CHF-DMA-0489-268ER - External Monitoring Review of Selected CHF Funded Somalia Projects - $104,723

The Common Humanitarian Fund for Somalia (CHF) was established in June 2010, as an upgrade from an earlier Humanitarian Response Fund (HRF). Since then, the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) has allocated more than $100m to more than 250 projects, in two standard allocations (July/August 2010 and February/March 2011), two emergency allocations (January and October 2011), and from the emergency reserve. The CHF has the following two main objectives:

1.    Strategically fund assessed humanitarian action in Somalia to improve the timeliness and coherence of the humanitarian response

2.    Support priority clusters and regional priorities in accordance with identified needs

Majority of the CHF projects are implemented in Southern Somalia where 3 million of the 4 million people in crisis reside.

The CHF Guidelines foresaw an evaluation of the fund for the end of 2011, since the fund could not be included in a global evaluation of CHFs in 2010, when it had just been set up. Instead of this evaluation, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia (HC), the Advisory Board, donors and OCHA have agreed to conduct a project review of the fund in early 2012.

Since the CHF was set up in June 2010, the HC has allocated almost $110 million to 264 projects under two standard allocations, two emergency allocations, and directly from the emergency reserve. The CHF has become an important funding mechanism for humanitarian action in Somalia. Overall, the volume of pooled funding has increased sixfold over the past years, and support from pooled funds was essential in allowing aid agencies to respond to the humanitarian needs of people affected by drought, famine, malnutrition, disease or displacement in Somalia.

Given the central role of the CHF, the large amount of funds allocated and the high number of aid agencies and projects funded, it is essential to review the impact of the fund externally and provide the HC, CHF Advisory Board, donors and recipients with the proper level of assurance around the achievement of planned results and operational effectiveness of the CHF mechanism.  An external firm will conduct this project review, and will be contracted through UNOPS on behalf of the Humanitarian Coordinator.

Where there is access, OCHA staff including the CHF secretariat monitor selected CHF funded projects.  However, an indept external monitoring of projects in areas with limited access is crucial to determine whether the projects are being implemented as specified in the approved project documents.  There is a need to recruit external consultancy firm to conduct monitoring of CHF Somalia projects in Southern somalia and in areas where access is constrained.