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Country Humanitarian Funds: Making crisis response smarter and more agile

In a series of 18 Annual Reports for 2017, OCHA takes stock of how its Country-Based Pooled Funds (CBPFs) helped deliver timely and quality assistance for people caught up in the world’s most severe and complex humanitarian emergencies.

The reports demonstrate how the funds ensured efficient use of donors’ humanitarian investments, and how humanitarian partners on the ground – those closest to people in need – used those investments to deliver the highest priority aid, where and when it was needed the most.

Each report provides a detailed account of the strategic use of the CBPFs throughout the year in support of the most pressing requirements of each country’s Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP). For the first time, they also include detailed reporting against the new Common Performance Framework and highlight achievements by humanitarian cluster.

Forewords from Humanitarian Coordinators and stories about real people help to demonstrate how investments through CBPFs are truly lifesaving. Here are nine highlights from 2017:

1) 2017 was the fourth consecutive record year for contributions to the funds.

"My children and I can get the medical attention we need here," says Samahar Sanath Ali, 27. Last year, she fled violence in Mosul and arrived at Tazade Camp with her family. She could receive medical care at a clinic managed by Emergency and funded by Iraq Humanitarian Fund. Credit: OCHA/S. Rognvik

US$832 million were received from 26 donor countries and thousands of individuals. Overall, the United Kingdom remained the largest donor ($217.6 million), closely followed by Germany ($205.3 million). Details on contributions can be found here.

2) The allocated funds supported 1,256 critical humanitarian projects by 649 partners in 18 countries.

Students in the newly built classroom in the Um Algean school, Nertiti, Central Darfur. Credit: OCHA

These projects targeted millions of people with health care, food aid, clean water, shelter and other life-saving assistance in Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Iraq, Lebanon, Myanmar, Nigeria, the occupied Palestinian territories, Pakistan, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria (including through cross-border operations from Jordan and Turkey) and Yemen.

3) Grants went directly to the best-placed relief partners.

NHF monitoring and evaluation mission to NHF-funded ACTED project in Mafa, Nov 2017. Credit: OCHA/Y. Guerda

Through inclusive and transparent processes, funding was prioritized at the local level, empowering humanitarian leadership and fostering collaboration and collective ownership of the emergency response. “Having a seat at the table means that [local organizations] are truly partners. It means we have a say in which sector gets the most funding and which geographic areas should be prioritized. And it means that our voices are valued and heard,” said James Keah Ninrew, Executive Director of Universal Intervention and Development Organization South Sudan.

4) Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) received record amounts.

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 The Al-Inshat Association worked hard to rehabilitate homes in Homs city. Drag the icon left or right to see before-and-after images of the rehabilitation work. Credit: Al-Inshat Association/Homs/Syria/2017

International NGOs received the most ($295 million), followed by UN agencies ($205.5 million), national NGOs ($144 million) and Red Cross/Red Crescent Organizations ($6 million).

5) The Yemen fund was the largest in 2017.

Hana and her family fled their home in A’ahem, Hajjah, after it was damaged by air strikes almost three years ago. Their daily struggle to survive has been eased by the Yemen Humanitarian Fund, through which the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) provides basic items to the most vulnerable families to help them survive the harsh winter. Credit: OCHA/M. Al-Sabahi

It allocated some $126 million, followed by Ethiopia ($92.3 million) and Iraq ($75.5 million). Allocations in support of people affected by the crisis in Syria totalled $94.4 million through funds in Jordan ($8.5 million), Lebanon ($5.7 million), Syria ($34.6 million) and Turkey ($45.6 million). The largest-ever single allocation—$70 million—was also made by the Yemen fund.

6) In the village of Um Khair, in Abyei, Sudan, a child was delivered at night with light for the first time.

Credit: Global Aid Hand

With funding from the Sudan Humanitarian Fund, national NGO Global Aid Hand renovated the local health-care centre and included a solar power system to maintain the cold chain for life-saving vaccines and medicine, and to provide lighting for key facilities. “I named my baby Aldaw [baby of the light]. This is the happiest moment of my life. Throughout my pregnancy I was worried about what would happen if labour came at night. Many women suffer or lose their babies or their lives here,” said Aldaw’s mother, Rafiya Ahmed.

7) A brand-new fund was launched in Nigeria to support life-saving humanitarian operations in the north-east of the country.

Credit: OCHA/Y. Guerda

“I want to express my sincere appreciation to the donors. The Nigeria Humanitarian Fund enabled partners to establish presence in areas where people had been heavily affected by the conflict, and to scale up the provision of humanitarian assistance,” said the Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Edward Kallon.

8) The funds were critical to the response in four countries facing famine.

"One day I want to be the United Nations Secretary-General and make sure no child suffers ever again!", says Mohamed Haji Mathey, 14. Thanks to a project funded by the Somalia Humanitarian Fund (SHF) and implemented by the Somali NGO Bay Regional Education Committee (BREC), he is back in school and studying hard to successfully finish seventh grade. Credit: BREC

With more than 20 million people in north-east Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen facing or at risk of famine, CBPFs were instrumental to the scale-up of humanitarian action in those countries in the first half of 2017.

9) Contributions brought total funding channelled through the DRC Fund since its inception in 2006 to over $1 billion.

Anne and Colette were trained as counsellors for a Hope in Action Maison d'Ecoute (Listening House). They offer women a safe place to tell their stories, which is a simple but crucial part of recovery. Credit: OCHA/E. Sabau

This fund will continue to be critical in 2018 due to the Level 3 declaration (the highest emergency level) in November 2017, projected increases in HRP requirements and more than 13 million people in need.