7. Resource Mobilisation
What is the role of the RC?
-Lead resource mobilisation efforts, including the issuing of a Flash Appeal, if required
-Oversee the development by the Humanitarian Country Team of a grant request package for CERF funding, if required, the implementation of projects, and the preparation of reports to the ERC on the use and impact of CERF funds
Why?
To provide humanitarian actors with timely, flexible and adequate funding to respond to humanitarian needs.
How?
The tools at the disposal of the RC are:
- OCHA Emergency Cash Grant
- UNDP Emergency Cash Grant
- Flash Appeal
- Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF)
- Consolidated Appeal Process (CAP)
The OCHA Emergency Cash Grant
What is it?
The Emergency Cash Grant is a grant of a maximum of US$100,000 per country and per disaster that can be made availableby OCHA in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. If approved, the Grant is disbursed within 10 days.
What is its purpose?
To cover the most pressing needs of the affected population – such as local purchase of relief items and delivery and distribution thereof – which cannot be satisfied from national resources, while awaiting the response of the international donor community.
Who can access it?
Usually, the funds are placed at the disposal of the RC. However, the RC may seek and obtain OCHA's concurrence for their transfer to the Government or local non-governmental implementing partners.
What is the role of the RC?
/ Within hours of the emergency, the RC or the Government (with concurrence from the RC)contacts the OCHA Desk Officer and requests an Emergency Cash Grant. / Within ten days of the date of authorizationof the Grant, the RC communicates to OCHA the intended use of the funds or submits a cost plan.
/ Within four monthsof the date of authorizationof the Grant, the RC submits a narrative report on the use of the funds to OCHA together with original invoices and receipts of purchases.
Remember!
The Emergency Grant can only be used to cover relief needs, not reconstruction activities.
Funds are usually channelled through UNDP for local procurement and/or transportof relief items.
The Grant should be spent within two months of the date of authorization.
The Grant may be used for purchases by OCHA Headquarters or other purposes agreed upon by OCHA and the RC.
Where to go for more information?
Website?
The UNDP Emergency Cash Grant
What is it?
The Emergency Cash Grant is a grant of a maximum of US$100,000 per country and per disaster that can be made available by UNDP/BCPR in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. If approved, the Grant is disbursed within 24 hours.
What is its purpose?
To strengthen coordination support for early recovery and disaster risk reduction in countries affected by disasters.
Who can access it?
The funds are placed at the disposal of the RC.
What is the role of the RC?
/ Within hours of the emergency, the RC writes to(Division) UNDP/BCPR requesting an Emergency Cash Grant. / Within XX days, the RC communicates to UNDP/BCPR the intended use of the funds.
/ Within XX months the RC submits a narrative report on the use of the funds to UNDP/BCPR together with original invoices and receipts for purchases.
Remember!
The Emergency Grant can be used only to cover XXX and must not be related to XXX.
The Grant should be spent within XX months of the date of authorization.
Where to go for more information?
Website?
The Flash Appeal
What is it?
The Flash Appeal is a short document that provides a concise overview of urgent life-saving needs and the response plan to address such needs for up to six months, including the division of roles and responsibilities. Itis generally launched within 6 days of an emergency
What is its purpose?
To document the response plan and funding requirements and to produce an inventory of relief and early recovery projects.
Who can participate?
-All humanitarian partners, including the government can participate in the development of the response plan.
-UN agencies, international organisations, and NGOsmay include projects. Government ministries and the Red Cross/Crescent National Society of the country of operation can be included as partners in UN or NGO projects.
What is the role of the RC?
/ Within hours of the emergency, the RC, in consultation with the Humanitarian Country Teamdetermines whether a Flash Appealis warrantedand assigns an Appeal Focal Point within his office. / Within 24 to 72 hours, the RC leads the Humanitarian Country Team in producing a draft Flash Appeal document based on a rapid needs assessment and inputs from clusters/sectors.
/ Within four days, the RC approves the final draft of the Appeal and sends it to the OCHA CAP Section for review prior to the official launch.
Remember!
Given that Flash Appeals are based on early estimates of needs, they can be revised at any point after the launch as more information emerges.
Agencies that list their projects in the Appeal receive their funding directly from donors.
The Flash Appeal may be succeeded by a Consolidated Appeal if an inter-agency response is needed beyond six months.
The humanitarian response plan is the basis for projects for both the CERF request and the Flash Appeal. Because of rapid disbursement, the RC submits the most urgent life-saving projects to the CERF secretariat while waiting for pledges against other Flash Appeal projects to be transferred by donors.
Where to go for more information?
CAP Website: - overview of appeals
Reliefweb: – financial tracking of appeals
The Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF)
What is it?
The Central Emergency Response Fund is an OCHA-managed fund comprising a Loan Facility (~US$50mio per year) and a grant component which is split into Rapid Response Grantsand Under-funded Emergency Grants (together ~US$450mio expected for 2008). The Fund is replenished by donors on an annual basis.
Who can access it?
UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes, Specialized Agencies and the IOM. NGOs and the Red Cross Movementcan be implementing partners but cannot receive funding directly from the CERF.
Loan Facility
What is it?
It is a revolving fund of US$50 million out of which a loan can be disbursed to a requesting agencywhile waiting for donor pledges to be transferred.
What is its purpose?
To provide agencies withcash-flow to cover immediate expenditures in the aftermath of a humanitarian crisis while waiting for donor pledges to be transferred.
What is the role of the RC?
