Strategic evaluation of EU Emergency Trust Fund programmes in the Horn of Africa

Project 29 April 2025

Authors

Volker Hauck

After approximately €756 million in resilience interventions through the European Union Trust Fund (EUTF) in the Horn of Africa region between 2016 until 2024, it is necessary to know what has been achieved and what lessons can be drawn.

table of contents

About the evaluation

ECDPM and Particip were commissioned by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships to evaluate the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa approaches in the Horn of Africa to counter vulnerability. On 31 December 2025, all EUTF financed interventions will come to an end. This evaluation provides an independent assessment of the performance of EUTF resilience programmes across the Horn of Africa, analysing results against expected objectives and extracting key lessons, conclusions, and recommendations.

The evaluation focused on the Horn of Africa countries, which received the most support from the EUTF, namely Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Somalia, South Sudan and Uganda. It also examined cross-border
interventions. Temporally, the evaluation looked at interventions from the start of the EUTF in 2016
up until 2024. During this period, approximately €756 million in contracted funding was allocated
to resilience interventions in the Horn of Africa region.

Throughout the EUTF implementation period, the Horn of Africa region experienced major challenges,
including civil wars, political instability, natural disasters, the effects of COVID-19 and persistent
poverty. These challenges underscored the pertinence of the EUTF’s resilience support, although it
also presented challenges to a smooth implementation. Against this background, the evaluation
assessed the extent to which the EUTF contributed to improved food security and natural resource
management, strengthened disaster and conflict risk management (DRM) and social cohesion
among Internally Displaced People (IDPs), refugees and host communities. It also identified
obstacles and opportunities for sustainability, reviewed the effectiveness and efficiency of project
delivery and assessed the overall added value of the EUTF’s support to the region.

Resilience-related EU policies, the EUTF implementation and EU financing instruments

Presentation of the evaluation

In 12 March 2025, ECDPM and Particip presented the findings, conclusions and recommendations of the strategic evaluation in an InfoPoint conference. The recording of the event can be found on DG International Partnership's website.