The United Nations allocated 8.5 million additional dollars in emergency aid to Ethiopia, according to a statement published on October 14. Announced the day before by the UN's emergency relief coordinator, Tom Fletcher, this funding comes from the Central Emergency Response Fund, CERF.
The envelope is meant to support more than 202 700 people, notably in Tigray, Amhara, Afar and Benishangul-Gumuz. Newly displaced populations or those forced to flee again, as well as communities cut off from essential services, will be prioritized, the UN said.
The resources will fund access to water, sanitation and hygiene, shelter, health, nutrition and protection of civilians. They must also support the shared services needed for humanitarian operations in areas where response capacity is limited.
CERF pools donor contributions and disburses resources directly to UN agencies for their emergency operations. This common mechanism is used to finance the first operations during a crisis or to strengthen relief already under way when other financial resources are lacking, according to Global Affairs Canada.
This allocation brings CERF's total support to Ethiopia in 2026 to more than 22.5 million dollars. This total includes anticipatory interventions in Afar and Amhara in the face of dry conditions linked to El Niño, according to the UN.