No role. CERF loans are directly requested by eligible agencies.
Remember!
The loan must be reimbursed within 6 months.
Where to go for more information?
CERF Website: cerf.un.org
Rapid Response Grant
What is it?
It is a grant form the CERF thatcan be requested by an agency immediately following a humanitarian crisis.
What is its purpose?
Itenablesto jump-start humanitarian assistance by providing funds to allow immediateintervention to reduce loss of life and limit social and economical damage.
What is the role of the RC?
/ Within hoursof the emergency, the RC writes to the ERC informing him/her of the emergency and signaling the need for a Rapid Response Grant. / Within 24 hoursthe RC meets with the Humanitarian Country Team and clusters/sectors to develop selection criteria for CERF projects.
/ Within 48 hoursthe RC approves the list of projects to be submitted to the ERC.
/ Throughout the duration of the projects, the RC monitors implementation.
/ By April, the RC submits an annual narrative report to the CERF Secretariat, covering activities of the previous calendar year.
/ By August, the RC submits a mid-year progress report to the CERF Secretariat, covering activities from 1 January until 30 June.
Remember!
Projects shouldaddresscritical operations and life-saving programmes that have not yet been funded by other sources.
CERF is intended to complement – not replace – existing humanitarian funding mechanisms (CAP/CHAP, Flash Appeals and Pooled Funds).
The humanitarian response plan is the basis for projects for both the CERF request and the Flash Appeal. Because of rapid disbursement by the CERF, the RC submits the most urgent life-saving projects to the CERF secretariat while waiting for pledges against other Flash Appeal projects to be transferred by donors.
The allocation maximum per project is $30 million.
Expenditure can start immediately on the day of the disaster.
The duration of activities can be up to six months; funds, however, must be committed within 3 months.
The RC can request no-cost extensions on behalf of an agency.
Where to go for more information?
CERF Website:
Underfunded Emergency Grant
What is it?
It is a grant from the CERFthatis allocated to underfunded emergencies on the basis of a selection process that takes place twice a year, usually in January and July. Based on funding levels, recommendations from UN agencies,inter-agency consultation, and discussions with RCs and HCs, the ERC selects countries that will benefit from the scheme and invites them to submit proposals for funding.
What is its purpose?
To ensure equity of funding of emergencies and tostrengthen core elements of humanitarian response by covering funding gaps in underfunded crises.
What is the role of the RC?
/ In January and July each year, following the announcement by the ERC regarding the amount of funds available for each country to benefit from the allocation round, the RCconsults with the Humanitarian Country Team and Cluster/Sector Leads in order to identify gaps and set priorities. / Timeline, the RCselects projects and submits them to the ERC.
/ Timeline,the RC monitors the implementation of the CERF projects.
/ By April, the RC submits an annual narrative report.
/ By August, the RC submits a mid-year progress report.
Remember!
Projects should address critical operations and life-saving programmes not yet funded through other sources.
CERF is intended to complement – not replace – existing humanitarian funding mechanisms (CAP/CHAP, Flash Appeals and Pooled Funds).
The Consolidated Appeal may be used to identify priority projects.
The allocation minimum is $ XX; the maximum is $XX.
The deadline for the commitment of funds and completion of activities:
–First allocation round: 31 December of the year of funding.
–Second allocation round: 30 June of the following year.
The RC can request no-cost extensions on behalf of an agency.
Where to go for more information?
CERF Website:
The Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP)
What is it?
The CAP is a planning process that brings humanitarian partners together to jointly plan, coordinate, implement and monitor their response to disasters and emergencies, and to appeal for funds cohesively instead of competitively.
What is its purpose?
Its purpose is to ensure a timely coordinated humanitarian response, including a division of roles and responsibilities in order to increase efficiency in the delivery of emergency assistance.
Who can participate?
All humanitarian actors can participate in the planning process.
What is the role of the RC?
/ By (month), the RC, after consultation with the Humanitarian Country Team and the Government, suggests to the ERC that the emergency requires the issuing of a Consolidated Appeal / By August, RC convenes a CAP workshop including the Humanitarian Country Team and the Government
Remember!
Where to go for more information?
CAP Website:
The Consolidated Appeal Document
What is it?
The Consolidated Appeals is a strategic planning document consisting of a Common Humanitarian Action Plan (CHAP) and a set of projects necessary to achieve this strategy.
What is its purpose?
Its purpose is to provide a unified approach to humanitarian action and a ‘one-stop’ catalogue of projects to be funded.
Who can participate?
UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes, Specialized Agencies and the IOM, NGOs and the Red Cross Movement. Governments cannot include projects the Appeal.
What is the role of the RC?
/ Timeline,the RC leads the Humanitarian Country Team in developing the Consolidated Appeal. Non-IASC members, such as national NGOs, can be included, and other key stakeholders in humanitarian action, in particular host governments and donors, should be consulted. / Timeline,the RC reviews recommendations and decides which projects should be included in the Consolidated Appeal.
By September, the RC submits the Consolidated Appeal document to the OCHA CAP Section.
/ By May, the RC submits the Mid-Year Review of the Appeal document
Remember!
Consolidated Appeals should be prepared in consultation with the host state, in particular with key line ministries with which operational agencies are working on a day-to-day basis.
In principle, all major humanitarian projects of all major NGOs in a crisis should be counted in the Consolidated Appeal.
A project in a Consolidated Appeal can be added, removed, or modified any time, and lasts as long as necessary.
Where to go for more information?
CAP Website:
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