On this page, you will find:

To find organisations working for LGBTQI+ rights, visit our Ethiopia LGBTQI+ Resources page.
For Ethiopia country of origin information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries, and relevant documents visit our Ethiopia COI page. 

Refugee protection

Click here to see the numbers and origins of refugees hosted by Ethiopia. 

The following sections contain information on the most important international treaties and agreements of which Ethiopia is signatory, as well as national legislation relevant to the protection of refugees.

Ethiopia has ratified the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, with reservations on Articles 8, 9, 17(2) and 22(1), recognizing these only as recommendations and not legally binding obligations, and its 1967 Protocol in 1969 (hereinafter jointly referred to as the 1951 Convention). Ethiopia is also Party to the 1969 OAU Convention Governing Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa (the OAU Convention) since 1973.

Ethiopia continued to face large-scale internal displacement due in large part to armed conflict, followed by drought and other natural hazards. Figures shifted throughout the year, with 5.6 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) nationally as of March 2022, in addition to 2.8 million returnees (former IDPs).

The country also maintains an open door policy for new arrivals and allows humanitarian access and protection to those seeking asylum on its territory.

One of the original signatories to the 1951 Refugee Convention, Ethiopia updated its National Refugee Proclamation in 2019, making it one of the most progressive in Africa. The new law introduces a number of new provisions that will facilitate refugees’ enjoyment to rights afforded to other foreign nationals residing in the country.

Legal aid organisations

Website 
Address: Amhara Women’s Association Office, Kebele 13
Contact Person: Belayneh Admasu
Tel: +251 91 87 60 722

Bahir Dar University Legal Aid Center provides free legal aid services to vulnerable sections of the population, particularly women, children, people with disabilities, prison inmates and people living with HIV/AIDS. They provide legal counselling, preparation of pleadings and representation before the courts.

Website  
Address: 903/7, Kirkos Subcity, Woreda: 53
Tel: +251 55 30 122
Email: eba@ethionet.et

Ethiopian Lawyer’s Association (ELA) is a non-profit and non-partisan professional association of attorneys. They provide legal aid services to those who are economically and socially underprivileged and aim to make justice accessible to the needy.

Website 
Address:Near Bulgaria Mikael Church, Mexico, Kirkos Subcity, Addis Ababa
Tel: +251 11 50 87 83
Email: info@ewla-et.org

Under its Legal Aid Program, EWLA assists women, particularly disadvantaged women, who are victims of gender-based violence free of charge. Their service includes legal advice/counselling, writing court briefs (court charges and affidavits), as well as representing clients in court.

Website

Legal Action Worldwide (LAW) represents a number of Tigrayan victims and witnesses of the conflict. Together with its partners the Pan-African Lawyers Union (PALU) and Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, Legal Action Worldwide filed a complaint on 8 February 2022 against the state of Ethiopia before the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights for serious and massive human rights violations against Tigrayan civilians.

More information on the conflict in Northern Ethiopia can be found here.

 
 

Website

Address: Africa Avenue, Bembel City Centre, 8th Floor (via lift no. 4), R. No. 805A
Tel: +251 11 51 59 798
Email: mehrteab@mehrteableul.com

Mehrteab & Getu Avocates LLP is a leading full-service law office with over 20 years experience advising and representing clients on a wide range of legal issues. As part of the firms corporate social responsibility policy they provide pro bono assistance to disadvantaged clients and communities.

Website
Tel: +251 11 617 0590

With a representation office in Addis Ababa, UNHCR has a robust field presence including in Afar, Amhara, Benishangul-Gumuz, Gambella, Oromia, Somali and Tigray regions as well as in the eastern city of Dire Dawa. The Ethiopia operation focuses on emergency response to the different IDP situations, addressing protection needs of refugees and promoting their self-reliance in line with the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR).

Organisations providing other support to refugees

Website
Email: sue.clarke@drc.ngo, james.curtis@drc.ngo

DRC responds to the needs of refugees and Internally Displaced Persons in Ethiopia with a combination of protection assistance and multi-sector interventions tailored to local needs. DRC supports refugees arriving in Gambella, Shire, and Dimma with shelter provision, protection services, education, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). In the Oromia and Somali regions, conflict-affected populations benefit from lifesaving protection services, multi-purpose cash aid, Non-Food Items (NFIs), and WASH.

In addition to implementing country programming and operations, DRC hosts the Ethiopia Migration Program (EMP) in partnership with the Government of Ethiopia to provide support to forced returnees through the provision of food and non-food items, transport assistance and information about access to available services and resources.

DRC also hosts the Regional Durable Solutions Secretariat (ReDSS) Ethiopia hub, which undertakes research/analysis, capacity development, evidence-based policy dialogue, and coordination to advance durable solutions processes within Ethiopia.

Website
Address: Ras Desta Dametew Avenue, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tel:+251-115-18-01-81 (Humanitarian Diplomacy Governance & Membership Affairs)
Tel:+251-114-405911 (Health and Pharmaceutical Service)     
Email: ercsinfo@redcrosseth.org

Please see the contact page for email addresses and telephone numbers of different branches and regional offices.

The Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) is a humanitarian organization providing services to communities affected by natural and manmade disasters through the provision of emergency responses, ambulance and first aid, family reunification, essential drugs, water and sanitation, and other humanitarian services.

ERCS also runs disaster risk reduction programs relating to food security, climate change adaptation, livelihood diversification, and institutional capacity building interventions, with the aim of creating resilience households and communities.

ERCS works in partnership with the Ethiopian Government, International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC), International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), partnering National Societies, members, volunteers and the communities we serve.

 

Website
Address: International Organization for Migration, Special Liaison Office (SLO) Ethiopia, Kirkos Sub City, Wereda 8, YeMez Building (Behind Zequala Building) Addis Ababa
P.O.Box 25283 Code 1000
Tel: +251-111 301000
Email: iomethiopia@iom.int

Since its first presence in Ethiopia in 1995, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has been contributing to the efforts of the Government of Ethiopia (GOE) to effectively manage migration through a wide variety of projects and programmes. Today, IOM’s presence in Ethiopia includes its Country Office in Addis Ababa, fourteen Field/Sub-Offices across the country covering all Regional States, five Migration Response Centres (MRCs) along key migratory routes, three migration health assessment clinics (MHACs), and three transit centres for returning migrants and departing refugees. IOM’s programmatic interventions in Ethiopia are divided in four broad areas:

  • Migration Governance,
  • Migration Health,
  • Migration Movements and
  • Emergency and Post-Crisis.

Website

The International Rescue Committee, IRC first began assisting people in Ethiopia in 2000, providing essential aid to over 100,000 refugees from neighboring countries and more than 500,000 Ethiopians affected by previous droughts. Since then, the IRC has expanded to provide a wide range of assistance for refugees living in camps and for vulnerable Ethiopian communities throughout the country. In 2013, the IRC opened the largest water system for any refugee camp in the world. IRC continues to provide a wide range of assistance for refugees and vulnerable Ethiopian communities as the country faces escalating conflict, climate change, desert locusts and COVID-19.

Ethiopia is now thought to host approximately 800,000 refugees and asylum seekers, and works to recover from the effects of drought, conflict and other economic shocks, the IRC is focusing our efforts in affected communities by:

  • providing cash and basic emergency supplies such as household kitchen sets, blankets, and buckets and jerrycans, as well as supplies to meet the specific needs of women and girls;
  • building and maintaining safe water supply systems and sanitation facilities;
  • educating communities on good hygiene practices to prevent the spread of disease, including COVID-19;
  • supporting government partners and community workers in primary health care clinics on preventing and treating common childhood illnesses and addressing family planning needs;
  • constructing classrooms, training teachers and ensuring access to safe, high-quality, and responsive education services;
  • introducing new livelihoods-related skills and job opportunities to youth and vulnerable households.

Website 
Address: Region 14, Arada, Kebele 03, House No. 1097, P.O.Box 12747, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 12 37 230
Email: ethiopia.director@jrs.net

Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) is an international Catholic organisation with a mission to accompany, serve and advocate on behalf of refugees and other forcibly displaced persons. JRS provides education, psychosocial support, pastoral care, peace-education, livelihoods services and emergency relief and is involved in human rights protection and advocacy activities on different levels.

In Addis Ababa, the JRS Refugee Community Centre provides childcare, recreational and cultural activities as well as psycho-social support and offers opportunities to undertake vocational training. JRS also offers language and computer training, a library and internet services at the centre.  The JRS Emergency Needs Programme provides non-recurrent financial, medical and non-food items, pastoral care and accompaniment for asylum seekers and vulnerable refugees. In Mai-Aini refugee camp, JRS assists Eritrean refugees by offering counseling, including training of peer counsellors and recreation activities such as a library, sports, music and dance.

Website 
Tel: +251 915566903
Email: nrc@nrc.no
Contact person: Isaac Ooko, Country Director
Email: isaac.ooko@nrc.no

Established in Ethiopia in 2011, NRC is present in six regions (Tigray, Oromia, SNNP, Benishangual Gumuz, Gambella, Somali region) and one city (Addis Ababa) in Ethiopia. NRC provides refugees and internally displaced people with emergency relief and help them to rebuild their lives through the following programmes:

  • Education – given to children and youth to assist them return to formal schooling;
  • Information, counselling and legal assistance to interpet and navigate legal frameworks;
  • Livelihoods and food security;
  • Shelter and settlements;
  • Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) promotion; and
  • Child protection

Ethiopia LGBTQI+ Resources

Find organisations working for refugee LGBTQI+ rights in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia COI

Find Ethiopia country of information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries, and relevant documents. 

We are always looking to expand the resources on our platform. If you know about relevant resources, or you are aware of organisations and/or individuals to include in our directories, please get in touch.

Last updated April 2023