Details
Leading experts, policymakers, academicians, and practitioners will convene in Bishoftu from 18-20 June 2026 for the National Expert Workshop on the Dynamics of Children and Youth Migration in Ethiopia. Organized as an expert-level knowledge production forum, this initiative aims to critically analyze Ethiopia’s shifting migration landscape, which is increasingly shaped by localized violence, insecurity, and armed conflict. These overlapping crises are drastically altering human mobility patterns and pushing vulnerable children and youth into forced, irregular migration pathways where they face severe protection risks, including trafficking, exploitation, and family separation. Despite the scale and urgency of these developments, the critical intersection between armed conflict and youth migration has remained underrepresented in policy discourse, leaving existing frameworks poorly equipped to handle migration decision-making under insecurity.
Moving beyond generic stakeholder dialogue, this expert workshop is designed to bridge the gap between conflict analysis, migration research, and practical policy design. By bringing together conflict analysts, migration researchers, government representatives, and humanitarian actors, the forum will facilitate structured panel discussions and tailor-made thematic breakout sessions to evaluate age- and gender-specific vulnerabilities.
The primary deliverable of this interactive, three full day event, is the collaborative creation of a flagship Policy Paper, which will synthesize expert discussions and research inputs. Supported by interactive "Policy Labs," this strategic document will provide rights-based, conflict-sensitive recommendations. Once finalized, published, and disseminated, the policy paper will serve as a vital reference resource for the Government of Ethiopia and development partners seeking to build durable solutions and protective frameworks for children and young populations in conflict-affected contexts.
