Ethiopia - Humanitarian Fund - OCHA 2019

March 2019 – Drought and inter-communal conflict are expected to leave at least 8 million Ethiopians in need of humanitarian assistance including nearly 2.9 million people displaced by violence and natural disasters. Internally displaced populations are amongst the most vulnerable in Ethiopia living in nearly 1 200 informal settlements often extremely remote and with almost no access to food or basic services. In addition Ethiopia hosts more than 900 000 refugees reliant on humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs. With the support of GAC and other donors to the Ethiopia Humanitarian Fund the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is providing funding to United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations to respond to newly emerging crises and shifting/deteriorating humanitarian situations throughout the year. Project activities include: (1) supporting life-saving activities by filling critical funding gaps; (2) promoting needs-based assistance in accordance with humanitarian principles; (3) strengthening coordination of humanitarian assistance; (4) improving the relevance and coherence of humanitarian response by strategically funding priorities as identified under the Humanitarian Response Plan; and (5) expanding the delivery of humanitarian assistance in hard-to-reach areas of the country by partnering with local and international non-governmental organizations.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) improved coordination of the humanitarian response to effectively address priority humanitarian needs; (2) improved timeliness in implementing life-saving activities; (3) increased humanitarian access by partnering more effectively with local non-governmental humanitarian organizations; and (4) increased oversight and monitoring of humanitarian assistance projects in hard-to-reach areas. The expected ultimate outcome is lives saved suffering alleviated and human dignity maintained in countries experiencing humanitarian crisis or that are facing acute food insecurity.