Pooled Fund in the Democratic Republic of Congo - UNDP 2019

February 2019 - From new violence in peaceful areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo (RDC) such as Ituri to multiple Ebola outbreaks and the forced return of hundreds of thousands of Congolese refugees and IDPs 2018 pushed the limits of DRC's humanitarian assistance. These challenges coupled with cyclical violence and a lack of basic services exacerbated live-saving needs across the east and centre of the country. Millions of Congolese bear the brunt which is characterized by worsening inter-ethnic tensions and conflict and where widespread human rights abuses including sexual violence are a defining feature. In 2018 alone 1.26 million Congolese were newly displaced and it is expected that 2019 will bring an additional 2.9 million returnees back to their areas of origin creating significant needs in protection livelihoods and food security. Approximately 12.8 million people are food insecure and 4.28 million children are suffering from malnutrition. GAC and other donors are providing funding to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for the DRC Country-Based Pooled Fund (CBPF). This Fund provides timely allocations to national and international NGOs as well as UN agencies to address some of the most critical humanitarian needs in the DRC. The CBPF’s main objectives include: (1) supporting timely responses to sudden crises and critical gaps in humanitarian operations; (2) supporting the transportation of humanitarian supplies and personnel as well as improved communications and storage capacity; and (3) capacity-building for national non-governmental organizations equipping them with strengthened financial and management tools to implement humanitarian responses.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) increased access for the most vulnerable to life-saving humanitarian assistance (e.g. food nutrition health protection shelter water sanitation and hygiene support); (2) increased capacity of the humanitarian system to respond to urgent needs; and (3) increased capacity among national humanitarian organizations to effectively respond to urgent needs. The expected ultimate outcome is lives saved suffering alleviated and human dignity maintained in countries experiencing humanitarian crises or acute food insecurity.