SID-US 286d ago

Scaling Resilience in Ethiopia: Social Protection, Jobs, and Food Security in the Face of Compounding Crises Note: The views and opinions expressed by speakers in this event are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, or positions of SID-United States (SID-US) or their respective employers. SID-US does not endorse any specific perspectives, strategies, or advice shared during this session. Despite being one of the fastest-growing economies in the region, Ethiopia remains among the top five countries with the largest populations facing acute hunger and has one of the lowest per capita gross national incomes, at just USD 1,020. The country continues to face a polycrisis. Intersecting drought, instability, economic shocks, poverty and the lingering effects of the pandemic all pose significant and complex challenges for the country’s vulnerable communities, markets, and institutions. In the face of converging risks and compounding crises, new approaches to resilience building are vital. These approaches must support locally led solutions and harness the potential and scale of public systems and markets, including the Productive National Safety Net Program (PSNP) and agrarian economy. Since 2021, Food for the Hungry has implemented a U.S. government-funded Resilience Food Security Activity (RFSA) called PReSERVE in the Amhara region. Working closely with communities, the Government of Ethiopia, the World Bank, and other development partners, PReSERVE takes an innovative approach to improving food security, creating jobs, and strengthening resilience by building on the PSNP. Food for the Hungry has supported the PSNP since its inception in 2005, through U.S. government funding. Join SID-US for a discussion with Girma Deressa, Chief of Party for Food for the Hungry’s RFSA/PReSERVE, and Lola Arriba Baños, the newly appointed East Africa Practice Manager for the Social Protection and Jobs Global Unit at the World Bank. The conversation will explore how international partners can more effectively support vulnerable populations, markets, and social protection systems to build resilience in an age of uncertainty.