Protection monitoring in areas of IDPs/returnees and host communities including COVID 19 Pandemic Response This project is designed to strengthen protection of human rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs), Returnees and communities affected by humanitarian crisis. It seeks to ensure timely identification of protection concerns, through systematic monitoring, investigation, documentation and reporting on allegations of human rights violations and concerns strengthen referral mechanism and access by survivors to services. The project also seeks to enhance capacities of duty bearers and protection partners to mainstream human rights and human rights -based approaches in the context of humanitarian action, protection programming and response to emerging human rights concerns. It also sets out to empower right holders to participate in planning and decision-making processes in the context of humanitarian action through creating a better understanding and awareness on their rights and responsibilities. The planned project will also facilitate programmatic response to emerging human rights and protection concerns in additional conflict -prone areas of Afar, Amhara regions and other areas and communities hosting returnees and IDPs, building on the work already done in the previous EHF projects. 

The project will cover areas affected by recent conflict and displacement in Afar and Northern Wollo areas of Amhara region based from Semera and Dessie. The protection monitoring mechanism set up by OHCHR takes into consideration existing coordination and information sharing mechanisms, communication, movement and other security regulations, protocols put in place to address barriers posed by insecurity and lack of commitment from authorities. The project will enable the office to expand its programming including monitoring to other areas affected by recent conflicts and fresh internal displacements and to collect information about the human right situation in adjacent areas to the ongoing conflict to inform better advocacy and response to human rights and protection concerns. The project aims to cover Woldiya, Kobo, Habru towns of North Wollo zone, Amhara Region and Aba’ala, Megale (Zone 2), Gewane, Hanruka, Awash,and Gelalu (zone 3) and Euwa, Yalo and Gulina (Zone 4) woredas of Afar Region. The project will have two duty stations in Semera and Dessie and will recruit a total of 8 monitors 4 for both areas to be covered. 
 
The project will ensure that gender parity is considered in the recruitment of monitors, priority will be given to experienced monitors who speak local languages, professionalism and integrity. The monitors will be deployed in the project areas of operation to carry out monitoring and reporting on human rights and protection concerns and specific issues affecting IDPs, returnees and host communities as well to provide capacity building to duty bearers and right holders and advocate for protection and human rights. 

OHCHR will implement this project in coordination with the protection cluster, protection partners, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and CSOs based in the project areas. The project will prioritize the identification of human right and protection concerns, documentation of allegations of human right violations and victims and witnesses, referring cases to the service providers, sensitize right holders, support duty bearers and advocate for redress and accountability. The project will pay special attention to SGBV and focus on the mainstreaming of human right-based approaches for interventions by all actors. Specific emphasis will be put on marginalized and vulnerable groups who are risk of being left behind. OHCHR will also ensure that gender is integrated in the project implementation.

The project will enable extensive daily protection monitoring to generate evidence to inform strategic advocacy for corrective action, produce flash, weekly and monthly reports, strengthen referral mechanisms and will advocate for right based response and accountability for alleged human right viola