Ethiopia Humanitarian Fund - OCHA 2020

March 2020 – Ongoing drought and population displacement caused by intercommunal conflict since late 2017 have left at least 8.4 million Ethiopians in need of humanitarian assistance including emergency food rations treatment for acute malnutrition and other healthcare services and safe water and sanitation services. Additionally some 700 000 refugees from South Sudan Somalia Eritrea and Sudan are now living within Ethiopia’s borders and remain reliant on international assistance to meet their basic needs . With GAC’s support and through 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 the 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 crises or acute food insecurity.