OCHA

Ethiopia

Philippines

Highlights 2011

Coordinated the early identification of areas where drought-related demands would exceed existing capacity. Action taken to secure additional capacity through standby partners by June 2011.
Facilitated the development of the sectoral analysis, which provided a situation analysis, outlined cluster response strategies and proposed a drought response road map to guide humanitarian partners and donors.
Co-organized with WFP and UNICEF a workshop on humanitarian principles for regional administrative and security officials as part of advocacy for improved access in the Somali Region.
Supported development of multi-sector, multi-hazard preparedness plans for seven of the nine principal regions in Ethiopia. The Somali Region drought contingency plan was converted to a response plan in January 2011.
Worked with the WASH Cluster Lead to develop clear-cut guidelines and a fast-track process for water-trucking applications at the height of the drought in April and May 2011.

OVERVIEW 2011

Humanitarian needs in Ethiopia are strongly influenced by adverse climatic conditions. The majority of the country’s population depends on rain-fed subsistence livelihoods. By mid 2011, more than 4.56 million people required emergency food assistance. This was due to severe drought in the lowland pastoralist areas of the south and south-east, and the failure of the short (mid-February to May) rains in the densely populated, agriculture-producing central highlands. Another 7.8 million chronically food-insecure people participating in the Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP) also required expanded livelihoods support. In 2011, all humanitarian actors in Ethiopia faced the challenge of scaling up response capacity in order to prevent a fully fledged catastrophe.

OCHA Ethiopia focused heavily on supporting the HC and the HCT in advocating enhanced humanitarian operational space, and coordinating the expanded international response to the drought crisis. Working towards these goals, OCHA promoted greater engagement with the Government on humanitarian decision-making. This resulted in the expansion of the government’s Multi-Agency Coordination (MAC) forum into a platform for high-level humanitarian-donor-Government engagement.

OCHA expanded its field presence in the critical Somali Region. It also increased the frequency and duration of its visits to other drought-affected regions where the office does not have a permanent presence.

OCHA helped clusters become more active in response planning and monitoring. It worked with cluster leads to expedite Humanitarian Response Fund (HRF) allocations. For example, regarding the WASH Cluster, guidelines and a fast-track process for water-trucking applications were agreed at the height of the water shortages in April and May 2011.

In terms of drought-related information products, an inter-sectoral analysis and response road map was developed to guide partners on how and when to engage with specific response activities.

In addition to the new coordination challenges arising from drought response, OCHA dealt with familiar access limitations stemming from insecurity and bureaucratic challenges, the need for more-inclusive humanitarian planning, and the need to enhance preparedness and response planning to support the transition to disaster risk management.

Agreement on a standard access protocol was not reached in 2011, but access to the Somali Region did improve due to the drought response. To support enhanced access, OCHA, WFP and UNICEF piloted a new training for administrative and security officials in the Somali Region on humanitarian principles. OCHA also continued to support implementation of the Access Monitoring and Reporting Framework in Ethiopia and joint advocacy on access requirements.

OCHA continued to push for recognition of all humanitarian needs in the country, including the needs of people displaced inside Ethiopia but outside traditional refugee settings. OCHA also urged more consideration of the needs of local host communities. It supported greater use of sex- and age-disaggregated data in the humanitarian planning cycle, and helped to create a Government-led Gender Task Force. OCHA also supported efforts to bring greater transparency to assessing needs and identifying associated humanitarian requirements through finalizing beneficiary figures at the regional level.

On preparedness, OCHA continued to support the use of the UNICEF-led Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan (EPRP) process as a multi-sectoral, multi-hazard contingency planning process. In 2011, seven of the country’s nine principal regions developed EPRPs in the first quarter. The Somali Region EPRP was translated into a drought response plan by January 2011.

WORKPLAN 2011

GOAL 1: A more enabling environment for humanitarian action.
Objective 1.3 Defined roles and responsibilities within OCHA and among international development and humanitarian partners to support governments and regional organizations in response preparedness.
INDICATOR	Number of regions with (updated) multi-sectoral, multi-hazard contingency plans by June 2011.
ACHIEVEMENTS	Seventy-eight per cent of all regions in Ethiopia (seven of nine) had updated multi-sectoral Emergency Preparedness and Response Plans (EPRP). A national floods-response plan was developed in the second half of 2011.
INDICATOR	Percentage of respondents that indicate that training improved their understanding of the role of humanitarian preparedness for response within the disaster risk management (DRM) cycle.
ACHIEVEMENTS	OCHA resources were re-targeted to support increased coordination needs in response to the drought. Therefore, the planned workshop on OCHA’s role in DRM did not take place.

