Statement by the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia at the launch of Makatet Roadmap Launch

Your Excellency, Mr. Tagesse Chaffo, Speaker of the House of Peoples Representative, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia 

Your Excellency, Mr. Ahmed Shide, Honourable Minister of Finance,

UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr. Barham Salih,

Honourable Ministers, President of Regional Governments, Distinguished Guests, Development Partners, Representatives of Refugee and Host Communities, Colleagues from the United Nations System, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure to join you today for the launch of the Makatet Roadmap.

Having just walked through the immersive Makatet experience and having witnessed the talent and spirit of the refugee children who performed for us today, I am reminded that behind every policy framework are real people. Resilient, creative, and full of potential. People who, given the right conditions, do not need to be carried. They need to be included.

That is precisely what makes today significant.

Ethiopia is showing the way.

For too long, the international response to displacement has been built around a humanitarian logic of temporary assistance: camps, food rations, parallel services. A system that was never designed to solve the problem. It was designed to manage it. Ethiopia, through Makatet, is making a deliberate and courageous break from that model.

This is not a small shift. It requires political will, institutional commitment, and a readiness to challenge established systems, including, frankly, some of our own. The United Nations acknowledges that. And we respect it.

Makatet places the Government of Ethiopia at the center, where it belongs. It recognizes that sustainable solutions for refugees and host communities cannot be delivered through humanitarian assistance alone. They require national systems, local economies, and government-led frameworks that integrate displaced populations as contributors to, not burdens on, national development.

We commend the Refugees and Returnees Service for the leadership and dedication that has driven this process. The depth of consultation that shaped this roadmap, across federal and regional government, communities, civil society, and refugees themselves, reflects the seriousness with which Ethiopia has approached this agenda.

I also wish to recognize UNHCR for its commitment throughout this process, from the earliest consultations to the finalization of this roadmap. We count on UNHCR's continued leadership as implementation begins.

At the same time, I want to be candid. The funding environment is deteriorating. We can respond to that by doing less, or we can respond by doing things differently. Ethiopia, through Makatet, has chosen the latter. And that is the right choice. A framework that builds self-reliance and integrates refugees into national systems is not just more dignified. It is more sustainable and ultimately more effective.

The United Nations has long worked alongside Ethiopia, in humanitarian response, in development, and in strengthening national systems. What Makatet calls for, and what we are committed to, is accelerating that evolution: investing more deliberately in self-reliance, national ownership, and integrated solutions that over time reduce the need for external assistance and create conditions where communities can thrive on their own terms.

One concrete commitment the UN makes today is to support Ethiopia in attracting new partners to this agenda, helping connect the ambitions of Makatet with development finance, private investment, and business communities that have not yet engaged with refugee inclusion in Ethiopia but should. That is the kind of partnership this moment calls for.

The United Nations Country Team stands behind this framework, not as its owner, but as a committed partner in its implementation. We are here to support Ethiopia's vision, to add value where we can, and to be honest when challenges arise.

On behalf of the United Nations Country Team, I congratulate the Government of Ethiopia, the Refugees and Returnees Service, UNHCR, development partners, refugee representatives, host communities, and all who have contributed to this important achievement.

There is no small contribution. And there is no reason to go back to the old model. Together, let us build something more lasting.

Thank you.