Somalia Humanitarian Fund (SHF): Operational Manual, April 2023

Introduction

Purpose and scope

  1. The purpose of the Somalia Humanitarian Fund (SHF) Operational Manual is to ensure a coherent and harmonised approach to the governance and operations of

  2. Country-based Pooled Fund (CBPF). This manual sets out arrangements that enhance the quality of the SHF practices and their accountability to stakeholders, including United Nations (UN) Member States, donors, humanitarian operational partners (hereafter referred to as ‘partners’), and people affected by disasters and emergencies.

  3. The Operational Manual describes minimum standards for effective and efficient management of the SHF.
    They build upon the extensive experience of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) over many years of managing CBPFs in different country contexts.

  4. Primary users of this Operational Manual are Humanitarian Financing Units (HFUs), who support and manage the SHF. The manual also serves as a reference document for partners, as they also describe the roles and responsibilities of Humanitarian Coordinators (HC); OCHA; partners, including UN agencies, national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs); coordination platforms, including sectors/clusters; and other stakeholders.

  5. The SHF was administered by the Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) Office. At the time of issuance of this Operational Manual the administrative role is transferred to OCHA.

  6. The SHF functions in a specific context and is managed by OCHA at the country level. While the Funds is are required to align practices with the CBPF Global Guidelines they retain the flexibility to build upon the minimum standards and adopt additional provisions to best meet the demands of Somalia that context. Where humanitarian objectives and operational requirements require deviation from minimum standards for financial and risk management, the HC may request approval of an exceptional waiver by OCHA’s Executive Officer (EO) – which will be considered in light of the corresponding justification and risk management implications.

  7. This manual should be read in conjunction with the CBPF Global Guidelines, which sets out the global minimum standards applicable to all CBPFs. This manual deviates only from the CBPF Global Guidelines when the local context requires.