Global Guidelines for Country-based Pooled Funds: Frequently Asked Questions – January 2015

Q1. What are the Global Guidelines for Country-based Pooled Funds (CBPFs)?
The Global Guidelines for CBPFs are a package of documents that outline the principles, objectives and functioning of CBPFs. They include:

• The Policy Instruction, which provides an overview of the principles, objectives, governance, and management arrangements for CBPFs
• The Operational Handbook for CBPFs that, together with its annexes, provides a complete set of technical guidelines, tools and templates used in the management of CBPFs The Global Guidelines are mandatory for all CBPFs.

The operational guidance contained in the Handbook represents minimum standards for management arrangements that must apply to all CBPFs. Each Country-based Pooled Fund will develop country-specific operational manuals based on the Operational Handbook.

Q2. How did OCHA develop the CBPF Guidelines and how were stakeholders involved?
The Global Guidelines for CBPFs are the outcome of extensive internal and external consultations conducted by OCHA with stakeholders both at headquarters and country level over the last three years.

At the headquarters level, the consultations included dedicated discussions with UN agencies, NGOs and donors over four meetings of the Pooled-Fund Working Group (PFWG) and regular updates during the meetings of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Humanitarian Financing Task Team (IASC-HFTT).The annual OCHA Global Pooled Fund Management workshops (with participation of OCHA, UNDP and MPTF stakeholders involved in the management of CBPFs) over the last three years were also used to gain further inputs from the field.

Based on these consultations, OCHA finalized an initial draft of the Guidelines in February 2014. The draft was circulated between March and July 2014 for comments to 17 OCHA country offices with active CBPFs, and, through these, to stakeholders at the country level. The draft was also circulated for comments to various OCHA branches and sections at headquarters, to the IASC-HFTT, and to 20 donors at the capital level. The CBPF-NGO Dialogue Platform meetings of April and June 2014 were also used to discuss the content of the Guidelines and collect inputs from partners. In addition, OCHA engaged in bilateral discussions with several donors and other partners.

Altogether, more than 60 entities provided inputs to the Guidelines, resulting in more than 500 written comments which OCHA took into consideration.