Governance 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:

1. At a strategic level, to ensure there are links between the proposed projects, the HRP and cluster strategies.
2. 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 Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund Operational Manual and OCHA’s Global Guidelines for CBPFs.