[{"bbox": [96, 152, 1135, 310], "category": "Text", "text": "According to UNFPA study report⁴, only five hospitals in the entire country have dedicated a separate clinic that provides sexual and GBV survivors with clinical services. In other health facilities, survivors of sexual violence are not consistently provided with specialised services, such as clinical management of rape and the availability of professional counselling and psychological support is insufficient. The need for clinical GBV services and referrals to available services, including mental health and psychosocial support is critical, including specific services for children and adolescents."}, {"bbox": [96, 323, 1135, 456], "category": "Text", "text": "Within such a challenging context, the government has been implementing its Health Sector Transformation Plan (HSTP-II). The HSTP-II mid-term review⁵ highlighted the significant impact of the conflict on maternal and child health services. During the last decade (before the conflict), Ethiopia had achieved impresevive results in reducing maternal and child deaths, and currently there is a critical need to protect these gains and/or mitigate further impact of the conflict on the health outcomes."}, {"bbox": [96, 468, 1135, 683], "category": "Text", "text": "Following the signature of the peace agreement, the improved security situation in Afar and Tigray has made it possible to access areas that were severely impacted by the conflict. In these areas, alongside immediate humanitarian assistance, stabilisation efforts are needed for affected communities to be able to recover. In line with this, the government, in collaboration with development partners, has designed the Resilient Recovery and Reconstruction (3RF) Planning Framework (2023-2028) to support progress from early recovery to longer-term resilience over the next 3-5 years. The 3RF provides an overarching framework for planning, coordinating, financing, implementing, and monitoring Ethiopia's resilient recovery and reconstruction through a coordinated efforts with the involvement of all stakeholders and support from the international community."}, {"bbox": [96, 693, 1135, 802], "category": "Text", "text": "The Action proposes to implement the intervention in the northern regions, where damage on health facilities is significant. This includes the specialized hospitals of Adwa Tigray and of Aba'ala in Afar, with an estimated catchment population of 1.2 million and 82 000, respectively. Access to services for GBV survivors is also limited in conflict affected areas of Tigray, Afar and Amhara region."}, {"bbox": [96, 812, 1135, 1159], "category": "Text", "text": "The EU has been amongst the first responded to ensure restoration of basic health services in conflict affected areas, with an ambitious package of EUR 39 500 000 under Individual Measure 1 adopted in 2022 and currently under implementation. The package of interventions includes rehabilitation at scale, with UNICEF supporting health centres and primary hospitals rehabilitation, as well as support to GBV survivors, and Expertise France focussing on the specialized hospital of Dessie, in Amhara region. The needs are far more than can be currently covered, hence the design of this Action under AAP 2024 – Part 1. With this Action, the EU will be supporting the main specialized hospital in each of the three conflict affected region, and will provide a substantial contribution to the, so far, neglected area of GBV survivor support. The Action recognizes that medical treatment for GBV survivors has been very limited, and it will need to be framed within a broader holistic support to survivors, with solid referral systems, covering the legal as well as the socio-economic support. Where relevant and applicable, this approach will also support Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) processes in terms of providing services for severe mental health problems and psycho-social support for children, men and women associated with armed groups and child and adult GBV survivors."}, {"bbox": [96, 1169, 1135, 1305], "category": "Text", "text": "Supporting stabilisation efforts in these regions, through rehabilitation and deliverance of key protection services, would initiate a positive dynamic and reinforce federal authorities' investment in the restoration of basic services across conflict-affected areas. Moreover, developing a stabilisation intervention in these regions would more generally promote community buy-in into the November 2022 peace agreement through the materialisation of peace dividends that would also benefit communities more broadly, and not only those involved in direct fighting."}, {"bbox": [96, 1314, 1135, 1423], "category": "Text", "text": "This Action is aligned with the proposed interventions in the Ethiopia's Resilient Recovery and Reconstruction Planning Framework and the reforms envisaged by the Health Sector Transformation Plan (HSTP-II), in particular with its objectives of a) accelerating progress towards universal health coverage, and b) improving health system responsiveness."}, {"bbox": [96, 1433, 1135, 1514], "category": "Text", "text": "The present Action is also fully consistent and aligned with European Commission policies, objectives and priorities. It falls under Priority area 2 of the Multi Annual Indicative Programme for Ethiopia, i.e. Human Development. It contributes to its specific objective to improve equitable access, quality and efficiency in the"}, {"bbox": [85, 1572, 1143, 1623], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁴ UNFPA Report 2020: Universal Health Coverage Policies and Progress towards the Attainment of Universal Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Services in Ethiopia"}, {"bbox": [85, 1622, 812, 1646], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁵ *Ethiopia Health Sector Transformation Plan (HSTP-II) Mid-Term Review, June 2023*"}, {"bbox": [1038, 1681, 1144, 1706], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 5 of 23"}]