The Humanitarian Response Fund (HRF) for Ethiopia is an emergency funding mechanism managed by the UN Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) and established to address gaps in critical, live-saving emergency response. Contributions to the HRF has been made by various donors including DfID, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain and Switzerland.

Through its cooperative decision-making process, the HRF has allocated more than US$ 131 million in emergency assistance, addressing sectoral needs in major emergencies stemming from hazards such as drought, floods and disease outbreaks, including complex emergencies such as displacement consequences, between March 2006 and December 2010. In order to address the most pressing cross-sectoral needs, the Humanitarian Response Fund has focused particular attention on non-food needs such as emergency health, nutrition, water, sanitation, non-food items, and agriculture and livestock interventions

In 2011, the HRF has allocated approximately US$ 53 million in response to priority sectoral and emergency gaps of nutrition, WASH, NFIs and agriculture and livestock reaching different parts of the country.

Thus far, in 2012, the Humanitarian Response Fund (HRF) has allocated approximately US$ 11 million towards emergency assistance of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the country.