What is the initiative and where is it implemented (city or country)?
Ethiopia currently hosts over 900,000 refugees, primarily from neighbouring South Sudan, Somalia, Sudan and Eritrea, as well as smaller numbers of refugees from Yemen and the Syrian Arab Republic.
On 17 January 2019, Ethiopia’s parliament adopted revisions on its existing refugee law; the revised policy offers a more comprehensive response to displacement in which refugees are included in national services like health and education, rather than setting up parallel systems. It also focuses on ensuring refugees have the opportunity to be self-reliant and can contribute to local economies in a way that also benefits their hosts
The amendment derived from the need for a comprehensive legal framework in compliance with international standards, one that contains rights and entitlements embodied in the International Conventions, provides better protection of refugees and promotes sustainable solutions
How was the initiative established? How was it implemented?
Refugee Proclamation 2019 is the result of systematic revisions of previous initiatives dating back to the Refugee Convention of 1951, which gave definition to the term ‘refugee’ and outlined the legal obligations of the States to protect refugees. The Convention drafted the key principle of non-refoulement, which asserted the rights of refugees not to be returned to a country in which they are liable to be subjected to persecution
It also upheld the key principles of 1969 OAU Convention – Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa, which addressed the growing number of refugees in Africa and the need for a humanitarian approach towards the emerging crisis (OAU, 1969).
Which stakeholders are involved in the design and/or implementation of the initiative? Which sectors do they represent?
UNHCR was involved in the drafting process of the refugee law revision, which was led by Ethiopia’s ARRA (Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs)
What are the impacts of the initiative in terms of facilitating lifelong learning? Who does it benefit and how?
According to article 24 ‘Access to Education’ of the Refugee Proclamation of 2019, every recognized refugee or asylum-seeker is granted access to pre-primary and primary education equal to that of Ethiopian nationals. Access to secondary, higher, technical and vocational education and training, along with adult and non-formal education is granted within the available resources and is subject to the education policy in Ethiopia
Refugee proclamation allows refugees to access national schools and host children to access refugee schools. The government is working to formalize refugee inclusion in the national education system further. Responding to a request from the Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs, which is responsible for refugee education, the state minister for general education issued a circular to all regional education board directors identifying areas for collaboration on refugee education, including curricula and textbooks, student assessment, teacher education and school inspection. A grant funded by Education Cannot Wait (ECW) supports refugee education planning and management in selected districts at the regional and school levels (ECW, 2018, as cited in UNESCO, 2019).
References:
Ethiopia Refugee Proclamation 2019. 2019: UNHCR operational portal. Refugee situations. [online] Available at: https://data2.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/68964 [Accessed 17 August 2020].
Mehari Taddele Maru, D. 2019. In Depth: Unpacking Ethiopia's revised refugee law. [online] Available at: https://www.africaportal.org/features/depth-unpacking-ethiopias-revised-refugee-law/#:~:text=It%20replaces%20the%20country's%202004,forced%20migration%20flows%2C%20including%20refugees. [Accessed 17 August 2020].
Organisation of African Unity (OAU). 1969. Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa. [online] Available at: https://www.unhcr.org/about-us/background/45dc1a682/oau-convention-governing-specific-aspects-refugee-problems-africa-adopted.html [Accessed 17 August 2020].
UNESCO. 2019. Global Education Monitoring Report, 2019: Migration, displacement and education: Building bridges, not walls. [online] Available at: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000265866 [Accessed 17 August 2020].
UNHCR. 2019. UNHCR Welcomes Ethiopia Law Granting More Rights to Refugees. [online] Available at: https://www.unhcr.org/news/press/2019/1/5c41b1784/unhcr-welcomes-ethiopia-law-granting-rights-refugees.html [Accessed 17 August 2020].
UNHCR. 2020. The 1951 Refugee Convention. [online] Available at: www.unhcr.org/1951-refugee-convention.html [Accessed 17 August 2020].