Ethiopia faces a forced migration crisis. With close to a million refugees and over 4 million IDPs within its borders, Ethiopia is on the top list of refugee and IDP-hosting countries. In response to these forced migration crises, Ethiopia has passed a comprehensive refugee law in early 2019 facilitating local integration of refugees and granting several rights, including access to public services, land, and other rights to the refugees. Moreover, Ethiopia has launched the national durable solutions initiative in late 2019 and ratified the Kampala convention for protection and assistance of internally displaced people in Africa in early 2020. The national Durable Solutions Initiative (DSI) as a platform to design the DSI for IDPs and host communities aims to improve the conditions for IDPs to rebuild their lives through the Menu of Options (Return, Local integration, and voluntary relocation).

Despite these efforts, the conflict that erupted in Ethiopia’s Tigray region has deteriorated the situation of forced migrants in Ethiopia and added to the numbers of forcibly displaced people in Ethiopia. Latest reports indicate over 2 million IDPs in Ethiopia’s Tigray, Amhara, and Afar regions alone. This adds to the numbers of IDPs in the country that remained to be among the highest for the last six years globally. In addition, 63110 refugees have fled to Sudan from Ethiopia to flee from the military confrontations in Northern Ethiopia. As a result of these dynamics, Ethiopia is in a paradoxical position of inducing forced migration and durable solutions at the same time: both creating and finding lasting solutions to forced migrants in Ethiopia.

Given these dynamics, the cooperation project “Forced Migration and Refugee Studies: Networking and Knowledge Transfer” (FFVT) will hold a virtual discussion that brings together Ethiopian scholars with expertise on the topic.

The discussion will cover the following issues:

• The current status of forced migration (IDPs and refugees) in Ethiopia.

• Factors affecting the implementation of Durable Solutions for forcibly displaced people in Ethiopia (local integration of refugees and the national DSI).

• The way forward for Ethiopia’s durable solution plans: What needs to be done to ensure the implementation of durable solutions plans in Ethiopia (local integration of refugees and national DSI).

Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Ex0ruGrARDqmlT0syaeCmA