Since the seventeenth century, Ethiopians have developed the culture of humble hospitality. At that time Ethiopians welcomed the companions of Prophet Mohammad who escaped from their homeland in searching of a bastion from their enemies. Since then, Ethiopia was a hospitable land to various visitors who came to the country due to various reasons. Even in recent years, the country has been sheltering several refugees. The refugees have been benefited from various supports including food and non-food assistance from the country and the international community.
On January 16, Ethiopia’s parliament has ratified refugees’ law that includes the right to employment, free movement, basic services and land lease provision among others. Accordingly, the refugees would be served the basic health and education services similar to the native citizens. On the other hand, the law allows the refugees to be employed in various industrial parks and irrigation projects.
Moreover, the law grants the refugees to take their asset whenever they want to leave the country. Legal Service and Refugees Acknowledgment Director at Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs Haileselassie Gebremariam noted that the law is just a legal configuration to the country’s hospitality and services provided to refugees came from various nations. Ethiopia has been providing various assistance to the refugees and help them to feel home.
The law would enjoy basic services and making business. Despite Haileselassie’s recognition of the law, some people criticized it noting that the law might affect the lives of native citizens by bringing additional job seekers and service consumers. According to Dr. Atilaw Alemu, an Economics Lecturer Addis Ababa University the law might affect country’s economy as it adds additional job seekers on the increasing number of unemployment. In addition, it would triggers resource scarcity as the refugees are allowed to share basic services including education and health with native citizens. Therefore, the government ought to convey the implementation of the law to the international community to raise additional funds up on the international convention.
The fund might compensate the cost to the refugees as they have a wide number. He believed that the nation needs to get increased financial assistance consistently to subsidize the cost, Dr. Atilaw underlined. It is believed that the country could get more funds from the international humanitarian organizations as the international convention for refugees decreed that the countries with hostages would get further assistance to their humanitarian activities. Hailesselasie also confirmed this fact. As to him, the law would help Ethiopia to get more income to its economy as its main goal is supporting refugees who left their countries forcefully.
“Up on the international convention permits, Ethiopia to gain more finance to its economy more than its expenditure to the refugees”, he said. Shortly, the convention allows Ethiopia to allocate international funds 70 and 30 percent to its economy and the refugees’ expenditures respectively. Following the ratification of the law, the country has gained about one billion USD from international organizations including European Union and World Bank in terms of grant and concessional loan, he disclosed.
The support is constant and it is significant to realize economic development by curbing forex shortages and enhancing the construction of development projects among others, according to Haileselassie. The international support is mainly proposed to improve the lives of refugees living in Ethiopia and it also aimed to reduce the number of Ethiopian migrants through financing local projects in the long run. Accordingly, three industrial parks are identified to employ the refugees. “Each park has the capacity to employ thousands of workers.
Therefore, the lives of the refugees would be improved through time. The people claim of the impact of the law is critical but not logical as the law does not permit the refugees to affect the lives of natives,” he emphasized. The refugees are also expressing their appreciation for the ratification of legal framework which they describe it ‘in favor of them’. Ahmed Mohammed, 21, has been living in refugees camp located in Somali Regional State.
The measure taken by the Ethiopia’s government in favor of refugees who have always been confined to camps is a breakthrough to improve the refugees’ lives, he recently told to Ethiopian News Agency. He appreciated the government’s decision to grant refugees freedom of movement and access to employment. “I want to integrate into the community, work and live at a place of my choice,” Ahmed said. Ethiopia is building good image among the international community due to the country’s commitment in serving refugees.
The framework enables the refugees that have stayed longer in Ethiopia and those who arrived recently to become productive and integrate within host communities and thereby take part in the development programs conducted in their respective communities. The long lived hospitality culture helped the country today to become the leading nations in welcoming a number of refugees and serving them with basic services and making businesses. Today Ethiopia hosts more than 900,000 refugees from 19 countries in sheltered and camps in five regional states.
Herald February 12/2019
BY YOHANESS JEMANEH
