Ethiopia - Concept of Operations, July 2026

Content

Background
 

Ethiopia continues to face one of the most complex humanitarian operating environments with overlapping crises including armed conflict, recurrent climate shocks and diseases outbreaks. Humanitarian needs remain substantial across regions including Amhara, Tigray, Gambella, Benishangul Gumuz, Somali and Oromia regions where conflict, flooding, drought and localized insecurity continue to affect vulnerable populations and disrupt access to essential services. The overlapping crises increase the requirements for humanitarian logistics whilst affecting the ability of humanitarian organisations to deliver timely and efficient assistance to vulnerable communities. Whilst the humanitarian situation remains fluid, access constraints continue to pose significant operational challenges. Access restrictions, fuel limitations, administrative bottlenecks, seasonal flooding, infrastructure damage, and limited availability of commercial transport continue to affect humanitarian supply chains. The operational environment also remains dynamic, requiring continuous monitoring and operational flexibility to ensure humanitarian partners can reach communities.

The Government of Ethiopia through the Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission (EDRMC), together with humanitarian partners, continue to prioritize strengthened emergency preparedness, coordinated response and localization of humanitarian action. Since its activation in April 2020, the Logistics Cluster, led by the World Food Programme (WFP) as Cluster Lead Agency has played a central role in supporting humanitarian operations through provision of common logistics services, coordination, information management and convoy facilitation where critical gaps exist. Through these services, the cluster works with government entities, United Nations agencies, international and national NGOs and donors to facilitate effective humanitarian logistics support. 

The Logistics Cluster maintains coordination platforms at both national and sub-national levels to improve operational planning, information sharing, and collective problem solving. In addition to facilitating common transport and storage services where required, the cluster supports humanitarian access initiatives, produces operational information products, maps logistics infrastructure and access constraints, strengthens preparedness planning, and builds the capacity of national and local responders. Increasing emphasis is also placed on anticipatory action in line with the WFP Anticipatory Framework, supply chain resilience, environmental sustainability, and localization to ensure humanitarian logistics systems are better prepared for future emergencies.

As humanitarian needs remain significant, the Logistics Cluster remains committed to providing efficient and coordinated logistics support that enables humanitarian organisations to deliver life-saving assistance to affected populations across Ethiopia. This Concept of Operations outlines the cluster's priorities, coordination mechanisms, common services, and preparedness activities that will guide logistics support throughout the cluster’s activation.

Logistics Gaps and Bottlenecks

The Gaps and Needs Analysis conducted by the cluster in 2025 identified several priority logistics constraints that continue to hinder humanitarian operations in Ethiopia. These challenges are mostly found in conflict affected and hard-to-reach areas in Northern Ethiopia, Benishangul Gumuz, Gambella and Oromia regions. The following constraints were identified.

1. Coordination

While partners appreciate the coordination efforts at the national level, significant gaps were noted at the sub-national levels. Partners highlighted limited structured engagement in regional platforms, with inconsistent participation of local organisations, lack of coordination with government agencies at the regional levels, and as a result, fragmented operational planning

2. Transport capacity

Transport services remain one of the key gaps in Ethiopia. Partners continue to face limited transport availability of reliable commercial transport to conflict affected, remote and flood-prone areas. Security concerns, fuel availability, low risk tolerance and deteriorating road conditions have increased the reliance on luster provided transport to partners. 

3. Storage Capacity

Storage is insufficient in several priority areas. Partners require additional warehouse facilities in Amhara and Tigray regions. Partners also identified shortage in temperature-controlled storage facilities for vaccines, nutrition commodities and other cold chain supplies. 

4. Fuel availability

Fuel shortages continue to significantly affect operations, particularly in Amhara, Benishangul and Tigray regions. Access to fuel through existing mechanisms remains insufficient to meet operational requirements, while procurement through commercial markets is often expensive and unreliable. WFP On-demand Services have been supporting partners with fuel, although National NGOs experience additional challenges accessing the fuel. 

5. Information Management

Priority gaps include insufficient real-time information and mapping on road access constraints, convoy schedules mainly impacted by the rapidly changing access situation, transport availability and movement approval processes. Partners also highlighted the need for centralized logistics information systems integrating operational data, logistics services, and accessing information into a single platform accessible to all partners.

6. Humanitarian Access and Convoy Coordination

Humanitarian access has also been constrained by insecurity, military escort requirements and rapidly changing road conditions. Delays in convoy movements were also noted due to limited escort availability, check point procedures and rerouting through longer corridors. Lack of information on convoy schedules in advance also further complicates partners' operational planning.

7. Regulatory and Administrative Constraints

Humanitarian organisations continue to encounter significant challenges in navigating customs clearance, import procedures, movement approvals, and other regulatory requirements. Administrative impediments for permits, variations in the interpretation and application of regulations, and evolving customs requirements can introduce uncertainty into humanitarian supply chains, potentially affecting the timeliness and predictability of planning and response efforts.

8. Capacity Strengthening

Strengthening logistics capacity among humanitarian partners remains a key priority. Humanitarian organisations identified continued needs for training in warehouse and inventory management, fleet management, supply chain planning, customs procedures, cold chain logistics, information management and GIS. Strengthening the technical capacity of national NGOs and government counterparts will contribute to localization objectives and improve preparedness for future emergencies.

Objectives

The primary objective of the active Logistics Cluster is to meet the needs of affected people through reliable, effective, inclusive, and humanitarian principles-aligned means. To achieve this, the Logistics Cluster aims to;

1. Strengthen humanitarian logistics coordination and information management.
2. Address the common logistics capacity gaps.
3. Support efforts for improved access through convoy coordination and advocacy.
4. Enhance preparedness and anticipatory action.
5. Strengthen the capacity of local counterparts and promote further engagement at regional level.
6. Ensure transfer of responsibilities from the WFP, as co-lead, to local partners wherever appropriate. 

7. Promote greater clarity and predictability in customs procedures, in coordination with IMPACCT

    

Planned Activities

The following range of activities and services are not intended to replace the logistics capacities of individual agencies or organisations, but rather to fill identified gaps in the humanitarian supply chain and supplement the response of the humanitarian community through the provision of common services, based on need. This ConOps will be revised during the year through sectoral logistics capacity assessment and analyses.

The following services are available to the humanitarian community until December 2026.

Note: The services facilitated by the Logistics Cluster are not intended to replace the logistics capacities of the agencies or organisations, but rather to supplement them through access to common services. The configuration and geographic coverage of common logistics services will be continuously reviewed based on humanitarian needs, operational access, security conditions, partner demand, available funding, and the evolving humanitarian context. Services may be expanded, relocated, scaled up, or phased out as operational requirements change. Subject to operational feasibility, access conditions and available funding, the Logistics Cluster will offer the common services listed below at no cost to the user.