Central Emergency Response Fund: Interim Review Final Report Submitted to: Evaluation and Studies Section Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs By: Sheila Dohoo Faure Max Glaser OCHA FP: Alice Green Date: 19 September 2007 Acknowledgement The authors would like to acknowledge the many people who contributed to this review. First and foremost, they would like to express their appreciation to those in all the field offices of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs who coordinated the country case studies, often during busy periods for humanitarian response operations. They would also like to thank the interview respondents from OCHA, the UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, donors and national governments whose insights into the operation of the CERF at the country and global levels made the review possible. They were very patient in providing both their own views, as well as considerable background information on CERF operations. Secondly, the authors would like to thank the CERF Secretariat for the support provided throughout the review and its insightful comments on early drafts of the report. Comments provided by the Review Advisory Group also strengthened the analysis in the report and were much appreciated. Finally, the authors would like to thank Alice Green, the OCHA focal point for this study in the Evaluation and Studies Section, whose patience and support during the review was very much appreciated. Although many people contributed to this review, the opinions expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Sheila Dohoo Faure (Team leader) Max Glaser Central Emergency Response Fund: Interim Review (Final Report) Table of Contents List of Acronyms ................................................................................................................. i Executive Summary............................................................................................................. i 1.0 Introduction............................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Purpose of the review.............................................................................................. 1 1.2 Methodology........................................................................................................... 1 1.2.1 Overall approach and review components........................................................ 1 1.2.2 Methodology limitations................................................................................... 3 1.3 Report outline..........................................................................................................4 2.0 Overview of the CERF............................................................................................ 6 2.1 Objectives and components of the CERF ............................................................... 6 2.1 Management and evolution of the CERF................................................................ 7 2.2 CERF reporting and accountability ...................................................................... 11 2.3 CERF funding and allocations.............................................................................. 12 3.0 Summary of Case Study Countries....................................................................... 15 3.1 Kenya .................................................................................................................... 15 3.2 Somalia ................................................................................................................. 16 3.3 Ethiopia................................................................................................................. 17 3.4 Sri Lanka............................................................................................................... 18 3.5 Ivory Coast............................................................................................................ 18 3.6 Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)........................................................... 19 4.0 Impact of the CERF .............................................................................................. 21 4.1 Results of the CERF.............................................................................................. 21 4.1.1 Global impact of the CERF............................................................................. 22 4.1.2 Field level impact of the CERF ...................................................................... 23 4.2 Appropriateness of the CERF ............................................................................... 26 4.2.1 Life saving criterion........................................................................................ 26 4.2.2 Prioritization of CERF proposals.................................................................... 27 4.2.3 Rapid response and under-funded windows ................................................... 29 4.2.4 Needs assessment............................................................................................ 30 4.3 Contribution to humanitarian reform agenda........................................................ 32 4.3.1 Role of Resident/Humanitarian Coordinators................................................. 32 4.3.2 Cluster approach, IASC and coordination ...................................................... 33 4.4 Complementarity with other humanitarian financing mechanisms ...................... 36 5.0 CERF Structures, Processes and Underlying Assumptions.................................. 40 5.1 CERF Organizational structures........................................................................... 40 5.1.1 Field structures................................................................................................ 40 5.1.2 HQ structures.................................................................................................. 42 5.2 CERF policies and procedures.............................................................................. 45 5.3 CERF project proposals and approval and disbursement processes..................... 46 5.4 Accountability....................................................................................................... 50 5.5 Underlying assumptions........................................................................................ 53 6.0 Conclusions and Recommendations ..................................................................... 56 Central Emergency Response Fund: Interim Review (Final Report) Appendices: Appendix 1: Terms of Reference Appendix 2: Details of Review Methodology Appendix 3: Country Case Studies Appendix 4: OCHA Management Response Central Emergency Response Fund: Interim Review (Final Report) List of Acronyms AMISOM African Union Mission Somalia AP Action Plan CAP Consolidated Appeals Process CERF Central Emergency Response Fund CHAP Common Humanitarian Action Plan CHF Common Humanitarian Fund (aka Pooled Fund) CIDA Canada International Development Agency CPIA Coordination Provincial Inter-Agence (DRC) CRD Coordination Response Department (OCHA) DFID Department for International Development (United Kingdom) DMT Disaster Management Team (Ethiopia) DO Designated Official DPKO Department Peace Keeping Operations DPPC Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Centre (Ethiopia) DRC Democratic Republic Congo ECHO European Communities Humanitarian Coordination ECOSOC Economic and Social Council (UN) EDMT Expanded Disaster Management Team (Kenya) EPF Emergency Program Fund (UNICEF) ERC Emergency Relief Coordinator ERF Emergency Response Fund ESS Evaluation and Studies Section (OCHA) EU European Union FAO Food and Agriculture Organization FTS Financial Tracking Service (OCHA) GA General Assembly GHD Good Humanitarian Donorship HAG Humanitarian Advisory Group (DRC) HAP Humanitarian Action Plan HC Humanitarian Coordinator HQ Headquarters HRF Humanitarian Response Fund (specific name for an Emergency Response Fund) IAHCC Inter-Agency Humanitarian Coordination Committee (Ivory Coast) IASC Inter-Agency Standing Committee IC Inter-cluster ICRC International Committee Red Cross IDP Internally Displaced Persons ILO International Labour Organization IMCI Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses INGO International Non-Governmental Organization IOM International Organisation for Migration IRA Immediate Response Account (WFP) IRC International Rescue Committee JPO Junior Professional Officer LoU Letter of Understanding LTTE Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MONUC United Nation Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo MT Metric Ton NFI Non Food Items (NFRI – Non Food Relief Items) NGO Non Governmental Organization NY New York Central Emergency Response Fund: Interim Review (Final Report) i OCHA Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs OFDA Overseas Development Agency (USA) PF Pooled Fund (see CHF) QUIPS Quick Impact Projects (DPKO) RC/HC Resident Coordinator /Humanitarian Coordinator RR Rapid Response RRM Rapid Response Mechanism RVF Rift Valley Fever SCF Save the Children Fund SDMT Strategic Disaster Management Team SG Secretary General SIDA Swedish International Development Agency SRSG Special Representative of the Secretary General TFC Therapeutic Feeding Center TOR Terms of Reference UF/UFE Under Funded (emergencies) UN United Nations UNCAS United Nations Civil Air Services