Ethiopia’s Refugee Response Advances from Protection to Integration and Economic Opportunity for More Than 1.1 Million Refugees: Deputy PM
Addis Ababa, September 1, 2026 (FMC) — Ethiopia is advancing a refugee response that links the protection of rights and dignity with integration, economic participation and access to development opportunities for more than 1.1 million refugees hosted in the country, Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen Tiruneh said in a social media post.
The Deputy Prime Minister said he visited the headquarters of the Refugees and Returnees Service and reviewed the significant institutional reforms undertaken through the institution’s own capabilities.
He said the reforms go beyond improvements to the physical working environment, strengthening institutional culture, enhancing service quality and building lasting organizational capacity.
According to Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen, the coordinated efforts of the Service’s leadership, staff and refugee communities at the headquarters, across branch offices in eight regions and at 25 shelter stations demonstrate that meaningful institutional transformation can be achieved through commitment, collaboration and self-reliance.
He particularly highlighted the application of the Bounty of the Basket initiative in livestock development, vegetable and fruit production, poultry farming, beekeeping and plant cultivation.
These efforts, he said, demonstrate that institutional reform should be assessed not only through improvements in the workplace, but also through the productivity, livelihoods and tangible results it generates.
Ethiopia currently hosts more than 1.1 million refugees from different countries, the Deputy Prime Minister noted, stressing that the country’s responsibility extends beyond safeguarding their rights and dignity to strengthening their integration with host communities and expanding their access to development opportunities.
He identified the provision of digital identification as an important step toward enabling greater social and economic participation and access to essential services.
“Transformation built on our own capacity strengthens institutions, and strong institutions, in turn, strengthen the nation,” Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen said, emphasizing the broader significance of institution-building.
He commended the progress achieved by the Refugees and Returnees Service and called for the efforts to continue with renewed determination, greater ambition and a sustained commitment to results.