when Ethiopia was hosting close to one million refugees, making one of the largest refugee-hosting countries in Africa.