A Bridge Between Humanitarian Actors

ICVA hosts a number of working groups related to its focus areas (forced migration, financing and coordination) as laid out in ICVA’s Strategy. This is the proposed terms for reference for the ICVA humanitarian financing working group.

Outcomes from the 23 January 2023 Retreat on Pooled Funding and Data Transparency.

On 18 October, ICVA hosted a webinar for its members and NGO Fora in East and Southern Africa on the future of the Grand Bargain beyond 2023. The session also facilitated a discussion among participants to gather their reactions and identify areas of alignment between country-level priorities for humanitarian finance and Grand Bargain implementation, with a specific focus on local actors.

Click on the links below to access the webinar presentation and recording.

ICVA has released a statement supporting the Grand Bargain’s newly endorsed framework through 2026. The framework provides a solid foundation for effective resource allocation and achieving the best outcomes for populations affected by crisis. ICVA also believes that the Grand Bargain, with its broad membership of donors, UN agencies, NGOs, and Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, is a key platform for pursuing joint efforts in addressing the commitments under the framework. The simplified structure of the new Grand Bargain framework encourages individual signatories to maintain progress towards implementation without further burden. ICVA has identified localisation, partnership, and humanitarian financing as its priorities in alignment with the two agreed focus areas of the Grand Bargain. ICVA believes that successful implementation of the Grand Bargain will result in tangible change for frontline responders and those affected by crisis.

Read the statement in the below link.

Following the ‘Grand Bargain explained’ paper published in March 2017, ICVA has drafted the ‘Grand Bargain 2.0 explained’ briefing paper to support humanitarian actors, particularly NGOs, to better understand and engage in this new phase of the Grand Bargain 2.0 from 2021 – 2023.

Special thanks to The Amity Foundation for their diligent efforts in translating this essential document into Chinese.

Click on this briefing paper to access all information – and more – shared throughout this topic.

Check out more information discussed throughout this topic.

The purpose of the survey was to measure the interest of the Signatories to continue their engagement and invest their internal resources in case of the continuation of the process. This exercise also provided quantitative data on the key elements of the Grand Bargain structure that bring most added value in achieving efficiency and effectiveness of humanitarian aid.

IASC Results group 5 on humanitarian financing and results group 6 on Humanitarian, development and nexus, joint key messages on quality funding.

This study contributes to the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) humanitarian financing priorities of improving “aid effectiveness through more effective humanitarian- development funding flows and mechanisms”. It has two goals: to document the extent to which predictable, multi-year flexible financing is available at the programme level; and to understand the extent to which funding matches Collective Outcomes or the financial requirements of interoperable humanitarian and development plans.

This working document is intended to share considerations for NGOs on the reporting obligations of the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) to relevant UN Sanctions Committees1 outlined in UNSC R2664, promote the widespread understanding and informed participation in the process. It covers the objective, scope, and format of the reporting process, how NGOs are concerned, potential risks for NGOs and considerations to help navigate them.

Click on the below links to access the document in English, French and Arabic.

This briefing paper examines the current risk landscape in humanitarian aid.

Security Risk Management

The International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA) has partnered with DisasterReady to make free online learning resources available for humanitarian aid and development professionals to better understand how to apply risk management best practices in their daily work.  Partnerships are a key component for improving the efficiency and impact of humanitarian action.  Many international aid organizations rely on national partners and actors to implement programs and deliver assistance to people and communities affected by crisis, especially in areas with limited humanitarian access.  Risk management:

• Is an important process for organizations who receive funding to work with partners and also for donors, such as the United Nations and governments who fund humanitarian operations.
• Enables organizations to identify and mitigate risks related to funding partnerships, leading to better outcomes for affected populations and improved relationships with donors.
• Enables organizations who receive funding to select the right partners to work with and determine how best to engage them in their programs.

What you will learn:

1. Risk Management in Practice Course

In this 10-minute course, you will learn how to apply risk management best practices in humanitarian response. This resource provides guidance on understanding risks, defining your organization’s risk universe, key steps in the risk management process, and embedding risk management in your organization.

2. Risk Management and Funding Partnerships Course

In this 10-minute course, you will learn best practices for managing operational challenges and risks affecting funding partnerships in the humanitarian sector. This resource provides guidance for applying risk management practices to select and engage with partner organizations in programs that are funded by external donors.​

Both courses come with a downloadable PDF for offline use and works great on a smartphone, tablet, or computer.

How to register

To access this free, online training resource go to DisasterReady.org to create your free account, log in, and search for “Risk Management in Practice” and “Risk Management and Funding Partnerships.”

OCHA and Save the Children, co-chairs of the CBPF-NGO Dialogue Platform, are now accepting expressions of interest for the new round of members of the Platform Advisory Group (PAG) and a new NGO co-chair of the CBPF-NGO Dialogue Platform.

Find more information in the below link.

