Risk Absorption Note – Sudan Humanitarian Fund, Sudan Crisis - November 2024 [EN/AR]
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Background
After years of protracted crisis, Sudan plunged into a conflict at an alarming scale in mid-April 2023 when fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group, broke out in the capital Khartoum, quickly expanding to other areas across the country. Ongoing conflict is increasing the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance, exacerbated by operational challenges affecting humanitarian actors’ ability to respond. As a result, the humanitarian imperative requires an increase in the risk appetite of SHF stakeholders, including donors, to allow funded partners to operate effectively, while ensuring accountability and transparency.
A first Risk Absorption Note was prepared by the Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) in June 2023 and endorsed by the HC, the SHF Advisory Board and OCHA’s senior leadership, paving the way for the introduction of waivers to allow greater flexibility in operations through certain deviations from standard guidelines. A second, updated Note is now required, reflecting changes in the operating context. Some earlier challenges are no longer relevant and corresponding measures removed from this updated note, such as the use of proxy capacity assessments for making new partners eligible to receive funding. On the other hand, some challenges persist, and new challenges have arisen, requiring a continuation or introduction of corresponding measures to optimize the Fund’s impact and enable partners to continue operating and providing life-saving protection and assistance. These include flexible arrangements for financial spot-checks and monitoring, determining project budget ceilings, engaging grassroots organizations, pre-positioning funding with partners for immediate response to new needs, and handling costs related to financial transfers in response to the devaluation of the Sudanese Pound. Other useful references incorporated as standard practice in the Fund’s Operational Manual are signposted at the end of the document.