In April 2019, The Elders visited the western Gambela region of Ethiopia to listen and learn from refugees from South Sudan.

According to UNHCR, Ethiopia is home to over 905,000 refugees and asylum seekers (as of August 2018).

Over 400,000 are estimated to reside in the Gambela region, with camps in Nguenyyiel hosting around 75,000.

During the visit to Nguenyyiel, Ernesto Zedillo, Mary Robinson and Juan Manuel Santos (and Zeid Raad Al Hussein) heard from resilient refugee women who face the continued risk of sexual violence when they search for firewood in the surrounding bushland.

Access to clean water was also frequently raised as an issue, with only 10 litres of water distributed per person per day, half the recognised standard.

Despite the challenges, The Elders praised Ethiopia’s new Refugee Law which eases access to employment for refugees, offering more opportunities for work and integration.

The Elders also noted that despite hosting Africa’s second largest refugee population, Ethiopia’s approach stood in stark contrast to the miserly efforts adopted by many governments in the prosperous, developed global North.

Mary Robinson, Juan Manuel Santos and Ernesto Zedillo express solidarity with refugees at the Nguenyyiel camp in the Gambela region of Ethiopia in May 2019.