Democratic Republic of Congo Common Humanitarian Fund Annual Report 2013

The DRC Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF) in 2013 The Common Humanitarian Fund in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, commonly known as the Pooled Fund, (hereafter referred to as the CHF), continues to be an integral element of the humanitarian financing mechanism. During 2013 total contributions to the CHF, including USD 28 million in carryover from the previous year represented 13% of contributions received in response to the Humanitarian Action Plan for the same year. The purpose of this annual report is to capture humanitarian related activities that were supported by the CHF DRC in response to the prevailing humanitarian needs in 2013. The fund’s collaborative endeavours to strengthen governance, to improve the accountability framework and to deliver humanitarian services that are in accordance with the Transformative Agenda are highlighted in the key developments section of this report.

CHF Contributions

In 2013 the Common Humanitarian Fund received US$ 71 M in new contributions. Over 75 percent of these were received from three regular donors to the Fund namely DFID, Sweden and Belgium. The Fund also received contributions from five other donors: Australia, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Norway. In addition to new contributions from eight donors, the CHF had a programmatic carryover of US$ 28. M from the previous year During 2013, the CHF continued to support humanitarian projects based on the needs identified in the Humanitarian Action Plan (HAP) as well as strategic and special allocations despite a significant reduction in contributions that resulted in a lower funding volume. As of the end of 2013 new contributions to the CHF had dropped by 21 percent compared with the same period last year. This is indicative of a declining trend in donor contributions beginning the end of 2009, the year when the funding volume was at its peak, followed by a steep decline that started in 2010. Contributions briefly rose in 2012 when donors aptly responded to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the country caused by escalations in armed conflict (M23) and violence against the civilian population in the Eastern region of the country. In addition to a decrease in new contributions, available funds were lower in the first half of the year. Over 60 percent of the contributions for the year 2013 were made in the 3rd and 4th Q as a result the fund volume increased by US$ 27 M towards the end of the calendar year.
Out of the US$ 24 M received in the last quarter of 2013, US$ 17 M represented the first contribution from DFID earmarked for the following year.

Allocations

In line with the core principles of the humanitarian reform, during 2013 the CHF’s consultative allocation process was streamlined to reduce the delays in the technical review process and to expedite the allocation and disbursement of funds to implementing partners. The objective was to enable quick response by the fund’s humanitarian partners to the various humanitarian needs identified in the annual DRC Humanitarian Action Plan (HAP 2013) as well as to emergencies that were not envisioned in the HAP. A single standard allocation of US$ 49.9 M and four rounds of special allocations in the amount of US$ 25.2 M were made for the year bringing the total allocations for the year to US$ 75.1 M to support 71 standard and 24 special allocation projects. In addition two projects in the WASH and NFI clusters were funded through the ERF before its closure at the end of year.
The ratio of projects funded through the standard represented 66 percent of total disbursements while the special allocations accounted for 34 percent of total funds disbursed for the year. The reserve continued to be a vital emergency and special projects funding mechanism providing funds to expeditiously respond to sudden onset emergencies and conflict-triggered crisis (such as those in Province Orientale and North Kivu) and to support the control of the cholera epidemics in Katanga.
Amongst the projects that received funds through the Reserve funding mechanism were US$ 8.6 M for emergency displacement response, through the Rapid Response to Movements of Population (RRMP) and US$ 7M for UNHAS logistics projects.

Allocations by Province

In 2013, amongst the projects funded via the reserve were emergencies in Province Orientale,
North Kivu, epidemics in Katanga. Besides the multinational response that received a quarter of the allocations for the year, the largest provincial allocations made during the year were in the following regions that received 53 percent of the total net allocations1 . Katanga claimed nearly 15 percent of total CHF allocations in 2013 followed by South Kivu at 14 percent while Province Oriental and North Kivu absorbed 13 and 11 percent respectively.