The Yemen Humanitarian Fund (YHF) is an OCHA-managed Country-Based Pooled Fund (CBPF) operating under the leadership of the Humanitarian Coordinator. The YHF makes funding directly available to humanitarian partners operating in Yemen, enabling them to deliver timely and effective life-saving assistance to people who need it most. The Fund operates within the parameters of the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan (YHRP) with the objective of expanding the delivery of humanitarian assistance by focusing on critical priorities and needs.

There are two types of YHF allocations: standard allocations and reserve allocations. The Fund holds a standard allocation once or twice a year through a call for proposals to support collectively identified needs. Reserve allocations are launched as needed in response to sudden onset humanitarian needs and specific crises.

What are the main Objectives of the Yemen Humanitarian Fund?

1. Support life-saving and life-sustaining activities while filling critical funding gaps.
2. Promote needs-based assistance in accordance with humanitarian principles.
3. Strengthen coordination and leadership primarily through the function of the HC and by leveraging the cluster system.
4. Improve the relevance and coherence of humanitarian response by strategically funding priorities as identified under the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP).
5. Expand the delivery of assistance in hard-to-reach areas by partnering with NGOs.

Who can access the Yemen Humanitarian Fund?

National and international Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Red Crescent Society partners and UN agencies are eligible to receive YHF funding. Funding is made available to partners following a strategic prioritization exercise. To ensure that allocations reflect the most critical needs on the ground, the prioritization is done under the leadership of the Humanitarian Coordinator and the Advisory Board and is supported by OCHA and Cluster Coordinators. The YHF is one of the largest sources of funding for national NGOs in Yemen, with $26.7 million directly allocated to national NGOs in 2021 and a total of $221 million since 2015. In 2021, the proportion of funding allocated to national actors amounted to almost 25 per cent of all YHF funding thus meeting the Grand Bargain localization commitment.

Additional information and resources on Country-Based Pooled Funds can be found here.