United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) chief hails refugee courage and Ethiopia’s inclusion on World Refugee Day

Ethiopia is one of Africa’s largest refugee-hosting countries, home to over 1.1 million refugees and asylum-seekers, including more than 45,000 refugees who have fled the conflict in neighbouring Sudan since April 2023. Ura settlement, in Ethiopia’s northwestern Benishangul Gumuz region, hosts more than 14,500 Sudanese refugees, who live alongside the local community and have access to the same services. “Ura is more than just a refugee settlement,” Salih said at a World Refugee Day event that brought together the President of the Benishangul Gumuz region, refugees, local residents, government officials, and UN and regional partners. “It is a powerful example of what becomes possible when protection is combined with inclusion, when humanitarian action is linked to long-term solutions, and when refugees and host communities are given the opportunity to build their futures together.” “On this World Refugee Day, we pay tribute to refugees and the host communities: to their courage, their resilience, and their determination to rebuild their lives despite enormous adversity,” Salih added. “Yet resilience alone is not enough. Refugees should not be expected to survive on resilience forever, nor should they spend decades waiting in limbo, dependent on humanitarian assistance, with little prospect of a better future.” “We must invest in solutions. We must support host countries and communities. We must expand access to education, livelihoods, and documentation. And we must ensure that refugees themselves are active partners in shaping the policies and programmes that affect their lives,” he said. At Ura settlement, Salih visited a primary school where young Sudanese and Ethiopian children learn side by side. He also met Sudanese refugee entrepreneurs who had opened businesses to support themselves and their families, as well as contributing to the local economy. Among them was Mohyadin Ahmed Mohammed Ali, 37, who fled fighting in Sudan’s Al Jazeera State...