- Ethiopia is ranked 171 of 182 on the Human Development Index.
- The country remains highly vulnerable to the effects of both natural disasters and complex emergencies, with substantial humanitarian consequences for a large proportion of the population.
- Currently, some 6.2 million people are in need of emergency food relief due to heightened food insecurity at the household level. An additional 7.5 million continue to receive assistance in the form of cash and/or food transfers under the auspices of the Productive Safety Net Programme.
- Given current trends, the humanitarian situation in the country as a whole is likely to worsen in scale and complexity in 2010.
- In the Somali Region, access for humanitarian actors working in the conflict-affected zones, remains difficult.
- National legislation intended to regulate the civil society sector may also have an impact on the overall environment in which the humanitarian community operates in Ethiopia.
The humanitarian situation in the Somali region – particularly the conflict affected zones of Degehabur, Fik, Gode, Korahe and Warder – has necessitated OCHA sub-offices in Jijiga, Gode, Kebridehar and Gambella. The situation in the Gambella region, bordering Sudan, has also necessitated a strengthened OCHA effort. OCHA plays a critical liaison role between the government and the humanitarian community in Ethiopia. As a result of its relationships with key stakeholders in government, donor and humanitarian community and information gathered by field personnel, OCHA is well positioned to ensure that constructive dialogue, informed by evidence-based analysis of the humanitarian situation, can lead to tangible improvements in the operational environment. The Humanitarian Response Fund (HRF), managed by OCHA Ethiopia, ensures that predictable humanitarian financing is available to United Nations agencies and NGOs for the delivery of response in a timely manner. In addition, the HRF has taken the lead in developing innovative approaches to fund management through the participation of government, United Nations and NGOs in review processes as well as steps towards strengthening its capacity to monitor projects.
Over the past two years, the scope of HRF activities has more than doubled, thus requiring increased OCHA support in financial compliance monitoring. Looking forward to 2010, coordination challenges are likely to include: establishing a common understanding with government of the scale and extent of humanitarian needs in the country; mobilizing resources required by government and actors to mount an effective response to food and non-food needs; and advocating for humanitarian access. In response to challenges associated with a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in 2010, OCHA Ethiopia will continue to facilitate coordination among the humanitarian community; support government capacity to address humanitarian challenges through national mechanisms; and serve as a liaison between government and international actors on multiple levels; including on humanitarian access and predictable funding.
In 2010, OCHA Ethiopia will specifically:
- Advocate for strengthened planning processes, triggered by early warning indicators, to underpin humanitarian action.
- Continue to support government efforts to strengthen the Disaster Risk Management approach to both planning and response.
- At the field level, support the coordination of multi-sectoral response to humanitarian needs in partnership with regional, zonal and woreda authorities and humanitarian partners.
- At the national level, provide key decision-makers in the humanitarian community with comprehensive analysis of the overall humanitarian situation, as well as policy guidance on sensitive issues such as internal displacement and access. This will be done as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen evidence-based advocacy on core challenges and strategic decision-making to address such challenges.
- In relation to predictable humanitarian financing, continue to advocate with donors for the prioritization of Ethiopia, as well as scale up efforts to ensure greater complementarity between the HRF and other funding sources.