Humanitarian requirements for Ethiopia are up from US$1.4 billion to US$1.5 billion following re-prioritization of needs

(Addis Ababa, 20 May 2016): Following a joint prioritization exercise by the Ethiopia Government and its partners, Ethiopia’s humanitarian requirements have increased to US$1.5 billion. Of this, $702.6 million is urgently required to address prioritized humanitarian needs for the remainder of the year.

This review serves as a complement to the 2016 Humanitarian Requirements Document (HRD), which is the joint common plan and implementation framework of the Government and humanitarian partners to address humanitarian needs in Ethiopia.

“Since the launch of the HRD in December, changes in the humanitarian context necessitated shifts in response strategy and prioritization,” noted Commissioner Ato Mitiku Kassa, Head of the National Disaster Risk Management Commission (NDRMC). “Thanks to the excellent partnership between government and humanitarian partners we have been able to achieve a lot. International donors have been generous; we hope this generosity will continue to help us address these continuing priority needs.”

Following a jump in the number of hotspots and a projected caseload of 1.7 million children under age 5 and pregnant and lactating women to 2.5 million, the requirements for the nutrition sector increased significantly to $93 million. The plans to extend the school year for children who missed out on school due to the drought also increased the requirements for the education sector to $33.4 million. To provide seeds for at least 500,000 households and for veterinary support for the recovery of livestock that survived the drought, the agricultural sector now requires $46 million. Based on the projected displacement figure of 150,000 over the course of the year, the financial requirements for shelter/NFI have increased due to procurement costs and fresh displacement from flood and conflict.

“The prioritization clarifies acute relief needs and major gaps that require urgent additional donor support,” says Mr. Paul Handley, Head of Office for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). “We are concerned that as we enter the lean season we have such significant priority funding gaps, and that needs are expected to continue to grow.”

The HRD will be formally revised in late June following the conclusion of a Government-led, multi-stakeholder belg assessment (starting at the end of May), which will assess the success of the spring harvest and outstanding needs in other non-food sectors.