USAID: Ethiopia FY 2002 Congressional Budget Justification

PROGRAM: ETHIOPIA
TITLE & NUMBER: Mitigate the Effects of Disaster, 663-011
STATUS: New
PLANNED FY 2001 OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: $998,000 CSD, $2,154,000 DA
PROPOSED FY 2002 OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: $1,800,000 CSD, $1,100,000 DA
INITIAL OBLIGATION: FY 2001 ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: FY 2006

Summary: In the last 38 years, Ethiopians have faced three wars, two famines, and a food emergency in FY 2000 affecting over 10 million people. The recurrence of humanitarian emergencies has contributed to the growing level of destitution in the country, leaving entire communities extremely vulnerable to socio-economic shocks. Increasing efforts to mitigate the effects of disasters by increasing efficiency in emergency response, enhancing cooperation among different players, and supporting the relief-to-development continuum is essential. The new strategic objective (SO), Mitigate the Effects of Disaster, reflects a significant redirection of USAID's approach to disasters in Ethiopia. Although critical during emergencies, short-term approaches are not designed to minimize the impact of future disasters, prevent dependency on relief assistance, and promote development. The new SO will build the capacity of the Government to collect timely and accurate information through improved surveillance, to meet critical needs in times or crises, and to re-establish basic institutions in war-affected areas when conditions permit.

Building upon prior SO 5 activities, the new SO is implementing short-to-medium-term activities to support the return of displaced families, rehabilitate infrastructure and social services, alleviate human suffering, and stabilize the present situation to strengthen the peace process. In FY 2001 Development Assistance (DA) funds ($1,900,000 Agriculture and $254,000 Other Economic Growth resources) partially support these activities. Child Survival and Diseases (CSD) resources, in particular, will support community-level health, water, sanitation and HIV/AIDS interventions ($500,000) and address the impact of HIV/AIDS on vulnerable children ($498,000).

This new SO will be implemented through non-governmental organizations and the Government's Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Commission (DPPC) at the federal and regional levels. DA funds will finance DPPC activities. Beneficiaries include the chronically vulnerable and destitute Ethiopians in drought-prone and border areas.

Key Results: Mitigation efforts will improve early warning systems and capacities, improve crop and food supply assessments, and identify and meet the needs of the chronically vulnerable. This requires timely and accurate early warning, community-level crisis surveillance systems, and adequate and appropriate response mechanisms.

Working with the Government's Early Warning System, which emphasizes community participation in the identification of needs and planning, decentralization of decision-making, and multi-sectoral responsibility, USAID will foster the coordination and integration of information. This collaborative process builds consensus about problems and solutions aimed at mitigating the effects of disasters.

USAID will work to help Ethiopians achieve more timely and appropriate disaster response through improved food aid targeting, facilitated coordination, and improved reporting and tracking capacity. Overall performance in responding to food emergencies and chronic malnutrition will be assessed by a surrogate measure of nutrition (wasting). Access to chronic vulnerability information will help policy-makers, donors, and relief and development practitioners to be better informed about the nature and magnitude of critical factors that make people vulnerable to disaster. This will improve design of medium and long-term programs.

USAID will coordinate and support development interventions on both sides of the border designed to consolidate the peace over the medium-to-long term. USAID will manage and partially fund activities to restore socio-economic institutions and resume cross-border trade. Strong input of the affected communities will provide additional confidence building. Results will help to restore the historical bonds between Ethiopia and Eritrea, remove some of the barriers to normalization, and work to consolidate the peace at the community level.

Performance and Prospects: In FY 2000, the U.S. Government (USG) provided more than 800,000 metric tons (MT) of emergency and non-emergency food aid valued at $317 million. This included 72,907 MT of P.L. 480 Title II non-emergency resources valued at $34.8 million to enhance household food security in target areas, as well as 248,200 MT of Title II emergency food aid valued at $106 million. In addition, the USG provided emergency non-food assistance totaling $14.8 million, averting famine for over 10 million drought-affected persons. More than 522,000 internally displaced persons and Sudanese and Somali refugees also received assistance. Field assessments and nutritional surveys demonstrated that timely delivery of emergency food aid prevented mass migration of people, addressed the needs of those displaced by war, and allowed Ethiopia to avoid a devastating humanitarian crisis.

