By: Goshu Melisew 

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) will convene a three-day National Dialogue and Knowledge Exchange Workshop in Bishoftu town to strengthen Ethiopia’s coordinated, development-led response to forced displacement.

At the workshop, government officials, humanitarian agencies, development partners, and international organizations will review progress and strengthen coordination in Ethiopia’s shift from a humanitarian-led refugee response to a sustainable, development-driven model.

Ethiopia, Africa’s third-largest refugee-hosting nation with over 1 million refugees mainly from South Sudan, Somalia, and Eritrea has earned recognition for its progressive refugee policies, including granting refugees the right to work, move freely, and access services.

Running from August 13 to 15, the forum will enhance synergy, coordination, and complementarity among the Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project Phase II (DRDIP II), the Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS), and key sectoral ministries under Ethiopia’s “whole-of-government” approach.

Senior officials from ministries including Health, Finance, Education, Planning and Development, Peace, Innovation and Technology, Water and Energy, Irrigation and Lowland Development, Labor and Skills, and Women and Social Affairs will participate alongside RRS.

International partners UNHCR, GIZ, Sweden, the World Bank, the EU, and private sector and among others will join the dialogue, along with Ethiopia’s National Coordination Mechanism (NCM) and National Partnership Coalition (NPC).

The workshop is expected to deliver concrete recommendations to align refugee inclusion with Ethiopia’s national development strategies and regional commitments under the Global Compact on Refugees.