The oPt Humanitarian Fund (oPt HF) is a pooled funding mechanism under the overall authority of the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC), supported by an Advisory Board, OCHA, and the response cluster leads.
The HC determines the Fund’s strategic focus, sets the allocation amounts, approves projects and initializes disbursements. The HC chairs the oPt HF Advisory Board that is comprised of senior-level representatives of donors, UN agencies, national and International NGOs. The core function of the oPt HF Advisory Board is to support the HC on the strategic focus, ensuring that the allocations are in line with the oPt Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) and that the main objectives of the Fund are met.
Cluster Leads support the oPt HF processes at three levels:
Under the overall supervision of the OCHA Head of Office, the Humanitarian Financing Unit (HFU) ensures adequate and efficient management the Fund, including the coordination of allocation processes and oversight of the entire funding cycle from the opening of an allocation to the closure of projects, while providing technical support and policy advice to the HC.
The HFU maintains accountability requirements, including risk management and operational modalities, as well as coordination with other units of the OCHA Country Office and sub-offices. Further, the HFU ensures donor contributions are channelled to partners in compliance with OCHA’s Global Guidelines for Country-based Pooled Funds.
In order to allow for the proper management and oversight of the oPt HF, a number of key documents have been developed: