UNHCR discloses funding gap to meet needs of Ethiopian refugees, IDPs

Addis Ababa, Jan 19 (SocialNews.XYZ) The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) disclosed that it has only received 39 per cent of the $385.1 million it needs to meet the needs of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees in Ethiopia.

The UNHCR in its monthly fact sheet published on Monday said it was working to meet the needs of refugees and IDPs despite the funding gap and incidence of armed conflicts in some of the areas it operates, reports Xinhua news agency.

"The UNHCR continues to respond to the situation of IDPs in Ethiopia, leading the Protection Cluster and providing protection, emergency aid and other support to IDPs and IDP returnees, including those displaced by recent flooding and conflict," it said in the fact sheet.

The UN agency said that despite the funding constraints, it was currently engaged in the training of health personnel as well as the distribution of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), and essential medicines and materials to strengthen health services in refugee camps in Ethiopia.

The UNHCR also said it was supporting the Inter-agency Covid-19 response to the IDP situation by providing PPEs and sanitation materials, equipping isolation and quarantine centres and providing community sensitization.

Ethiopia's confirmed Covid-19 cases has reached, the Ministry of Health said.

As of December 31, 2020, the UNHCR has registered 802,821 refugees and asylum seekers in Ethiopia, most of whom are housed in refugee camps in six regional states.

Ethiopia currently hosts the second-largest refugee population in Africa, next to Uganda.

Refugees in Ethiopia primarily come from Eritrea, South Sudan, Somalia, and Sudan.

Ethiopia also has several million IDPs, including 2.2 million people displaced by the conflict in the northern Tigray regional state last November.

Source: IANS