ADDIS ABABA, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN Refugee Agency, has launched the "Makatet Roadmap," a government-led initiative aiming to integrate refugees and asylum seekers into its national system.
The five-year roadmap, launched on Thursday in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, sets out to transform existing refugee camps into cohesive and self-sustaining human settlements.
Speaking at the event, Teyiba Hassen, director general of Ethiopia's Refugees and Returnees Service, said the roadmap intends to enhance the socio-economic inclusion of refugees and strengthen resilience of host communities.
"The Makatet Roadmap will respond to decades of fragmented assistance and serve as a model where refugees and host communities grow together under a unified, well-coordinated, government-led system," Hassen said.
She said the roadmap will help refugees get access to better education, livelihood and public services by integrating them with national service delivery systems.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Barham Salih, welcomed the roadmap, saying that the initiative meets global standards and accelerates sustainable development for both refugees and host communities.
"The Makatet Roadmap serves as a blueprint for translating national vision into practical action, creating greater opportunities for refugees and host communities alike. It is closely aligned with our vision to reduce aid dependency by expanding opportunities for refugees living in protracted situations," he said.
As one of the refugee-hosting countries in Africa, Ethiopia is home to over 1.1 million refugees and asylum seekers, mainly from South Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea and Sudan. ■