ResultsFocus on impact and results
Governance, policy and guidance
The HC determines the AHF’s strategic focus, sets the allocation amounts, approves projects and initializes disbursements. The HC chairs the AHF Advisory Board, which comprises senior-level representatives of donors, cluster-lead UN agencies, NGOs and observing organizations. The core function of the AHF Advisory Board is to support the HC on the strategic focus, ensuring that the standard allocations are in line with the HRP and that the fund’s main objectives are being met.
Cluster leads support the AHF processes at two levels:
- At a strategic level, to ensure there are links between the proposed projects, the HRP and cluster strategies.
- At an operational level, to provide technical expertise to the process of project prioritization and evaluation, and to promote sector coordination among humanitarian agencies.
The OCHA office in Kabul supports and advises the HC on strategic issues, ensuring that the scope and objectives are aligned with the HRP. OCHA’s HFU is the fund’s managing agent, including the coordination and oversight of allocation processes and the entire funding cycle, from the opening of an allocation to the closure of projects, while providing CBPF 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 regional sub-offices. The HFU also ensures that donor contributions are allocated to projects within an agreed coordination, monitoring and reporting framework, in compliance with the minimum requirements outlined in the AHF Afghanistan Operational Manual and OCHA’s Global Guidelines for CBPFs.
Allocation process
Under the direction of the HC, the AHF aims to support the timely allocation and disbursement of donor resources to the most critical humanitarian needs, as defined by the HRP. To meet this goal, the AHF has two inclusive, transparent and efficient allocation processes.
- Standard allocation: The process through which most of the funds will be allocated to ensure funding for priority projects in line with the HRP. It usually occurs twice a year after the launch of the HRP and following the HRP review, depending on funding levels.
- Reserve allocation: This is a more streamlined process used for the rapid and flexible allocation of funds set aside by the HC. It takes place as required in the event of unforeseen emergencies or to immediately address strategic humanitarian needs.
For both allocations, the AHF publishes an allocation strategy paper in line with the HRP sectoral priorities that specifies the sectors and activities eligible for funding, developed in coordination with the relevant clusters. The review committees comprise representatives from clusters, UN agencies, NGOs and OCHA. They evaluate the submitted proposals to ensure projects are strategically relevant, technically sound and aligned with the key priorities of the allocation strategy paper for the HC’s final funding decision. The allocation strategy paper also lists the key administrative, strategic and technical criteria that project proposals must adhere to, such as value for money, monitoring requirements and beneficiary selection, and guidance on cross-cutting issues of security and access, protection mainstreaming and gender responsiveness in humanitarian response.
The AHF project cycle management process is conducted through OCHA’s GMS, an online platform allowing for better management and institutional memory of all CBPFs. AHF partners use this interface to submit project proposals and reports, and the HFU coordinates project reviews, monitoring and partner performance.
> $55M 
$55M - $25M
$25M - $5M
< $5M
