Consultation underway to garner inputs for draft proclamation on IDPs

Addis Ababa, June 3, 2023 (FBC) – A consultation forum is being held in Adama city to gather inputs for draft proclamation on protection and support of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

The consultation was organized by the Ministry of Peace, the Ministry of Justice, International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.

Representatives of human rights institutions, civil associations, higher education institutions and other pertinent stakeholders are attending the forum, it was indicated.

During the occasion, State Minister of Peace, Seyoum Mesfin said that a large number of citizens, including mothers and children, have been displaced by man-made and natural disasters in the past years.

There was no legal framework to provide complete support to IDPs in Ethiopia, he elaborated.

To this end, he stated the draft protection and support proclamation for IDPs, which is in the process of preparation, will help to provide them with humanitarian aid, protection of rights, and render other support.

According to international experience, governments have limited capacity to fully assist IDPs, so, they engage local and international aid organizations, the state minister said.

Moreover, he elaborated that the preparation of draft proclamation is underway to overcome multiple challenges facing citizens, which resulted from internal displacement, due to man-made and natural calamities legally and in coordinated manner.

According to the draft proclamation, a national IDP protection and support council will be established, which will be  accountable to the prime minister.

ENA’s report indicates that the Council will be headed by the deputy prime minister and will consist of various federal and regional government bodies, religious institutions, as well as other relevant entities.