The Platform Advisory Group (PAG) provides advice for OCHA and the NGO co-chair of the OCHA CBPF-NGO Dialogue Platform, with a primary goal of fostering an open and all-encompassing platform for regular dialogue between OCHA and NGOs. This dialogue aims to inform strategic direction and facilitate efficient management of CBPFs. PAG members also assume the role of designated NGO representatives in the Pooled Fund Working Group (PFWG), which consists of representatives of donors and UN agencies, acting as the principal advisory body for OCHA’s management and leadership of Country-based Pooled Funds.

The OCHA Country-based Pooled Fund (CBPF)-NGO Dialogue Platform, or simply the Platform, aims to foster an open and inclusive forum for regular communication between OCHA and the NGO community in order to inform the strategic direction and management of CBPFs. The creation of the Platform was prompted by the desire of NGO partners to establish a robust partnership with OCHA regarding CBPFs, and to enhance the communication between OCHA and NGOs at the country level.

Pooled funding has become increasingly popular as an efficient solution to enhance effectiveness of humanitarian action. The Covid-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan organized through IASC is an example of pooled funding being used to channel funds faster to frontline humanitarian responders. Contributions to the OCHA-managed pooled funds have seen a steady growth since 2011-2012, drawing increased attention and examination into their impact and potential. A review of existing literature explores the strengths and weaknesses of pooled funds in terms of effectiveness, efficiency, innovation, learning, knowledge sharing, and achieving broader policy objectives.

The review highlights potential gaps in the literature that could be explored by ICVA and its membership while also identifying future trends relevant for ICVA’s research, advocacy, and policy agendas.

Click on the below link to read the review.

This report presents the key findings and recommendations from a lessons learned exercise after the first year of the operation of the RHFWCA in Niger and Burkina Faso. Conducted from 15 September to 15 November, the exercise included consultations with key stakeholders including Humanitarian Coordinators (HCs), donors, Advisory Boards (ABs), inter-cluster coordination groups (ICCGs), and registered partners/sub-partners, as well as a review of data collected from the Grant Management System (GMS). The exercise was facilitated by a joint team from OCHA’s Regional Office for West and Central Africa (ROWCA) and the Pooled Fund Management Branch (PFMB) at headquarters (HQ).

The work plan of the IASC Humanitarian Financing Task Team (HFTT) focuses on improving the availability of adequate and accessible funding for operational aid agencies. To this end, in 2014 OCHA and ICVA led a mapping of NGO challenges to accessing country-based pooled funds (CBPFs), which contributed to the development of new Global Guidelines for CBPFs issued by OCHA in February 2015 following an extensive consultation process.

The NGO and Humanitarian Reforms Project presents a document regarding the allocations of pooled funds, particularly in regards to the gap that exists between the guidelines governing the process and the practices developed in the provinces. This document draws lessons from previous allocations and suggests possible solutions for future ones.

Click below to access the unanswered questions from this topic’s webinar.

Click on Topic Three’s briefing paper to access a synthesis of all information covered in this topic.

Click on the document below to access more information discussed throughout this topic.

On 28 June, ICVA co-hosted with Switzerland and HERE-Geneva the launch event for the “Pooled Funding at a Crossroads: A Comprehensive Review and Analysis” report.

Click the links below to check the presentations and event recording.

This comparative analysis contributes to understanding the landscape of Pooled Funds governance models, sheds light on good practices observed these Pooled Funds, and provides recommendations towards an independent governance system.

Click on the below links to read the Report and the Briefing Note.

National NGOs working in humanitarian contexts are key stakeholders in the OCHA Country-Based Pooled Funds (CBPFs) mechanisms. To ensure their voices are heard, interested donors, the Pooled Fund Working Group (PFWG), the CBPF NGO Dialogue Platform Advisory Group (PAG), and ICVA have together launched the CBPF Resource Facility. The Resource Facility supports national NGOs’ effective participation in CBPF country and global governance processes, through both supporting participant costs to attend meetings and providing mentorship to boost the impact of their voices.

Click on the below links to access the Terms and Conditions document in English, French, Spanish and Arabic.

Visual explaining the Country-based Pooled Fund Resource Facility.

This report analyses survey responses from INGOs, NNGOs, local NGOs, and community-based organisations, shedding light on their varied experiences and perspectives with pooled funding. The survey aimed to capture a more nuanced and disaggregated view of how different types of NGOs experience pooled funding, in its broad articulation.

Click on the below link to read the Report.

This ICVA paper explores how humanitarian pooled funds manage and share risk across delivery chains and how these practices impact localisation and response effectiveness. Drawing on research from Sudan, Myanmar, Syria, and Ukraine, the report identifies barriers faced by local actors, highlights scalable good practices in risk-sharing, and offers actionable recommendations for donors, fund managers, intermediaries, and local partners. It calls for more equitable, codified risk-sharing approaches to ensure quality funding reaches local actors and strengthen partnerships across the humanitarian system.

Download the report by clicking on the link below.

National NGOs working in humanitarian contexts are key stakeholders in the OCHA Country-Based Pooled Funds (CBPFs) mechanisms. To ensure their voices are heard, interested donors, the Pooled Fund Working Group (PFWG), the CBPF NGO Dialogue Platform Advisory Group (PAG), and ICVA have together launched the CBPF Resource Facility. The Resource Facility supports national NGOs’ effective participation in CBPF country and global governance processes, through both supporting participant costs to attend meetings and providing mentorship to boost the impact of their voices.

