Going back home

Depending on the situation in your country of origin and conditions conducive to return, UNHCR can support your return home, once you have made a voluntary decision.

UNHCR will also facilitate return processes to facilitate the issuance of exit permits, even if you decide to travel on your own when conditions of return are not deemed conducive.

There are several considerations to help determine if this is a good solution for you. These considerations include:

• the political and security situation in the country of origin,
• the respect for human rights and the availability of basic services in areas of return.

Many actors are involved in the decision-making process, including UNHCR governments, non-state actors, donors, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations (CBOs) and most importantly – refugees themselves!

A person who was of concern to UNHCR when outside their country of origin and who remains so for a limited period (usually two years) after returning home to his/her country of origin with facilitated travel by UNHCR, while a spontaneous returnee on the other hand returned home through self-facilitated travel.

Support for voluntary repatriation is divided into the following parts:

For refugees: UNHCR will offer protection counselling to all refugees, who are interested in returning to their country of origin. UNHCR will provide a one-way ticket and cash grants for all verified individuals/family.

For returnees: UNHCR will support the return and reintegration of Ethiopian refugees through facilitating the opening of a bank account at the local branch of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia for each target household and provide a multi-purpose grant to be deposited into the bank account.

UNHCR will also provide a portion of the assistance through cash-over-the-counter delivered by the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia directly upon arrival of the returnee households to cover transportation back to their area of return and to cover their basic needs during the initial days of arrival, until such a time UNHCR transfers the first portion of cash assistance into the bank account, when UNHCR organizes travel.

Spontaneous returnees are also eligible for this grant, with the exception of transport cost assistance to their respective areas of return.

When you express your intention to return to your country of origin, UNHCR will ask you some basic questions. This is referred to as ‘VolRep protection counselling’.

For example:

• what is the name of your town or village, where you would like to go?
• What do you know about the security situation in that place?
• Do you have specific protection needs or a serious medical condition?
• Can UNHCR share your name and other details with the government of your country of origin?

These and other questions will be asked during the VolRep protection counselling.

Remember that once you inform UNHCR about your decision to return to your country of origin and return accordingly, you will no longer be considered a refugee but a ‘returnee’, you will then be de-registered, meaning that you will no longer be considered a refugee.

As a returnee, you will fall under the country of origin’s laws and regulations and the support of existing public services.

As with every other returnee context in the world, returnees are expected to be self-reliant, drawing on individual, family and community resources and support structures to help start-up of a new life in the country of origin.

If you face any form of challenges related to your return such as in accessing numerous services, or if you have any concerns related to your travel to your country of origin, please contact us:

• By phone: 0944104567/094410468/094410469 or
• Online: through our Digital Request Complaint System (DRCS)