Introduction
In 2019, UNHCR Ethiopia in collaboration with partners undertook participatory assessments (PA) in the different refugee locations of Jijiga, Assosa, Melkadida, Gambella, Shire, Afar and Addis Ababa as part of the continuous and dedicated efforts of UNHCR and partners to develop partnerships with refugees of all ages and backgrounds and to promote their meaningful participation through structured dialogue. The PAs involved separate discussions with women, girls, boys, and men, including adolescents and people with specific needs in order to gather accurate information on the specific protection risks they face and the underlying root causes, to better understand their capacities, and to hear their proposed solutions.
The participatory assessments consisted of a process of information gathering and interactive analysis through conducting Focus Group Discussions together with desk reviews. This exercise continues to demonstrate that given the presence of different population groups in the Ethiopia operation, UNHCR needs to increase internal collaboration among the different functional units and Field and Sub-Offices through the community-based protection focal points that often lead the participatory assessments to ensure that the sectors’ questionnaires and approaches are harmonized at the national level.
While collecting and analyzing the data during the participatory assessments, the field locations focused on the thematic areas of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), Child Protection (CP), Education, Registration and Documentation, Cash-Based Interventions (CBI),
Security and Access to Justice, Community Participation and Representation, Shelter, Energy and Environment, Livelihood, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Health, Food and Nutrition, Durable Solutions, and Onward Movement. As for the urban population, the refugee community in Addis Ababa prioritized six areas: Education, Peaceful Co-Existence and Social Cohesion, Refugee Documentation, Onward Movements, Prevention from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) and Access to Justice and Legal Aid.
This report represents views of refugees and constitutes a key tool to guide country programmes, interventions, planning, priority setting, course corrections, and evaluations.
The entire programme cycle is more effective if informed by and adapted to the capacities and needs articulated by refugees themselves. UNHCR will work closely with relevant government counterparts and partner organizations, and use a multi-sectoral approach to address the protection concerns highlighted by refugees in this report. UNHCR and partners will, in particular, support operational coordination that ensures protection mainstreaming, emphasizes community involvement and supports self-reliance and inclusion of refugees in the national systems. UNHCR calls on all relevant actors to act on the recommendations stemming from this report.
