CAR Sustainable Development Fund (Emai Fund) 

Objectives

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Fund scope

The CAR Sustainable Development Fund (Emai Fund) is a country-level pooled fund jointly established by the Government of the Central African Republic (GoCAR) and the United Nations to accelerate implementation of the National Development Plan (PND 2024–2028) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF 2023–2029). It serves as a strategic financing instrument that enables coordinated, nationally owned, and community-driven investments to address the root causes of fragility while advancing sustainable development.

The Fund is designed to:

• Accelerate implementation of national development priorities through catalytic joint programmes.
• Strengthen coherence across humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding efforts.
• Reinforce national institutions and government leadership.
• Promote inclusive, people-centred and human rights-based programming.
• Mobilize flexible financing from development partners, IFIs, and the private sector.

The Fund builds on the experience of the CAR MPTF (Ezingo) Fund while introducing a stronger emphasis on national ownership, integrated programming, and catalytic financing.

Theory of Change

The Emai Fund is fully aligned with the UNSDCF Theory of Change.

It is based on the premise that if:

• peace, governance, human rights and the rule of law are strengthened;
• populations—particularly women, children, youth and vulnerable groups—gain equitable access to quality basic social services;
• resilient infrastructure, livelihoods and inclusive economic opportunities are expanded; and
• natural resources and the environment are managed sustainably while strengthening resilience,

then the Central African Republic will become a stable, prosperous and lawful state in harmony with nature, where all people fully realize their potential and benefit equitably from the country's development.

Across all interventions, the Fund promotes:

• strengthening national systems;
• integrated area-based programming;
• evidence-based decision-making;
• humanitarian-development-peace coherence;
• complementarity with other financing mechanisms;
• the principles of leaving no one behind, human rights, gender equality, and youth empowerment.

Strategic Framework

The Fund finances joint programmes through five complementary financing windows, aligned with both the PND and the UNSDCF:

• Promotion of peace, security, human rights and the rule of law: thematic priorities include, but are not limited to, socioeconomic reintegration of ex-combatants and peaceful and prosperous transhumance.
• Inclusion and equitable access to quality basic social services: thematic priorities include, but are not limited to, social protection, food systems, and durable solutions for forced displacement.
• Skills development and accelerated, inclusive and sustainable growth: thematic priorities include, but are not limited to, community-based infrastructure, and economic empowerment of women and youth.
• Environmental sustainability and resilience to crises and climate change: thematic priorities include, but are not limited to, sustainable management of natural resources.
• Enablers (cross-cutting window): Catalytic investments in data systems, governance, innovation, digital transformation, statistical capacity, local planning, and community empowerment that strengthen all four thematic windows.

Subject to available resources, the Steering Committee launches Calls for Proposals under these windows. Funding is available to participating UN organizations through competitive calls, with priority given to joint programmes that demonstrate strong inter-agency collaboration, alignment with national priorities, meaningful community engagement, and gender-responsive programming.

Governance

The Emai Fund uses existing UNSDCF coordination mechanisms, avoiding parallel governance structures and reinforcing national ownership and UN system coherence.

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Joint Steering Committee
The Fund is governed by the UNSDCF Joint Steering Committee, co-chaired by the United Nations Resident Coordinator and the Minister of Economy, Planning and International Cooperation. The Committee also includes representatives of the UN Programme Management Team, Government, international financial institutions, donors, civil society, and the private sector.

Fund Secretariat
The Secretariat is housed within the UN Resident Coordinator's Office and is led by a Fund Manager under the supervision of the Resident Coordinator. It manages the Fund's day-to-day operations, organizes calls for proposals, coordinates proposal reviews, monitors implementation and risks, consolidates reporting, supports resource mobilization, and ensures transparency and communication.

Technical Committee
The UN Programme Management Team (PMT) serves as the Technical Committee. It reviews project proposals for technical quality, strategic alignment, complementarity with other initiatives, and compliance with the Fund's guiding principles before making recommendations to the Steering Committee. Conflict-of-interest safeguards require proposing agencies to recuse themselves from reviewing their own submissions.

Administrative Agent
The UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (MPTFO) acts as the Administrative Agent under the pass-through management modality. It receives donor contributions, administers the Fund, disburses resources following Steering Committee decisions, consolidates financial reporting, and provides financial transparency through its standard fund management systems.

Participating UN Organizations
UN agencies, funds, and programmes that have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Administrative Agent are eligible to receive funding. They are fully responsible for the programmatic and financial implementation of approved projects in accordance with their own regulations and may partner with government institutions, civil society organizations, community-based organizations, and private sector actors to deliver results.

Projects

CAR Sustainable Development Fund (Emai Fund)

CAR Sustainable Development Fund (Emai Fund) is currently supporting count_projects ongoing projectscount_globalInterregional and count_countries country-specific. This table shows the most recently approved ongoing projects.

All project financial information can be found in the Financials section, including delivery analysis by organization, theme and project; project financial status by country and by theme.

CAR Sustainable Development Fund (Emai Fund)

Results

The Emai Fund adopts a results-based approach centered on delivering measurable, sustainable, and transformative development outcomes aligned with the National Development Plan (PND 2024–2028) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF 2023–2029). The Fund prioritizes catalytic joint programmes that address the root causes of fragility through integrated humanitarian-development-peace interventions.

Results are driven by a robust Theory of Change and measured against the UNSDCF Results Framework, with a strong emphasis on collective outcomes rather than individual agency outputs. The Fund promotes evidence-based decision-making, adaptive programming, and continuous learning to ensure interventions remain responsive to evolving needs and contexts.

Participating UN Organizations are responsible for monitoring and evaluating their projects, while the Fund Secretariat oversees portfolio-level performance, consolidates results, and reports progress to the Steering Committee and contributors. Quarterly implementation updates, annual narrative and financial reporting, regular field monitoring, and independent evaluations support accountability and learning.

Across all investments, the Fund embeds the principles of national ownership, inclusion, gender equality, human rights, and leaving no one behind, ensuring that development results are sustainable, community-driven, and contribute to lasting peace, resilience, and inclusive growth in the Central African Republic.

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