GOAL 2: A more effective humanitarian coordination system
Objective 2.1 Effective mechanisms that manage and support accountable humanitarian coordination leaders.
INDICATOR	Established and functioning operational inter-cluster forums at capital and provincial level in accordance with generic TOR.
ACHIEVEMENTS	Based on the adapted cluster approach rolled out in Ethiopia in 2007, functioning inter-cluster coordination forums are operational at the federal level and in four regions. Roll-out of Government-led inter-sectoral coordination mechanisms continues at the regional level in 2012.
INDICATOR	Percentage of agenda issues addressed by Ethiopian HCT that are submitted from operational-level inter-cluster coordination forums.
ACHIEVEMENTS	The EHCT agenda comprises a number of standing items, which respond to operational issues raised by the cluster leads (assessments, access and aid financing, at present). The cluster leads regularly raise additional issues to the HCT. In 2011, all issues proposed by the cluster leads were accepted for discussion by the EHCT.
INDICATOR	Percentage of inter-cluster, cluster and cross-cutting recommendations issued by HCT that are implemented at operational level.
ACHIEVEMENTS	With a single exception, all recommendations and tasking issued to the cluster leads by the EHCT have been/are being implemented. In the single exception, the alternative recommendation offered by the cluster leads to the EHCT was accepted.
Objective 2.2 An OCHA capable of responding quickly with clear triggers for establishing, phasing and drawing down operations.
INDICATOR	Country Office Strategy developed by target date, including planning indicators in consultation with partners.
ACHIEVEMENTS	Country Office Strategy submitted and approved by HQ for 2012-2013.
Objective 2.3 A more predictable and scalable suite of OCHA services and tools to support leaders and partners in response preparedness, humanitarian response and transition.
INDICATOR	Country operations reviewed against minimum services list.
ACHIEVEMENTS	The Ethiopia CO offers all of the services described in the Policy Instruction on the Roles and Responsibilities of Country Offices to the extent possible. The Government coordinates needs assessments in Ethiopia, and the Humanitarian Requirements Document (HRD) is a Government-led process equivalent to the CAP. OCHA facilitates the HRD compilation on behalf of the humanitarian community and coordinates additional inter-sectoral analysis internal to the EHCT/humanitarian community.
INDICATOR	Number of monthly access reports provided to EHCT.
ACHIEVEMENTS	Ten monthly reports submitted to EHCT on access, including a combined report for May/June 2011.
INDICATOR	IDP monitoring and cluster reporting frameworks developed and implemented.
ACHIEVEMENTS	IDP Monitoring: OCHA is reviewing inter-agency IDP-monitoring processes in coordination with key protection partners. With ECHO funding, IOM has developed a registration and profiling mechanism for IDP situations, which has been applied to the two largest displacement situations in Ethiopia. OCHA is reviewing whether to link these initiatives with the inter-agency assessment tool and database developed in 2010. Currently, IDP assessment and response are being monitored as part of OCHA's regular cluster reporting (key indicator matrix). Cluster Reporting: Situation reporting (regional) on the basis of cluster inputs was sustained throughout the second half of 2011. For 2012, a new form of cluster reporting, based on monthly tracking of key response indicators agreed with the cluster leads, will be available to the EHCT.
INDICATOR	Percentage of key OCHA tools (contingency plans, CAP/flash appeals, sit reps) using sex- and age-disaggregated data.
ACHIEVEMENTS	The Government leads the Contingency Planning and HRD preparation, with efforts being made to advocate and mainstream SADD in CPs and HRDs. However, it is important to note that the HRD is not project based. Therefore, all population figures (including those disaggregated for sex and age) are estimates. In the 2012 HRD released in January 2012, age-disaggregated data were provided in the 2011 review and 2012 planning for health and nutrition, and for education (in 2012 planning). In March 2012, a multi-agency Gender Task Force was convened under DRMFSS leadership and will continue to push for inclusion of SADD in all sectors. Regional contingency plans (EPRPs) all have SADD mainstreamed. Where available, SADD was included in the Ethiopia inputs to the regional situation reports (largely health, nutrition and education, as well as refugee response) and in the weekly Humanitarian Bulletin. Minimal SADD sensitivity is expected of most HRF-approved projects, as measured by the Gender Marker.
Objective 2.4 A more systematic humanitarian programme cycle (needs assessment and analysis, joint planning, fund-raising and resource allocation, and monitoring and evaluation).
INDICATOR	Number of weeks between conclusion of joint assessments and publication of document.
ACHIEVEMENTS	Average number of weeks between conclusion of assessments (Meher and mid-Belg) and release of HRD documents reduced to seven weeks. At the start of 2012, only four weeks elapsed between conclusion of Meher assessment and release of 2012 HRD.
INDICATOR	Needs-assessment plan developed and endorsed by HCT.
ACHIEVEMENTS	The Government leads and organizes biannual needs assessments. The UN agencies and NGOs participate in a coordinated fashion in the needs assessments. OCHA and DRMFSS lead the coordination of international support. In the second half of 2011, NGO participation expanded to approximately 60 per cent of INGOs working on humanitarian response.
INDICATOR	Cluster response strategies shared with the EHCT and the donor community.
ACHIEVEMENTS	The sectoral analysis (covering agriculture, food, WASH, health, nutrition and education) was developed and shared with the EHCT and the Development Assistance Group. It has been updated frequently (currently version nine) and shared subsequently.
INDICATOR	Percentage of projects in the funding mechanism (HRF) coded with the Gender Marker.
ACHIEVEMENTS	Seventy-seven per cent of projects (58 out of 75) between Jan-Dec 2011 coded with Gender Marker. Not all projects are amenable to application of the Gender Marker (i.e. bulk purchase of nutrition support and common services). Of the 17 projects not coded, six were expedited water-trucking projects exempted from normal review process. The other 11 were not subject to GM coding as not appropriate. The HRF has suggested there be a score that reflects that a project was considered for coding, but is a type to which the coding is not applicable.

The elderly await their share while sitting on piles of sacks filled with cereal for aid hand-outs under the Productive Safety Net Programme in the Borena zone in Ethiopia’s Oromiya region. © Jaspreet Kindra/IRIN