European Union grants EUR 33.5 million to Ethiopia in support of disaster risk reduction

May 10, 2019 Semonegna Politics 0

disaster risk reduction
Ato Admasu Nebebe (R), Ministry of Finance’s State Minister and Mr. Erik Habers (L), Head of Cooperation, the European Delegation to Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA (Ministry of Finance) – The Ethiopian Government and the European Union (EU) signed a financing agreement amounting to EUR 33.5 million (ETB 1.085 billion) for EU-TRUST Fund for Disaster Risk Reduction project. The project will focus on strengthening households, communities and local authorities to manage and adapt to disasters and other risks, thus reducing their humanitarian and economic impact, including forced displacement and irregular migration. This support, according to Ethiopia’s Ministry of Finance, is critical and timely given the increasing frequency and intensity of drought, as well as other shocks such as conflict, which had led to significant internal displacement.

This resource is contributed from the EU-TRUST Fund 25.00 million euros and 11th European Development Fund Health Sector Support program 8.00 million euro. The project implementation period will be 54 months (2019-2023).

The implementing organizations will include NGOs, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Agency including activities for Somali, Southern Nations Nationalities Peoples (SNNP), Oromia and Amhara regions. Some of the activities include: 

  • strengthening households, communities and local authorities to manage and adapt to disasters and other risks, 
  • reducing humanitarian and economic impact of communities, including forced displacement and irregular migration,
  • creating economic opportunities for internally displaced people (IDPs),
  • develop capacities on disaster risk management and early warning system for regional and woreda administrations, and
  • establish disaster risk recovery contingency fund at federal as well as regional (in Somali, Afar, Oromia, Amhara and SNNP regions), in the coming four years

Ato Admasu Nebebe, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) Ministry of Finance’s State Minister and Mr. Erik Habers, Head of Cooperation, the European Delegation to Ethiopia, signed the agreement on behalf of the Ethiopian Government and the European Commission, respectively.

SOURCE: FDRE Ministry of Finance