Sudan Common Humanitarian Fund Annual Report 2015

FOREWORD

From the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator

Sudan continues to face significant and diverse humanitarian needs, both protracted and emerging, and at the end of the year, more than 3 million people remained internally displaced. During 2015, some 359,000 people were newly displaced internally, over 194,000 refugees crossed into Sudan, and many states in Sudan remained above emergency malnutrition thresholds.

The 2015 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) appealed for US$1.04 billion, to which donors generously contributed $53.5 million through the Sudan Humanitarian Fund. In line with the HRP, the main objectives of the fund in 2015 were 1) To provide emergency relief to people affected by conflict and disaster; 2) To provide humanitarian protection to affected populations; 3) To reduce food insecurity and malnutrition [below emergency levels across Sudan]; and 4) To strengthen resilience and facilitate durable solutions for conflict-affected people, including voluntary return and integration.

Through its different allocation processes, the Sudan Humanitarian Fund has in 2015 supported the response to new emergencies, as for example the dengue fever outbreak, but also supported vulnerable people in protracted displacement and people suffering from malnutrition. The allocation in the second half of the year complemented the CERF Underfunded Emergencies Grant to North Darfur by providing funds to support the humanitarian response to displacement in South and Central Darfur.
Through a coordinated prioritisation and allocation process, humanitarian actors worked together to identify priority needs and select projects that best responded to those needs. The SHF has boosted the effectiveness of the humanitarian response and its coordination mechanisms. The engagement of all stakeholders – implementing partners, IASC Sectors, national and international NGOs, UN agencies, donors, members of the Advisory Board, and the Humanitarian Country Team – remains key to the success of the Sudan Humanitarian Fund.

The SHF continues to build capacity and provide funding directly to national NGOs who have already established trust and links with the communities, thereby facilitating delivery of assistance to people in need in hard-to-reach areas. It encourages partnerships between national and international actors to ensure that people receive the life-saving assistance they need.

Following internal and external review processes including the tri-annual external evaluation, I was happy to see the important steps undertaken towards a clearer definition of the fund’s governance and procedures, a more explicit definition of the fund strategy and an updated accountability framework that includes a risk-based grant management approach.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our donors – Denmark, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK – for their continued financial support as well as their involvement in the strategic orientation of the fund through their participation as SHF Advisory Board members. The commitment of our donors is particularly noteworthy, as humanitarian needs in recently emerging global and regional crises have noticeably increased in 2015.

In addition to the donors, I would also like to thank all the people and organisations who have contributed to SHF operations in 2015, especially the members of the Advisory Board and the IASC Sectors. My particular appreciation goes to the strong team working on the fund both at OCHA and UNDP.

The 2016 HRP foresees no decrease in humanitarian needs in Sudan. Continued donor support is therefore crucial if the Sudan Humanitarian Fund is to continue to provide life-saving assistance to vulnerable people in an efficient manner.

I would like to express my commitment to keeping the Sudan Humanitarian Fund fit for its stated purpose of providing principled humanitarian funding to alleviate the suffering of people in need in Sudan.

Marta Ruedas United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator

Executive Summary

The purpose of this annual report is to provide an overview of the Sudan Humanitarian Fund during 2015 including contributions, allocation processes, fund performance and accountability mechanisms, and results achieved in each of the humanitarian sectors.

Context

The 2015 Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) targeted assistance to an estimated 5.4 million of the most vulnerable people, including 1.2 million of the most severely malnourished children under age five. Vulnerability is primarily driven by conflict-induced displacement, chronic food insecurity and malnutrition.

At the end of 2015, some 3.1 million people in Sudan were internally displaced; the majority in Darfur. A further 0.7 million people were refugees displaced from their country of origin or South Sudanese who were unable to return to South Sudan.

During 2015, 247,000 people were displaced from their homes by conflict in Darfur. 110,000 of these internally displaced persons received humanitarian assistance in 2015, while 70,000 live in areas to which humanitarians have limited or no access (mainly in the Jebel Marra area of Darfur). About 67,000 of the people displaced this year have returned to their area of origin.

In government-controlled areas of South Kordofan State an estimated 52,000 people were displaced in 2015, of whom 21,000 people have returned; and in government-controlled areas of Blue Nile State, an estimated 60,000 people were displaced (24,000 relocated; 26,000 returnees; and 10,000 displaced) during 2015.

Donor Support

In 2015, the SHF received contributions from eight donors amounting to $53.5 million. The contributions represented a seven per cent decrease in comparison with SHF funding in 2014, and accounted for eight per cent of funding for the Sudan HRP 2015. This remains at a similar level in comparison to the last three years. Not taking into account the 2014 contributions intended for 2015, a more significant downtrend is apparent. Globally, the Sudan Humanitarian Fund was the fifth largest OCHA-managed country-based pooled fund in 2015 and accounted for 8 per cent of donor contributions to 18 pooled funds globally.

More than 20 per cent ($10.9 million) of donor contributions was received before the start of the year, while the remaining 80 per cent ($42.6 million) was contributed throughout 2015. Germany presented itself as a new donor to the fund in 2015.

Targeted allocations

Funding was channelled through 11 sectors to 168 projects. More than 90 per cent of funds was allocated to projects that addressed the HRP’s strategic objectives 1 (saving lives) and 2 (protection). The SHF targeted 65 per cent of its funding towards the Darfur region, whereas the 77 per cent of the 2015 HRP funding was directed towards the Darfur states.

As in 2014, the SHF conducted two allocation rounds during the year. In addition, the Reserve for Emergencies window was used to respond to rapid-onset crises including the displacement in North Darfur following conflict in Eastern Jebel Marra, displacement in East Darfur, the refugee influx in West Kordofan State and the viral haemorrhagic fever outbreak.

Fund management

In 2015, numerous consultation and evaluation processes were undertaken to ensure that the Sudan Humanitarian Fund would remain fit for purpose, including the 2011-2014 external evaluation, the first allocation after action review, and the in-country review process. All recommendations made were combined under three categories, namely strategy, governance and accountability, in a management response plan with proposed actions for the Sudan Humanitarian Fund. As a result, an Operational Manual including all SHF procedures and governance arrangements was drafted and discussed during the second half of 2015. Clear criteria were established for the Reserve for Emergencies and it was agreed that the Reserve for Emergencies would constitute 20 per cent of the incoming contributions of the fund to ensure a more dynamic and re-active funding mechanism. Besides Advisory Board meetings related to allocations and ad-hoc topics, bi-annual meetings to review the SHF operations were put in place, and the first bi-annual meeting took place in November 2015. The draft Operational Manual also introduced risk-based grant management in line with the Global Country-based Pooled Fund Handbook.

This report provides a comprehensive overview of the results and challenges of the fund in 2015. It also identifies some recommendations for the coming cycle including speeding up SHF allocation and disbursement procedures to ensure the fund remains a timely and responsive financing instrument, and to increase the donor base to maintain or expand the contribution level.