Support to the reintegration of returnees in Ethiopia

In 2013/2014 the forced repatriation of 163,018 (100,688 male, 53,732 female and 8,598 children) Ethiopian migrants from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), combined with a significant number of reported cases of abuse and mistreatment of migrants drew considerable attention to the plight of Ethiopian migrant workers. Not only in Ethiopia but, also at the regional level and sub-regional level increasing cross-border labour and skills mobility has made labour migration an ever more urgent challenge for governance across Africa. The AU Migration Policy Framework for Africa (2006) rightly recognized that “migration will be a major topic in the 21st Century and will therefore pose certain social, economic and political challenges for policy makers in the future management of migration for the betterment of African societies” in addition at the Sub-Regional level the IGAD Regional Migration Policy Framework (2012) also recognized the challenges of migration. KSA returnees face severe difficulties, particularly in terms of decent livelihood opportunities and reintegration into the Ethiopian labour market. As a consequence, a large proportion chooses to re-migrate, putting them at risk of trafficking and exploitation. This project is part of a broader programme on improving labour migration management in Ethiopia, which aims at supporting the efforts of the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) and of stakeholders from Civil Society in improving migration management and reintegration. The ILO will drive for the reintegration component. The specific objective of this project is therefore to provide individualised and rights based reintegration assistance to returnees with a particular focus on women and girls. Vulnerable local communities (unemployed youth, people with disability as well as women in vulnerable situation) will also be targeted. The direct assistance component of the project will be implemented through partnerships with selected service providers in Ethiopia. Currently, many service providers find it very challenging to provide the required support for returnees and potential migrants. Thus, the action will aim to support those service providers through systematic capacity building so as to enable them to provide effective and efficient services to returnees and strengthen the reintegration system in the country. The project will directly assist around 27,000 people including returnees, victims of trafficking, their families, and vulnerable local community members within the locality where returnees are settling in. The various forms of assistance to returnees are primarily geared towards their full recovery and successful economic and social reintegration. The services will include counselling, health care, legal assistance, access to education for them and their children, job-placements, skills and entrepreneurship training, and microfinance services.

Project symbol

ETH/15/01/EEC

Admin unit

CO-Addis Ababa

Start date

01/01/2015

End date

28/02/2019

Total allocation

5448620

Total expenditure

Status

Closed

5352271

Development Partners

Delegation of the European Union to Ethiopia

Country/Countries

Ethiopia

Outcomes

Outcome 7: Adequate and effective protection at work for all