The Democratic Republic of the Congo Pooled Fund (DRCPF) is a pooled funding mechanism established in 2006 for humanitarian activities in the DRC. Under the overall authority of the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) for the DRC, the DRCPF is intended to give the HC greater ability to target funds to the most critical humanitarian needs, encourage early donor contributions and enable a rapid response to unforeseen circumstances. A similar mechanism exists in the Sudan (see the Sudan Common Humanitarian Fund website).

Only projects included in the Humanitarian Action Plan for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (the Action Plan) are eligible for DRCPF funding. The Action Plan outlines the annual strategic and operational plan for the UN and partners’ humanitarian assistance in the DRC and is developed in consultation with humanitarian partners. It is divided into nine planning regions and ten sectors.

Both the Action Plan and the DRCPF help advance humanitarian aid reforms as proposed in the Secretary-General’s report, In Larger Freedom (2005), such as strengthened response capacity, more predictable and timely funding to organizations, strengthened coordination. The DRCPF is also consistent with the principles of the Good Humanitarian Donorship (GHD) initiative under which the DRC is a pilot country.