Click on the below links to access the Terms and Conditions document in English, French, Spanish and Arabic.

Visual explaining the Country-based Pooled Fund Resource Facility.

The NGO and Humanitarian Reforms Project presents a document regarding the allocations of pooled funds, particularly in regards to the gap that exists between the guidelines governing the process and the practices developed in the provinces. This document draws lessons from previous allocations and suggests possible solutions for future ones.

Click below to access the unanswered questions from this topic’s webinar.

Click on Topic Three’s briefing paper to access a synthesis of all information covered in this topic.

Click on the document below to access more information discussed throughout this topic.

On 28 June, ICVA co-hosted with Switzerland and HERE-Geneva the launch event for the “Pooled Funding at a Crossroads: A Comprehensive Review and Analysis” report.

Click the links below to check the presentations and event recording.

This comparative analysis contributes to understanding the landscape of Pooled Funds governance models, sheds light on good practices observed these Pooled Funds, and provides recommendations towards an independent governance system.

Click on the below links to read the Report and the Briefing Note.

National NGOs working in humanitarian contexts are key stakeholders in the OCHA Country-Based Pooled Funds (CBPFs) mechanisms. To ensure their voices are heard, interested donors, the Pooled Fund Working Group (PFWG), the CBPF NGO Dialogue Platform Advisory Group (PAG), and ICVA have together launched the CBPF Resource Facility. The Resource Facility supports national NGOs’ effective participation in CBPF country and global governance processes, through both supporting participant costs to attend meetings and providing mentorship to boost the impact of their voices.

Click on the below links to access the Terms and Conditions document in English, French, Spanish and Arabic.

Visual explaining the Country-based Pooled Fund Resource Facility.

This report analyses survey responses from INGOs, NNGOs, local NGOs, and community-based organisations, shedding light on their varied experiences and perspectives with pooled funding. The survey aimed to capture a more nuanced and disaggregated view of how different types of NGOs experience pooled funding, in its broad articulation.

Click on the below link to read the Report.

This ICVA paper explores how humanitarian pooled funds manage and share risk across delivery chains and how these practices impact localisation and response effectiveness. Drawing on research from Sudan, Myanmar, Syria, and Ukraine, the report identifies barriers faced by local actors, highlights scalable good practices in risk-sharing, and offers actionable recommendations for donors, fund managers, intermediaries, and local partners. It calls for more equitable, codified risk-sharing approaches to ensure quality funding reaches local actors and strengthen partnerships across the humanitarian system.

Download the report by clicking on the link below.

The NGO and Humanitarian Reforms Project presents a document regarding the allocations of pooled funds, particularly in regards to the gap that exists between the guidelines governing the process and the practices developed in the provinces. This document draws lessons from previous allocations and suggests possible solutions for future ones.

Click below to access the unanswered questions from this topic’s webinar.

Click on Topic Three’s briefing paper to access a synthesis of all information covered in this topic.

Click on the document below to access more information discussed throughout this topic.

On 28 June, ICVA co-hosted with Switzerland and HERE-Geneva the launch event for the “Pooled Funding at a Crossroads: A Comprehensive Review and Analysis” report.

Click the links below to check the presentations and event recording.

This comparative analysis contributes to understanding the landscape of Pooled Funds governance models, sheds light on good practices observed these Pooled Funds, and provides recommendations towards an independent governance system.

Click on the below links to read the Report and the Briefing Note.

National NGOs working in humanitarian contexts are key stakeholders in the OCHA Country-Based Pooled Funds (CBPFs) mechanisms. To ensure their voices are heard, interested donors, the Pooled Fund Working Group (PFWG), the CBPF NGO Dialogue Platform Advisory Group (PAG), and ICVA have together launched the CBPF Resource Facility. The Resource Facility supports national NGOs’ effective participation in CBPF country and global governance processes, through both supporting participant costs to attend meetings and providing mentorship to boost the impact of their voices.

Click on the below links to access the Terms and Conditions document in English, French, Spanish and Arabic.

Visual explaining the Country-based Pooled Fund Resource Facility.

This report analyses survey responses from INGOs, NNGOs, local NGOs, and community-based organisations, shedding light on their varied experiences and perspectives with pooled funding. The survey aimed to capture a more nuanced and disaggregated view of how different types of NGOs experience pooled funding, in its broad articulation.

Click on the below link to read the Report.

This ICVA paper explores how humanitarian pooled funds manage and share risk across delivery chains and how these practices impact localisation and response effectiveness. Drawing on research from Sudan, Myanmar, Syria, and Ukraine, the report identifies barriers faced by local actors, highlights scalable good practices in risk-sharing, and offers actionable recommendations for donors, fund managers, intermediaries, and local partners. It calls for more equitable, codified risk-sharing approaches to ensure quality funding reaches local actors and strengthen partnerships across the humanitarian system.

Download the report by clicking on the link below.