United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Country Representative Mamadou Balde said Ethiopia is a generous country that has received close to one million refugees.
The country representative told ENA that this generosity is very important one that is recognized by the international community; and UNHCR is very grateful for the generosity.
As of February, the government of Ethiopia has received close to 100,000 refugees from the Somaliland area of Somalia. That is really a testimony to the generosity and very strong commitment, Balde elaborated.
We are grateful to these host communities and the Somali regional government who have received their brothers and sisters, he said, adding that several partners are working together to support the refugees who have arrived.
Since the arrival of the refugees, we have been able to partner with the Refugees and Returnees Service and there are quite a large number of people, including children who have seen their families separated and who have lost their parents, the country representative stated.
“Our appeal is that there is as quickly as possible resolution to the problem so that the refugees can return home and do not remain a long period of time in protracted situation.”
Balde further commended the strong commitment of Ethiopia, which is manifested through the very progressive refugee proclamation that would allow refugees to live more dignified life until such a time that they are able to return home.
Ethiopia, which is working to transform the livelihood of refugees based on the most progressive proclamation in effect, has a reputation for accepting refugees, participating in joint projects, providing vital services and banking services.
On the other hand, the country representative expressed his gratitude to the contributions made by donors to UNHCR.
“I believe that the international community is showing solidarity toward Ethiopia, recognizing Ethiopia’s generosity. We have several very solid donors to Ethiopia. I will not cite all of them here, but we have very strong governments that are providing support through UNHCR and NGOs to help alleviate and to help the refugees live more dignified life.”
Yet, this is not enough. We need more, but are grateful for the support that donors are providing, he stated.
“We live in a world where we have a lot of competition in provision. That is why we also need to compete to make sure that solidarity and generosity continue in order to support the refugees and the refugee hosting areas.”
According to him, education, health and water systems and all the social services are extremely critical for the refugees who have arrived but also for the communities that have accepted to host them.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency