Central African Republic Humanitarian Fund Annual Report 2024

LETTER FROM THE HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR

I am pleased to present the 2024 Annual Report of the Central African Republic Humanitarian Fund (CAR HF). This report highlights the strategic use of the Fund to address the most urgent humanitarian needs resulting from a decade of internal conflicts and natural disasters. It also provides an update on the Fund’s management and accountability systems. While the increase in returnees indicates relative stability according to the local perception of affected communities, making it more relevant than ever to explore new avenues for sustainable collaboration; the Central African Republic (CAR) still faces significant humanitarian needs with more than one third of the population requiring assistance.

CAR HF played a crucial role in responding to various emergencies. Through a combination of speed, flexibility, and strategic focus, along with a robust accountability system, the CAR HF allocated $18.5 million through collective prioritization processes. These efforts were instrumental in ensuring the timely allocation of scarce resources, facilitating humanitarian assistance for over 322,500 people.

To address persistently high protection risks in 2024, CAR HF allocated $3.5 million to PSEA interventions in Ouham, Ouham Pendé, and Lim-Pendé prefectures. Complementing the 2023 CERF allocations, whose activities were still ongoing in 2024, CAR HF disbursed $14.5 million to address urgent humanitarian needs driven by insecurity and mass displacement. It supported child protection and GBV (Gender-Based Violence) prevention in hard-to-reach areas through a localized response and leveraging the capacities of women-led organizations on the frontlines.

Continuing its localization efforts, CAR HF directed 30 per cent of the $18.5 million allocated directly to National Non-Governmental Organizations (NNGOs), marking a significant increase compared to 2023 (20 per cent) and 2022 (7 per cent). With this achievement, our objective for 2025 is to reach 35 per cent in localization efforts. CAR HF also provided grants to experienced partners for coaching newly eligible and potentially eligible national NGOs. This was accompanied by capacity strengthening and sharing initiatives undertaken by CAR HF, benefiting more than 73 per cent of the 70 trained NGOs in 2024 including national NGOs yet to be eligible for CAR HF and women-led organizations to advance the localization agenda.

I express my sincere gratitude for the trust and unwavering support extended by donors. Their generous contributions this year, totaling $16.3 million, underscore the ongoing commitment to showcasing the added value and inherent strengths of the Fund and its unique value. This sustained investment further solidifies our ability to respond effectively to humanitarian needs. I also extend my appreciation to our Advisory Board and Inter-Cluster members, whose tireless efforts contributed significantly to our collective work. Additionally, I commend our implementing partners for their steadfast dedication and invaluable contributions, which play a pivotal role in delivering effective humanitarian response across the country.

Given the current funding landscape, we will maintain our focus on direct and localized implementation to address the most pressing needs. As the CAR HF remains one of the main and strategically placed financing instruments in the country, I encourage donors to increase their support in 2025 and eventually move to a multiyear support to the Fund. This will enable the Fund to expand its work and engagement with local partners, thus ensuring that assistance is channeled directly to where it is most urgently required, including in hard-to-reach areas.

MOHAMED AG AYOYA
Humanitarian Coordinator for CAR