The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently provided €9 million to fund four projects addressing the emergency in Ethiopia.
To address the drought, which has resulted in food insecurity for 50 million people in the Horn of Africa, the Italian Development Cooperation Agency will provide civil society organizations with €3 million. These funds will help implement initiatives in the country’s southern regions focused on water and sanitation, agriculture and food security, health, and nutrition.
Another €2 million will support World Food Program (WFP) interventions to foster an effective response to nutritional rehabilitation and prevent child mortality.
The WFP’s intervention will target the Tigray, Amara, and Afar regions, which are among the most fragile in the country. The ongoing crisis in northern Ethiopia has made many people vulnerable. Constant fighting, insecurity, and collapsed social services created a high-risk environment and forced population movement. Gender-based violence has become a widespread issue.
To prevent violence, reduce inequality, and counter exploitation and sexual abuse, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) will act to protect nearly 50.000 women and girls, in particular internally displaced persons and returnees in northern Ethiopia, through a contribution of €2 million.
Finally, Ethiopia will benefit from an additional €2 million, earmarked for the Gambella and Benishangul-Gumuz regions, to support people forced to flee from the conflict.
The new funds reaffirm Italy’s commitment to the most vulnerable areas of Ethiopia.
The humanitarian situation in Ethiopia and the wider Horn of Africa Region was also the subject of an event held on September 21 on the sidelines of the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The event, organized by Italy and OCHA along with other international partners, was co-chaired by Deputy Italian Foreign Minister Marina Sereni.
