Inter-Agency Humanitarian Evaluation of the Response to the Humanitarian Crisis in northern Ethiopia

The independent inter-agency humanitarian evaluation (IAHE) assessed the collective humanitarian response to the crisis in the three northern regions of Ethiopia between November 2020 and April 2023. The evaluation finds that although humanitarian organizations overcame numerous obstacles to deliver critical aid, the collective response to the needs of people in Northern Ethiopia was not adequate.  

Local NGOs made critical contributions, and there were strong examples of area-based coordination. However, humanitarian leadership was fundamentally disunited, which hindered its effectiveness. A principled humanitarian approach, crucial during armed conflict, was not adequately realized. 

The evaluation makes eight recommendations to improve humanitarian action, including the development of a coherent UN-systemwide country strategy in situations of armed conflict.