Ethiopia

Social protection

Objective

Social protection is a fundamental human right and a powerful tool for promoting Decent Work and building resilience for all, including those affected by forced displacement. The International Labour Organization (ILO), through the PROSPECTS partnership, works to ensure that forcibly displaced persons (FDPs) and their host communities have access to essential social protection and services, moving away from fragmented aid towards sustainable, nationally-owned systems.

The provision of social protection is integral to the ILO’s approach in PROSPECTS, complementing efforts in economic inclusion and employment.

Key Activities

In Ethiopia, the PROSPECTS partnership is working to enhance the national social protection system. This involves building the capacity of national health protection institutions like the Ethiopian Health Insurance Services (EHIS) to facilitate the inclusion of refugees in schemes like Community-Based Health Insurance (CBHI), advocating for policy changes that promote universal social protection coverage, and supporting the development of sustainable financing strategies for social protection programs through evidence based analyses and technical studies.

Complementing the inclusion efforts, the ILO provides technical and capacity strengthening support to relevant government institutions to reinforce their social health protection management abilities and ensure they can effectively include FDPs in national social protection schemes (social insurance, social assistance, and health insurance).
Generate evidence and knowledge on the social protection landscape for FDPs to inform national strategies and government investment.
Facilitate the enrollment of refugees into existing national social security and social health protection schemes, such as the Community-Based Health Insurance (CBHI).

Partners

Ethiopian Health Insurance Services (EHIS)
Ministry of Health (MoH)

Key Achievements (Since 2019)

Contributing to the inclusion of refugees into the Community-Based Health Insurance (CBHI) scheme in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, pioneering a model for national inclusion in social health protection.
Provided technical assistance to national social security bodies to align their operations with international standards and ensure non-discriminatory access for FDPs.

Important Links