Ethiopia’s Holistic Approach to Migration Best Practice, Says IOM Programmes Head

Addis ababa: Ethiopia's whole approach to coordinate all issues linked to migration is one of the absolute key best practices that the country has toward migration management, International Organization for Migration (IOM) Ethiopia Programmes Head, Nlabu Sascha Patrick, said.According to Ethiopian News Agency, the Head added that the best practice is also shared with other countries in its role as a Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM) champion country. The country's 2025 to 2029 strategy has been developed in close coordination with the government to ensure that it responds across the board to national government priorities.The three strategic objectives in the country's plan are: saving lives and protecting people on the move, driving solutions to displacement, and facilitating regular pathways for migration. Patrick noted that the objectives unite to safeguard migrants, displaced communities, and Ethiopian citizens alike, placing human rights at the heart of every initiative.A standout achievement is the Fayda digital ID system, revolutionizing cross-border access, the IOM Ethiopia Programmes Head added. "The FAYDA ID is contributing to have border communities as well as other nationals' access to legal identity," he stated. This digital marvel empowers traders from Ethiopia and neighboring nations to comply with laws, fueling small-scale commerce, Patrick elaborated."By doing so all citizens from Ethiopia as well as neighboring countries comply with the laws when it comes to cross border trade." He further explained that this moves them into the regular space of cross border trade generating revenues for themselves, but at the same time also contributing to the national revenue of Ethiopia."Patrick also spotlighted the "whole of government migration coordination architecture," including the National Council on Migration, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, and the National Partnership Coalition. "Ethiopia is taking a whole of government approach to coordinate all issues li nked to migration and that certainly is one of the absolute key best practices," he stressed.