Ethiopia continues to face multiple and often overlapping crises that drive high humanitarian needs, affecting the most vulnerable people across the country. These compounded crises have further triggered large displacement across the country with an estimated 4.6 million internally displaced people, who require assistance including shelter, water, food, sanitation, health care, education, and protection. At the beginning of 2023, the Ethiopia Humanitarian Response Plan ranked as the fourth largest OCHA-coordinated appeal with US$3.99 billion requirement.

After more than two years of conflict, while the end of 2022 brought peace and improved access in northern Ethiopia (Afar, Amhara and Tigray regions) with the signing of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement humanitarian needs remain very high. Improved access to the affected people continues to demonstrate the importance of scaling up the humanitarian response to provide assistance and protection services to people in need. At the same time, restoring essential services in the affected areas and providing other support makes it possible for those displaced to return home. In addition, longer term interventions are essential for people to restore their livelihood through reconstruction and rehabilitation activities across these regions in collaboration with recovery and development actors.

On the other hand, violence and hostilities have escalated in other parts of the country, most notably in Oromia, central, western and southern parts of the country that require urgent humanitarian response to protect lives.  
 
June 2023 has been the hottest month recorded globally. The climate crisis has had an extraordinary effect on the Horn of Africa including Ethiopia. More than 20 million people are trying to cope in the drought-affected southern and eastern parts of the country after five consecutive failed rainy seasons. Despite recent rainfall in some parts of the drought-affected areas, the humanitarian condition of vulnerable pastoralists and agro-pastoralists remains extremely dire, and the urgency to further scale up the humanitarian response is needed now more than ever before. It will take years for recovery. It is estimated to take between 5 and 8 years to recover from a drought of such magnitude and scale for those who lost more than 80 per cent of their livestock and are able to restock.  Many affected people had to switch to another livelihood or remain displaced as they will most probably will never restock their livestock (people displaced during last drought in 2016 have been unable to return). Recovery of children from malnourishment, for example, will also take months.

Recent erratic rains have also brought with them off-season flooding, displacing thousands across several regions in the country. People who had managed to rescue a part of their livelihood during the drought have seen it completely devastated by the floods. The floods have also exacerbated existing health risks and emergencies, including cholera and malaria. Cholera has been spreading amongst vulnerable people since August 2022 is unlikely to subside any time soon. 

The drought, floods, agricultural infestations such as locust and other climatic shocks will likely become more frequent and more intense in Ethiopia as the climate crises deepens.

OCHA has been operational in Ethiopia since 2004 and has been coordinating the emergency response across the country with 122 staff through its presence in 7 regions. 

The Ethiopia Humanitarian Fund was established in 2006, and since 2013, 91 partners have been able to respond to humanitarian needs across the country. The Central Emergency Response Fund has also allowed a prompt allocation of resources to emerging and underfunded crises through the years.

Projected situation in 2023

Climatic shocks, protracted displacement, conflict in pockets across the country and related access to essential and basic services, and disease outbreaks coupled with continuing economic challenges will further exacerbate humanitarian needs in 2023 and beyond. Access to food and water for many households is expected to continue to be extremely limited.