In FY 2001, the USG anticipates providing over 440,000 MT of emergency and non-emergency food assistance. This is in response to continuing drought requirements for 6.1 million persons, as well as the needs of 322,500 internally displaced persons and deportees from Eritrea, and 200,000 Somali and Sudanese refugees. DA funds in 2001 will focus on recovery (e.g., resettlement) and the transition from relief to development.

Prospects for enhancing household food security over the medium term are not good. USAID expects a continuing need for emergency food as well as non-food assistance well into FY2001 or longer, considering all factors influencing food insecurity in Ethiopia.

During FY 1999 and 2000, national guidelines for vulnerability profile development were completed. Based on these vulnerability profiles, in early 2001 USAID will support workshops, plan response mechanisms and develop plans for improving sustainable livelihoods for the most highly vulnerable and destitute. By 2002 there should be total coverage of the target districts.

DA funds will finance on-going development of vulnerability profiles managed by the Government and the short-to-medium-term activities supporting the return of the displaced families due to the border conflict. CSD will fund displaced families support activities (health, water and sanitation) and implementation of HIV/AIDS education programs to increase awareness of the risks of transmission and prevention mechanisms in general. These funds will also finance activities related to mitigating the effects of disaster through targeted, timely and appropriate disaster response. Results of the HIV/AIDS education program will be reported under the new health strategic objective, Improved Family Health.

The FY 2002 request of $1,100,000 DA and $1,800,000 CSD is to fund activities that will assure food availability through the Government's safety net and by promoting policy changes. Policy changes will focus on improving private sector channels; supporting a Food for Education program to encourage families to keep primary school-age children in school; financing NGO programs to upgrade community infrastructure; and enhancing disaster preparedness.

Other Donor Programs: USAID is the major contributor toward food security in Ethiopia, followed by the World Food Program and the European Union. The World Bank plans to provide US $400 million in new International Development Association credits to address the impact of the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Its plan includes an Emergency Relief and Rehabilitation Project (US $230 million) and Emergency Demobilization and Reintegration project (US $170 million).

Principal Contractors, Grantees or Agencies: The United States Department of Agriculture is providing food commodities in support of these programs implemented by CARE, Catholic Relief Services, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Save the Children Federation/USA, World Vision International, Food for the Hungry International, AFRICARE, and the Relief Society of Tigray. The Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Commission is the principal Government partner.

Selected Performance Measures: This is a new Special Objective. Performance measures are to be developed as the new program is implemented.

U.S. Financing

(In thousands of dollars)

	Obligations		Expenditures		Unliquidated
Through September 30, 1999	0	DA	0	DA	0	DA
	0	CSD	0	CSD	0	CSD
	0	ESF	0	ESF	0	ESF
	0	SEED	0	SEED	0	SEED
	0	FSA	0	FSA	0	FSA
	0	DFA	0	DFA	0	DFA
Fiscal Year 2000	0	DA	0	DA
	0	CSD	0	CSD
	0	ESF	0	ESF
	0	SEED	0	SEED
	0	FSA	0	FSA
	0	DFA	0	DFA
Through September 30, 2000	0	DA	0	DA	0	DA
	0	CSD	0	CSD	0	CSD
	0	ESF	0	ESF	0	ESF
	0	SEED	0	SEED	0	SEED
	0	FSA	0	FSA	0	FSA
	0	DFA	0	DFA	0	DFA
Prior Year Unobligated Funds	0	DA
	0	CSD
	0	ESF
	0	SEED
	0	FSA
	0	DFA
Planned Fiscal Year 2001 NOA	2,154	DA
	998	CSD
	0	ESF
	0	SEED
	0	FSA
	0	DFA
Total Planned Fiscal Year 2001	2,154	DA
	998	CSD
	0	ESF
	0	SEED
	0	FSA
	0	DFA
			Future Obligations		Est. Total Cost
Proposed Fiscal Year 2002 NOA	1,100	DA	200	DA	3,454	DA
	1,800	CSD	948	CSD	3,746	CSD
	0	ESF	0	ESF	0	ESF
	0	SEED	0	SEED	0	SEED
	0	FSA	0	FSA	0	FSA
	0	DFA	0	DFA	0	DFA

ETHIOPIA

Activity Data Sheet

U.S. Financing