7 December 2017: The UN Refugee Agency welcomes the coming into force of new Refugee Laws in Djibouti that streamline refugee status determination procedures and grant more opportunities for their socio-economic integration

Children at the Wadajir pre-school in Ali Addeh refugee camp. Eight-year-old Omoulgire Aden Abdi (middle) was born in the camp and has never been to Somalia. © UNHCR/Petterik Wiggers. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomes the coming into force of new Refugee Laws in Djibouti that streamline refugee status determination procedures and grants more opportunities for their socio-economic integration. Read more:

28 November 2017: Ethiopia embarks on ambitious road map to further the protection of refugees in formally launching the CRRF

The UN Resident Coordinator in Ethiopia, Ahunna Eziakonwo-Onochie, takes the platform at the launch of Ethiopia's Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework in Addis Ababa. On 28 November 2018, the Government of Ethiopia formally launched the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF), paving the way for the implementation of the nine pledges it made at the Leaders’ Summit on Refugees in September 2016 in New York. Those pledges promote self-reliance, improved sustainable responses that include wider support for host communities, the furthering of peaceful coexistence and the inclusion of refugees into national development plans. Ethiopia is committed to significant shifts in meeting refugees' needs, including a transition away from a camp-based model to refugees living and integrating within host communities.

27 October 2017: Ethiopia begins civil registration for refugees, enabling all refugees in the country to register their vital life events, including birth, death, marriage and divorce, directly with national authorities

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomes the launch of civil registration for refugees in Ethiopia. Starting today, all refugees in the country will be able to register their vital life events, including birth, death, marriage and divorce, directly with national authorities. This is a historic first and a ground-breaking development for refugee protection in Ethiopia, not previously realized over decades. Civil registration for refugees has been made possible following an amendment to an existing legislation. UNHCR and the UN’s Children Agency (UNICEF) collaborated with the Government of Ethiopia in the preparation of the amendment.

26 October 2017: North and Central American countries pledge support for Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework (CRPSF) in Honduras

A regional conference hosted by the Government of Honduras in San Pedro Sula, concluded Thursday with a series of concrete initiatives by the countries in North and Central America to strengthen protection and solutions for asylum-seekers, internally displaced persons and refugees. States and other important stakeholders, including affected population, civil society, the private sector and the international community, have pledged strong support to all these initiatives. Further information concerning the regional conference can be found at http://www.mirps-hn.org/en/

Second and third thematic discussions leading to the global compact on refugees, 17-18 October 2017, Geneva

On 17 and 18 October 2017, UNHCR convened the second and third thematic discussions leading to the global compact on refugees. The discussions, which focused on the topics “Measures to be taken at the onset of a large movement of refugees” and “Meeting needs and supporting communities” was attended by representatives of national and regional governments, international organizations, civil society organizations, academic institutions, and the private sector. A number of refugees were also in attendance.