Ethiopia allow refugees to work legally
Ethiopia is applauded for its progressive refugee integration law, allowing refugees to obtain work permits, access primary education, obtain drivers’ licenses, national financial services such as banking among others.
As the second-largest refugee-hosting country in Africa, Ethiopia is currently the host of over 900,000 refugees mainly from neighbouring South Sudan, Somalia, Sudan and Eritrea, as well as smaller numbers from Yemen and Syria. On Thursday 17th January 2019 the country’s parliament revised its existing refugee laws to allow refugees opportunities hitherto denied them. These include access to work permits, primary education, drivers’ licenses, national financial services such as banking and the rights to legally register life events such as births and marriages.
“The passage of this historic law represents a significant milestone in Ethiopia’s long history of welcoming and hosting refugees from across the region for decades,” said the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi in a statement.
“By allowing refugees the opportunity to be better integrated into society, Ethiopia is not only upholding its international refugee law obligations but is serving as a model for other refugee-hosting nations around the world.”
