AMEND CONTENT

6.3 UN and other multilateral donors

UN agencies can be a key source of funds during emergencies, particularly CARE’s traditional UN partners of WFP, UNHCR and UNICEF, with whom CARE often works as an implementing partner. For specific guidelines on working with WFP and UNHCR, refer to Annex 7.8 Partnering with WFP, and Annex 7.9 Partnering with UNHCR.

Implementation and funding arrangements with UN agencies are managed directly by the CO together with the UN agency representatives on the ground. Management support for contracts is the responsibility of the Lead Member. According to the CI Code, Lead Member Internal Cost Recovery (ICR) also applies to multilateral contracts.

There are three key UN funding mechanisms that apply in emergencies, although experience shows they are currently not necessarily easy for NGOs to access, and can be very slow:

  • Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) is available to UN agencies to support humanitarian response. NGOs cannot access funding directly but can be engaged as implementing partners of the UN agencies receiving CERF funding.
  • Emergency Response Funds (ERF) are funds made available to NGOs through OCHA to address critical gaps in humanitarian assistance. Management of ERFs varies from country to country.
  • Pooled/Common Humanitarian Funds (CHF) are funds given by donors, which are not earmarked for any specific purpose and can be used flexibly. Responsibility for allocating funds is given to the in-country UN Humanitarian Coordinator. NGOs are eligible to receive CHF funds, although this is at the discretion of the Humanitarian Coordinator.

In addition to these funding mechanisms, the Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) is a joint planning mechanism that can be an important way to seek donor funding. CAP is a mechanism to present a broad collection of funding proposals to the donor community. The CAP is managed by OCHA and, while most proposals included are for UN agencies, NGOs are often also included. Actual funding decisions are managed directly between the donor and the implementing agency.

Country Offices should coordinate closely with UN agencies on the ground to access these funds and seek advice from CEG as required. In particular, it’s critical for CO’s to be actively engaged in clusters. See Chapter 40 Humanitarian Coordination.