Charter For Change statement on the revised UN Global Humanitarian Response Plan on Covid19:
On Thursday 7th May, the UN launches its new Global Humanitarian Response Plan (GHRP) framing global and country-level funding requests to support the Covid19 crisis response.
The Grand Bargain Friends of Gender Group published new guidance notes on how to promote gender equality through localisation, participation, cash and voucher assistance and humanitarian needs assessments.
UNICEF is committed to the principles of budget flexibility, adaptive programming, meaningful partner interaction, and harmonised UN due diligence. UNICEF also recognized that the COVID-19 pandemic necessitates further flexibility. To this end, and in addition to the standard simplifications, UNICEF has adopted measures such as recognition of eligible costs, postponement of non-critical assurance requirements and allowance of remote modalities, and submission of Programme Documents and FACE forms with a digital and e-mail signature. Read the full document below.
UNFPA’s Humanitarian Action Thematic Fund (HTF) shows that flexible, predictable and multi-year funding reduces transaction costs, and enables a comprehensive response to people in humanitarian settings.
In 2020, 95% Signatories reported by the deadline for 2019 (59 out of 62 Signatories). The analysis of the findings from the self-reports will be published in the Annual Independent Report.
The self-reporting exercise provides accountability towards the wider humanitarian community, beneficiaries and other stakeholders. It is also used as a starting point for the analysis provided by an independent annual report. This report assesses the progress of each work stream, and of the overall Grand Bargain initiative.
Prepared by the workstream 7&8 (Enhanced Quality Funding), the purpose of this Definitions Guidance Summary is to clarify the definitions of multi-year and flexible funding in order to help Grand Bargain signatories with this year’s (2019) annual self-reporting process. To highlight, this Guidance Summary is not modifying the existing definitions of multi-year (OECD definition of multi-year) or flexible funding (Annex I of The Grand Bargain: A Shared Commitment to Better Serve People In Need) adopted by the Grand Bargain.
As highlighted in a letter to their partners, WFP asked their Country Offices to above all use flexibility and simplification to ensure business continuity. "This includes increased flexibility in existing agreements to reprogramme and shift resources into the most affected locations and most urgent activities, and fast-tracked procedures for negotiating and revising agreements.
In a letter to their partners, the High Commissioner for Refugees Mr Filippo Gandi informed them that UNHCR is "working swiftly on easing some of the hurdles resulting from contractual obligations which can prevent flexible responses." According to Mr Grandi, this initiative started before the COVID-19 crisis, and UNHCR is now advancing this process. To accelerate response to the COVID-19 crisis, UNHCR will simplify certain administrative, procurement and other processes, including the ability to quickly engage new partners. See the full letter below.
