Guidance for Resource Mobilization in Protracted Crises

How to mobilize resources for protracted crises response and recovery

• In multi-year, protracted crises, a lack of funding and resource mobilization can create substantial barriers for project implementation. Underfunding of relief operations is an ongoing issue, especially when the attention of donors, after a sudden spike in events and media coverage, decreases. Such issues are directly affecting environmental programming in protracted crises. In times of underfunding, environment related projects might not be regarded as a part of the core humanitarian operations.
  • Therefore, environmental and humanitarian actors need to ensure visibility towards the donor community and explain why environmental programming is vital to sustainable humanitarian assistance.
• Include environmental concerns in country specific fundraising brochures, pamphlets, infographics, or other documents which tell a compelling story focused on people in need, the impact of funding/underfunding and highlight the specific influence of environmental degradation on the people in need.
• Highlight environmental concerns and promote funding for mitigation activities at donor pledging conferences in-country or in donor capitals.
  • Highlight environment as a priority cross-cutting issue.
  • Argue that during protracted crisis and complex humanitarian emergencies, introducing environmental resilience principles in the early phases of an emergency and sustaining them throughout the transition period can greatly contribute to peace and reduce vulnerabilities.
• Environmental activities need to be budgeted and the use of environmental funding consequently tracked. Screening tools like the NEAT+ can form the basis of environmental budgets, where technical and budget staff work together to establish the requirements. Environmental costs are often integrated into relevant sectors such as infrastructure, water or agriculture. The following questions assist in quantifying environmental costs:
  • Are further environmental assessments needed?
  • Is environmental staff and training needed?
  • Are field visits needed?
  • Are specific equipment and supplies needed, e.g. water testing kits, vegetation for erosion control, waste management costs?
• Consider applications to the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) or the development of allocation policy papers for the strategic use of country-based pooled funds.
• Consider crowdfunding campaigns, joint advocacy and coordinated lobbying of parliaments for increased humanitarian and preparedness funding or the use of development funds to support chronic crises. Highlight the need for environmental funding in advocacy and promote environmental considerations as a cross-cutting issue relevant for all clusters involved in humanitarian action.
• Keep in mind that in protracted crises, donors tend to make their main decision during the last quarter of the calendar year for disbursement in the next calendar year.
  • If funding is to be generated through UN System funding mechanisms, additional funding requirements for environmental considerations should be included in the Periodic Monitoring Report, which is the principal monitoring mechanism for humanitarian assistance in protracted crises. The principal messages of the PMR are then included in the revision of the Humanitarian Response Plan, done during the last quarter of the response cycle. This is then commonly used by donors to inform their funding decisions.