In 2009, following the Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) study, which was conducted within the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MoARD), the Disaster Risk Management and Food Security Sector (DRMFSS) was established. The DRMFSS, which is consisted of the Early Warning and Response Directorate (EWRD) and the Food Security Programme Directorate, is responsible for the overall coordination and leadership towards the implementation of the Disaster Risk Management (DRM) approach taken on by the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in collaboration with its humanitarian partners.

 

The new multi-sectoral and multi-hazard DRM approaches disaster management based on vulnerability profiles, thus enabling it to target potential and impeding disasters through a comprehensive response. Its aim is to articulate the underlying and associated causes and implications of disaster vulnerability in an attempt to help policy makers, planners, practitioners, and communities to design appropriate, targeted risk reduction and awareness, disaster management, and development of programs.

 

Mandate

The Disaster Risk Management and Food Security Sector (DRMFSS) has the following specific duties and responsibilities:

• Prepare and revise as required disaster prevention and preparedness national policy; formulate strategy for its application; and upon approval follow up its implementation;
• Create, strengthen, and administer stand-by capacities over selected and strategic areas for timely, effective, and appropriate response against fast onset and other disasters of national concern;
• In cooperation with domestic and foreign information sources, to monitor, forecast, and warn against disasters that could affect the agricultural sector and livelihoods of the population;
• When fast onset or other disasters of national concern occur, in cooperation with concerned bodies, to assess their cause, magnitude and extent; and identify appropriate responses; officially declare the disaster as required; 
• Provide financial and logistics support to relevant bodies for timely response against fast onset and other disasters of national concern; monitor, coordinate, and be involved in prevention and control operations as required; 
• In cooperation with concerned bodies, to timely provide the necessary emergency and recovery assistances to victims of fast onset or other disasters of national concern; 
• Whenever the level of the stand-by capacity is too low to allow timely and appropriate response against fast onset or disasters of national concern, upon approval of the government, to bridge the gap by requesting for and receiving any form of assistance from domestic and foreign sources;
• When there is a threat of disaster or occurrence of disaster, in cooperation with concerned bodies, to take appropriate and timely measures before, during or after a disaster; follow-up and coordinate the intervention;
• Mobilize, allocate and disperse resources to beneficiary regions for the implementation of Food Security Programme aimed at attaining food security of chronically food insecure rural households; follow-up and ensure proper utilization of the resource; in cooperation with Regional States and other concerned bodies, make the programme effective;
• Direct and coordinate the National Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Fund and the National Food Security Reserve;