IIED: City Note - Urban Solutions For Local Integration in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

February 2024

With recent political developments, refugees in Addis Ababa face numerous challenges in terms of livelihoods, basic services and protection. Their legal status remains a concern, as do government officials’ gaps in awareness about refugee rights and state obligations.

In Ethiopia, our study with IIED for the Protracted Displacement in Urban World project focussed on Eritrean refugees and hosts living in Addis Ababa and Eritrean refugees Semera Logia town and Aysaita camp. Quantitative surveys of 365 refugees and 153 hosts living in Gofa Mebrat Haile condominium, and 372 refugees in Semera Logia and 366 Asyaita camp were supplemented by 150 qualitative interviews in the three locations. The participatory forums were organised by research partners DICAC and MCMDO, with support from Samuel Hall and Cardiff University.

Discussions moved towards planning for city resourcing at a time of need, because allocations for refugees have been mainly targeted at camps, with very limited urban funding. Addis Ababa forum participants agree that hosting refugees requires human and financial/material capacity. This calls for a more holistic approach to urban displacement, starting in the capital and scaled across Ethiopia. The government’s Refugees and Returnees Service has committed to working more closely with city authorities. Participants committed to raising awareness among officials and civilians, and to involving both the host communities and refugees in the design of interventions.

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