Progress related to the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) in Ethiopia – as expressed in the Government of Ethiopia’s pledges at the 2016 Leaders’ Summit and subsequent pledges – gives cause for optimism. The promise of working towards an effective enabling environment and real tangible results for refugees and host communities has been furthered by two major advancements in 2019: The promulgation of a new Refugee Proclamation (No 1110/2019), allowing for increased freedom of movement and opportunities for the right to work; and the four (4) new pledges Ethiopia made as a co-convener of the December 2019 Global Refugee Forum (GRF). Ethiopia continues to show a firm commitment to the spirit of the GCR and was an early leader in pursuing the CRRF – a promise that is clearly enduring. https://reliefweb.int/report/ethiopia/ethiopia-2019-pledge-progress-report-summary

A series of fires at the Reception and Identification Centre in Moria (Lesvos, Greece) on 8-10 September left 12,000 asylum-seekers and refugees without shelter. UNHCR is supporting the government-led response by scaling up immediate support to this urgent crisis and is seeking to mobilize additional resources to prevent the spread of COVID-19 through adequate health and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) capacity.

80% of protection clusters (21 out of 26) report escalating conflict and/or political instability since the outbreak of COVID-19. This is undermining efforts to curb the spread of the virus, triggering new displacements, reducing safe access to vital health and sanitation services and impeding life-saving protection and humanitarian services.

UNHCR has released the report “Coming Together for Refugee Education” which notes that half of all refugee children are out of school and calls for immediate and bold action by the international community to beat back the catastrophic effects of the coronavirus.

The humanitarian needs continue to deepen in eastern DRC as families are forcibly displaced following violence and repeated attacks.

Risk communication and awareness-raising on COVID-19 continues across the DRC. So far, UNHCR reached over 1.5 million people among internally displaced persons, refugees and host communities, including more than 37,000 people over the past two weeks.

As of 30 August, UNHCR had installed almost 3,400 handwashing stations across DRC and over 260,000 persons received soap.

As of 30 August, UNHCR had installed almost 3,400 handwashing stations across DRC and over 260,000 persons received soap.

In Ituri Province, UNHCR distributed almost 14,000 reusable masks to people staying in the Kigonze and ISP sites for IDPs in Bunia, Ituri Province. The masks were fabricated by South Sudanese refugees in Haut-Uele Province and by urban refugees in Goma, North Kivu Province.

In a press release, UNHCR alerted that more than three quarters of Nicaraguan refugees and asylum-seekers in Costa Rica are going hungry, eating only once or twice a day as a result of the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.