Addis Ababa – With more than 3 million displacements recorded due to conflict over the past year, the need to find durable solutions for the displaced in Ethiopia is higher than ever before. The UN Migration Agency, in collaboration with the National Disaster Risk Management Commission (NDRMC) and other actors in Ethiopia, is leading the formulation of multiple strategies focused on reducing displacement in the Somali Regional State, and has scaled up the impact of such a strategy to five more regional states by organizing a four-day workshop (30 September to 3 October) in Bishoftu city, Ethiopia, where participants discussed their different contexts and experiences.

A total of 42 participants from the Afar, Gambella, Oromia, Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR), and Somali regional states – including from the Agriculture Bureau, Peace and Security, Women/Children/Youth Affairs, and Health Bureau – joined this important exchange, an initiative supported by the Swiss Development Cooperation in collaboration with the Peacebuilding Support Office.

IOM is fostering community-based approaches to reach durable solutions addressing displacements in the country, and continues to support the government in engaging cultural and community leaders to help restore lasting peace.

“This experience sharing workshop has been very informative. The challenges faced by displaced communities of various regions are something worth looking into. Issues such as two displaced persons from the same region failing to swap land in their quest to acquire some assets in their locations due to policy barriers needs to be looked at very closely and a solution found,” said Mekdes Matheos from the SNNPR Attorney General’s office explaining one of the interesting experiences she has heard from different regions.

“By working with other government offices such as the Land Administration, an amicable solution can be found for displaced communities to retain one of their precious belongings such as land”, she added.

“IOM continues to support durable solutions programming critically needed for affected countries in the east and horn of Africa region. The workshop has provided a platform for government officials to discuss successful experiences and knowledge sharing,” said Rania Yousif, IOM’s Regional Emergency and Post Crises Officer.

She commended the Government of Ethiopian for leading the formulation of this strategy and said she hoped the effort will be scaled up to include all remaining regions in the country.

A key development following the discussions at the workshop is that two durable solutions working groups are being set up in Afar and Oromia regional states.

For more information, please contact Alemayehu Seifeselassie at IOM Ethiopia, Tel: +251 11 6611117 (Ext. 1455), Mobile: +251 91 163 9082, Email: salemayehu@iom.int