The Emergency Response Fund (ERF) mechanism was introduced in Indonesia in 2001 to address emergency needs where gaps in humanitarian response remained, by providing NGOs registered with the Government of the Republic of Indonesia (GoI) with a rapid and flexible funding mechanism to meet short-term emergency priorities in vulnerable communities. The objective of ERF is to provide rapid funding that will enable humanitarian partners to respond to an emergency.
ERF activities focus on preventing or exacerbating existing problems arising from a disaster, and on re-establishing basic living conditions in response to a particular crisis. The ERF is also used to lay the groundwork for activities supporting durable solutions for displaced persons and affected communities, by meeting humanitarian and initial recovery needs, especially in areas where funding gaps exist.
The Fund supports short term projects up to six months in duration, with a maximum grant of USD 100,000 per project. Requests for no-cost extension may be considered on a case per case basis.
The ERF is managed by the UN Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) and administered by UN OCHA. Its management structure includes a Review Board created as an inclusive technical advisory body mandated to analyze and endorse proposals submitted by NGOs. The Board includes one representative and one alternate from UN agencies with a humanitarian and/or recovery mandate: the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
As the administrator, OCHA reviews project proposals and provides recommendations to the Board for their endorsement or rejection.. After endorsement by the HC, OCHA coordinates with headquarters in Geneva to proceed with the administrative protocol. OCHA is also in charge of following all procedural aspects of the implementation with the designated NGOs and assures that the administrative and programme requirements are met. OCHA also carries out field visits to monitor and evaluate the projects.
Since 2001, various donors have contributed to the Fund (see table 1 below). Between 2001 and 2004, the Fund was mainly used to support various emergency response and early recovery projects in post-conflict areas, including Aceh, Maluku, North Maluku, Central Sulawesi and West Kalimantan provinces. Meanwhile, as the situation in post-conflict areas gradually improved, the frequency of natural disasters has increased. Since 2005, ERF has primarily been used to respond to natural disasters across the country. Realizing the importance of strengthening community’s capacity to reduce disasters risks, OCHA encourages implementing partners to insert a disaster risk reduction (DRR) component within the projects. Moreover, since 2007 a significant percentage of the Fund has been allocated to DRR or preparedness activities.
Donor Contributions to ERF 2001 – 2009
|
Donors
|
Amount (US)
|
Project Period
|
Number of Projects
|
| UK Department for International Development (DFID) |
2,863,900
|
2002-2006
|
42
|
| Australian Government's Overseas Aid Program (AusAID) |
999,000
|
2003-2006
|
14
|
| The Kingdom Foundation, Saudi Arabia |
266,575.57
|
2007
|
5
|
| Opec Fund for International Development (OFID) |
499,975
|
2007-2008
|
8
|
| Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) |
1,115,375.03
|
2007-2008
|
15
|
| Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) |
1,876,459.97
|
2009
|
21
|
|
Total
|
7,621,285.57
|
|
105*
|
* As of November 2009
The ERF mechanism has been extremely useful in assisting NGOs in implementing the most pressing activities (e.g. shelter, health, water & sanitation) in conflict affected areas, in particular those areas that may not attract significant funding. The ERF has also been used to supplement other sources of funding, filling gaps that could not be covered by other funding. In October 2006, OCHA conducted a global ERF evaluation exercise which proved that the Fund had been highly useful in responding not only to urgent needs of affected communities but also to transitional needs. The evaluation also demonstrated that the ERF mechanism is appreciated by NGOs which serves to strengthen OCHA’s working relationship with local authorities, international and national NGOs, the affected communities and donors.
Click here to download more about ERF in Indonesia.
Click here to download ERF Guidelines.