[{"bbox": [85, 153, 323, 185], "category": "Section-header", "text": "2 RATIONALE"}, {"bbox": [85, 216, 234, 243], "category": "Section-header", "text": "2.1 Context"}, {"bbox": [96, 260, 1134, 472], "category": "Text", "text": "Ethiopia is the second most populous country in Africa with around 115 million people (of which 45 million children are 0-14 years old) and the population growth remains high at around 2.5 % per year, despite having been decreasing for the past three decades². The UN estimates that its population will reach 200 million by 2050, becoming one of the world's ten largest countries³. According to the World Bank⁴, Ethiopia's economy experienced strong, broad-based growth averaging 9.4 % a year from 2010/11 to 2019/20, although slowed down to 6.1 % in 2019/20 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ethiopia has also managed to increase life expectancy from 47.1 in 1990 to 66.6 in 2020⁵. However, it is also one of the poorest ranking 174 out of 189 countries at the Human Development Index (2018)."}, {"bbox": [96, 483, 1134, 671], "category": "Text", "text": "Since November 2020, Ethiopia has been engulfed in a civil war. While the conflict is mainly affecting Ethiopia's northern regions (Tigray, Amhara and Afar), spill over effects and smaller pockets of interrelated conflicts increase significantly the geographical area with population affected by the conflict. This has affected significantly the education of children, in particular girls, as has been seen by decreasing enrolment rates, increasing dropout rates, and a significant number of schools destroyed or damaged by the conflict (see 2.2 Problem Analysis). The conflict has thus exacerbated an already critical situation, as it is estimated that out of the 14.4 million children out of school (around 45 % of the total school-age population), over 1.2 million have left school because of the conflict."}, {"bbox": [96, 682, 1134, 922], "category": "Text", "text": "Limited access to school is only one of the consequences of the conflict, the second being increased dropout rates. In primary education, one in four students enrolled in Grade 1 do not finish that first year of school, and either drop out or have to repeat Grade 1. School dropout is considerably higher for girls from all social backgrounds with 47 % of girls who start Grade 1 not completing Grade 5 and 75 % of secondary school-age girls not attending secondary school a result of multiple factors that hamper girls education at all school levels (high levels of teenage pregnancy, early marriage, obligation to work in the home, diminished investment from families when compared to boys, female low social status, hostile learning environment, lack of accessibility and disability related stigma, the distance between homes and lack of transport means, and the risk of violence in transit)⁶. This situation has also been exacerbated by the conflict as dropout rates increase in conflict affected regions."}, {"bbox": [96, 933, 1134, 1121], "category": "Text", "text": "Girls are in an even more disadvantaged situation. Current assessments from United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and other UN agencies⁷ show rapid increase in child marriages, teenage pregnancies, child labour, child exploitation and severe malnutrition. The hard won gains in past years on human development (mainly on education and health) are now quickly reversing and backsliding to levels of decades ago. In this context, addressing the human capital and development of the population through education (as well as health) is vital, not only to address the needs arising from the conflict, but also for the economic development of the country and its political and social stability."}, {"bbox": [96, 1144, 1134, 1252], "category": "Text", "text": "Under these circumstances, it is vital that the EU ensures continued support to people in Ethiopia, in particular those most affected by the conflict. The current cooperation between the EU and the government of Ethiopia has been limited due to the ongoing conflict. This has also led to a delay in the approval process of the 2021-2027 Multiannual Indicative Programme (MIP) for Ethiopia."}, {"bbox": [96, 1263, 1134, 1370], "category": "Text", "text": "The increasing needs of the most vulnerable communities in Ethiopia, in particular girls and women, persons with disabilities, and IDPs, which must be addressed promptly, translate into the need for Individual Measures. The use of these measures is appropriate as the EU currently lacks the relevant programming document⁸ due to the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia."}, {"bbox": [85, 1426, 836, 1451], "category": "Footnote", "text": "² World Bank, World Development Indicators, Ethiopia. Consulted on 21 December 2021."}, {"bbox": [85, 1450, 802, 1475], "category": "Footnote", "text": "³ UN Department of Economics and Social Affairs, World Population Prospects 2019."}, {"bbox": [85, 1474, 1016, 1499], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁴ World Bank report (2021) - Eighth Ethiopia Economic Update: Ensuring Resilient Recovery from COVID-19."}, {"bbox": [85, 1498, 780, 1523], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁵ UNDP, Human Development Reports, Ethiopia. Consulted on 21 December 2021."}, {"bbox": [85, 1522, 986, 1547], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁶ Education Sector Development Programme VI (2020/21-2024/25), Ministry of Education, December 2020."}, {"bbox": [85, 1546, 517, 1571], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁷ Humanitarian Response Plan-Ethiopia. April 2021"}, {"bbox": [85, 1570, 1143, 1620], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁸ Regulation (EU) 2021/947 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 June 2021 establishing the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe, OJ L 209, 14.6.2021, p. 1–78, Article 23.3."}, {"bbox": [1038, 1681, 1143, 1705], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 4 of 19"}]