Key Issues
Government and humanitarian partners joint 2016 belg assessment underway
Third and fourth rounds of emergency relief programme ongoing
AWD cases confirmed in Addis Ababa
Ethiopia is responding to an El Niño-caused drought emergency: The El Niño global climatic event wreaked havoc on Ethiopia’s 2015 spring and summer rains driving food insecurity, malnutrition and water shortages in affected areas of the country. A wellcoordinated response is underway, although the scale of the emergency exceeds resources available. Given the lead times necessary for the procurement of relief items, the Government and its international partners urge immediate and sustained support for this slow onset natural disaster.
Government and humanitarian partners joint 2016 belg assessment underway
On 5 June 2016, some 210 staff from the Government,UN agencies, NGOs and donors
deployed to 38 zones in six regions to assess the belg season’s performance and its impact on
lives and livelihoods. The team covering cropping areas is expected to submit the final report to
the National Disaster Risk Management Commission (NDRMC) on 20-21 June, and the team
covering pastoralist areas on 27-28 June. The assessment results will inform the revision of the
2016 Humanitarian Requirements Document (HRD), to be tentatively released in the first week
of July. Commendable milestones are noteworthy in this year’s assessment, including it kickingoff
earlier than in previous years; stronger commitment from partners to provide staff and
vehicles; and, the inclusion of protection and early recovery needs in the assessment
checklists.
In a similar development, the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) said that it is working closely with regional Government officials, as well as the Ministry of Livestock and Fishery and the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources to co-author reports on the impact of floods caused by heavy belg rains.
Third and fourth rounds of emergency relief programme on-going
The NDRMC, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Joint Emergency Operation Program
(JEOP) have dispatched 164,000 (95 per cent) metric tons (MT) against the planned target of
172,000 MT in the third round of the emergency relief programme to all the regions covering
10.2 million people. 63 per cent of the third round and nine per cent of the fourth round have
been distributed. Against round four, the total dispatches to date are close to 104,000 MT (58
per cent) from the allocated 180,000 MT. Moreover, WFP will provide complementary transport
capacity to the regional Governments of Amhara and Oromia to deliver specialized nutritious
products for the treatment of moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) in priority 1 woredas.
The Logistics Cluster is deploying 120 Mobile Storage Units (MSUs) to augment storage capacity in critical locations. Six MSUs were erected in Oromia region for NDRMC and CRS/JEOP, and four Logistics Cluster mobile teams are currently in the field. Meanwhile, WFP is supporting NDRMC to strengthen storage capacity at Nazareth/Adama hub. Nine MSUs were erected for NFI storage, and four concrete warehouses were rented for storage of food commodities. In Semera (Afar region), two MSUs were also erected. Four logistics advisors are working alongside the Ethiopian Maritime Affairs Authority (EMAA) staff, including one shopping advisor working alongside the EMMA, to support the Government in the management of its pipeline, and to get more visibility.
Acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) cases confirmed in Addis Ababa
On 9 June, the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) confirmed an outbreak of AWD in Addis
Ababa. In its official statement, the Ministry advised Addis Ababa residents to take
precautionary measures, including ensuring personal hygiene and environmental sanitation.
Individuals exhibiting AWD disease symptoms should immediately seek medical help.
The FMoH is working closely with the Addis Ababa Health Bureau to identify the source and to contain the spread of the disease. The World Health Organization and humanitarian partners are working in support of Government-led efforts. Following improved belg rains in receivingparts of the country, the risk of water-related diseases heightened.
For further information please contact: ocha-eth@un.org