Reality of resilience: perspectives of the 2015–16 drought in Ethiopia

This report highlights lessons from the 2015–16 drought in Ethiopia, including how and why different communities were impacted, effective approaches to resilience building and challenges faced. The timing and spatial distribution of rainfall, beyond total deficits, impacted 9.7 million Ethiopians and particularly affected livelihood activities such as agriculture and pastoralism.

Recommendations from the report include the following:

• Mechanisms that trigger early funding based on pre-agreed indicators are critical to overcoming some of the political, institutional and media effects that have kept the humanitarian system in a state of crisis response.
• Flexible funding and adaptive programming are needed for humanitarian and development organisations implementing projects. This will pivot funds, depending on need, and help stimulate more timely action.
• There is increasing evidence that financial services such as index-based insurance are an important part of building resilience. These services need to be accessible to the most vulnerable people.