Humanitarian response

Jersey Overseas Aid responds to multiple humanitarian crises around the globe every year, addressing the needs of those whose lives have been shattered through armed conflict and natural disasters. We support underfunded ‘orphan’ emergencies as well as those which make the headlines.

What do we do?

Chronic crises and sudden-onset emergencies demand coordinated and cost-effective responses, but humanitarian funding can be fragmented, onerous and, at times, wasteful. This is a particular danger for a small donor, like JOA, without much of a global presence. By providing funding to organisations that adhere to the highest standards of quality, reporting and accountability, we can ensure a swift, efficient and effective on the ground response can be deployed. Our humanitarian aid literally saves lives.

How do we do it?

At JOA, we take our humanitarian funding seriously. It is allocated in line with established international principles of Good Humanitarian Donorship, and is guided by the four humanitarian principles: humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence. We work within the agreed international frameworks of humanitarian financing and support humanitarian action where it is needed, without discrimination between – or within – affected populations. To ensure our humanitarian financing is considered eligible Overseas Development Assistance (ODA), it flows only to countries and organisations on the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) ODA recipient list – which is comprised of all low- and middle-income countries based on Gross National Income (GNI) per capita.

Jersey Overseas Aid provides funding via the UN’s country based pooled funds (CBPFs) as well as the START Fund, a rapid financing mechanism managed by Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), which provides support in sudden onset small-medium scale crises. These funding mechanisms and frameworks ensure Jersey’s aid reaches the best-placed local organisations, that have the skills, expertise and procedures in place to support those most affected by crises, while also contributing to improving the overall coordination of humanitarian responses.

To ensure transparency, JOA reports its humanitarian allocations on an annual basis to UN OCHA's Financial Tracking Service (FTS).  For information relating to 2023 (and earlier) allocations, visit Jersey Overseas Aid's FTS Profile.

For information about the Bailiff's Ukraine Appeal and Jersey's Ukraine response, visit the Ukraine Response page.

Where Jersey has sent humanitarian relief in 2024

List of Current Grants
Agency Programme Country Value Start End
Caritas Spiš Phase III - Psycho-social support for IDPs / refugees in Ukraine and Eastern Slovakia Ukraine, Slovakia £50,000 2024 2024
Caritas Spis - Spišská katolícka charita Phase III - Psycho-social support for IDPs/refugees in Ukraine and easten Slovakia Slovakia and Ukraine £50,000 2024 2024
Crown Agents Ltd Procuring and delivering rehabilitation equipment for Mykolaiv City Hospital No 4 Ukraine £199,613 2024 2024
Aid Fund for North Syria Aid Fund for North Syria Syria £600,000 2024 2025
Start Network Start Fund 2024 United Kingdom £900,000 2024 2025
OCHA Yemen Humanitarian Fund (YHF) Yemen £500,000 2024 2025
OCHA South Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SSHF) South Sudan £500,000 2024 2025
OCHA Central African Republic Humanitarian Fund (CAR HF) Central African Republic £500,000 2024 2025
British Red Cross Healthcare Provision in Mykolaiv Phase II Ukraine £200,000 2024 2025
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Response to the Rohingya crisis in Bangladesh 2024/2025 Bangladesh £400,000 2024 2025
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Sudan Emergency 2024/2025 Sudan £400,000 2024 2025
International Health Partners Gaza & Middle East Crisis Lebanon and Palestine £100,000 2024 2025
World Food Programme (WFP) Home-Grown School Feeding Programme Haiti £100,000 2024 2025
UNHCR Ukraine Winter Response Plan Ukraine £150,000 2024 2025
UNHCR Ukraine Winter Response Plan (Bailiff's Ukraine Appeal) Ukraine £44,000 2024 2025
UNICEF UNICEF's Lebanon Emergency Appeal Lebanon £150,000 2024 2025
International Health Partners Horn of Africa Response - Phase II Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia £150,000 2024 2026
British Red Cross Cash Hub Multi-Year Global £1,000,000 2023 2025
International Health Partners Addressing Acute Shortages of Essential Medicines in Palestine The Occupied Palestinian Territory £230,000 2023 2025
International Health Partners Central Africa: Access to Medicine for Displaced Communities CAR, South Sudan, Sudan £60,000 2023 2025

United Nations Junior Professional officer scheme

Jersey Overseas Aid joined the United Nations’ Junior Professional Officer scheme in 2021. The international programme provides young professionals, sponsored by their respective governments, an extraordinary opportunity to embark on a career within the UN system and to contribute at the frontline of an ongoing humanitarian emergency.