“In a humanitarian situation that doesn't always make the headlines, Jersey's long-standing support to the Humanitarian Fund in the Central African Republic enables us to rapidly respond to the needs of the most vulnerable providing, among others, clean water, food and nutrition, including through localization involving more national partners.” Mohamed Ag Ayoya, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, United Nations Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator
Pooled funds are a valuable mechanism in countries affected by natural disasters and armed conflict, to deliver quick and effective assistance to the people who need it most. They allow Governments and private donors to pool contributions into single, unearmarked funds that strengthen local humanitarian efforts and directly support relief partners at the front lines of emergencies.
Pooled funds are re-shaping the humanitarian financing landscape by enabling funds to be rapidly allocated to responders delivering assistance on the ground. Funds and allocation decisions are transferred to those closest to humanitarian needs and prioritised at the local level. The low-cost administration of the funds makes them an efficient and low-risk option and JOA benefits from the high-quality visibility and communication materials.
JOA currently supports three primary pooled fund mechanisms; the UN OCHA’s Country Based Pooled Funds, Start Fund and the Aid Fund for Northern Syria (AFNS).
United Nations Country-Based Pooled Funds (CBPFs)
Since the first fund was established in 1997, CBPFs have provided an urgent lifeline to vulnerable people in 28 of the world’s most severe and complex humanitarian crises. JOA has been a strong supporter of CBPFs since its first contribution to the Syria Humanitarian Fund in 2016.
Start Fund
The Start Fund is a global pooled fund managed entirely by Non-Governmental Organisations – the members of the Start Network. It’s an innovative, rapid financing mechanism that enables NGOs to exploit their comparative advantage in responding to natural and man-made crises. The Start Fund is an extremely effective way of addressing significant funding gaps in the current humanitarian space - especially small/medium crises. One of its benefits is the speed at which funds are distributed – 72 hours from when an alert is raised.
As a donor to the Start Fund, JOA has strategic oversight through its seat on the Start Fund Council, which meets every six months along with other government donors including the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Netherlands, Irish Aid and Germany.
AFNS (Aid Fund for Northern Syria)
AFNS is a Humanitarian multi-donor Pooled Fund established in October 2022 to meet priority needs in the north of Syria with a primary focus on the northwest of the country, where 4.1 million people are in urgent need of assistance.
Under the leadership of the Fund’s Steering Board and its independent Chair, the aim of the Fund is to provide complementary, predictable, timely, and consistent resources to partners, expanding the delivery of humanitarian assistance to support life-saving and early recovery activities, focusing on the most urgent needs and filling critical gaps left by other response organisations.
Photo credit: UN OCHA
