Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF) Afghanistan

Transcription

1 Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF) Afghanistan 1 st Standard Allocation Strategy 2017 Purpose The Afghanistan Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF) was established in January 2014 under the leadership of the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC). The objective of the CHF is to promote needs based assistance in accordance with humanitarian principles, to respond to the most urgent needs, and strengthen coordination and leadership of the HC and the Clusters. OCHA s country based pooled funding (CBPF) mechanism ensures timely and flexible funding is available in Afghanistan to address immediate needs while at the same time reinforcing coordinated humanitarian action. All approved CHF funding is allocated in coordination with the Clusters and in alignment with the operational objectives articulated in the 2017 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), which have been developed through a comprehensive consultative process to determine priorities based on inter-sectoral needs analysis. Context The continued deepening and geographic spread of the conflict, with increasingly constrained access to basic services and a massive return of refugees and undocumented Afghans in the second half of 2016, has prompted a 13% increase in the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance in 2017 approximately 9.3 million people. The 2017 HRP outlines the planned delivery of humanitarian assistance over the next 12 months that aims to reach at least 5.7 million of those in need at a cost of US$550 million. Priorities As of January 2017, CHF available funds amount to just 5% of the 2017 HRP funding requirement. With only a few donors as yet providing information regarding their 2017 Afghanistan funding intentions to the global Financial Tracking Service 1 the allocation strategy is unable to take into account other contributions in determining the most urgent and strategic allocation. The interventions identified for support under this first CHF Standard Allocation have been determined in accordance with the prioritisation principles applied to the development of the HRP strategy, and drawing on cluster-led exercises to identify the most urgent priorities and gaps in assistance within their sectors. The total amount of funding available for this allocation is c. $22 million. The funding will be allocated to address key priorities outlined under the following four allocation envelopes: 1. Increasing access to life saving basic health and nutrition services; 2. Addressing basic needs of undocumented returnees and their hosts; 3. Response to neglected needs exacerbated in a deteriorating humanitarian and protection environment; 4. Emergency Response Preparedness. An Emergency Reserve of $7 million will be maintained to enable flexible response to new, unforeseen humanitarian emergencies, to be activated by the HC as and when need arises. 1 The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Financial Tracking Service (FTS) records all reported humanitarian aid contributions with a special focus on humanitarian response plans (HRPs) and appeals.

2 Allocation envelopes CHF Afghanistan 1 st Standard Allocation Strategy ENVELOPE ONE: Increasing access to life saving basic health and nutrition services. Indicative allocation: c. $12.6 million 2017 HRP SO2: Lives are saved by ensuring access to emergency health and protective services and through advocacy for respect of International Humanitarian Law Provide life-saving services to the most vulnerable while continuing to advocate for government to address major shortcomings in meeting the population s basic needs Health Objective 1: Ensure access to emergency health services, effective trauma care and mass casualty management for shock affected people Health Objective 2: Ensure access to essential basic and emergency health services for white conflict-affected areas and overburdened services due to population movements Nutrition Objective 2: The incidence of acute malnutrition is reduced through Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition among boys, girls, and pregnant and lactating women Nutrition Objective 3: Contribute to reduction of morbidity and mortality among returnees and refugees by providing preventative nutrition programmes 2017 HRP SO4: Humanitarian conditions in hard-to-access areas of Afghanistan are improved Enhance impartial, needs-based targeting of assistance to address disparities in the coverage of humanitarian needs in non-government controlled territory Health Objective 2: Ensure access to essential basic and emergency health services for white conflict-affected areas and overburdened services due to population movements Nutrition Objective 4: Enhance capacity of partners to advocate for and respond at scale to nutrition in emergencies Critical gaps in health service coverage (c. $5.4 million) The 2017 Humanitarian Needs Overview estimated as many as 9 million Afghans have limited or no access to essential health services. Active conflict continues to threaten the physical safety and health of Afghans, disproportionately so for women and children. Maternal and child health remains dangerously overlooked. Rates of infant and maternal mortality remain among the highest in the world and severe acute malnutrition (SAM) has breached emergency thresholds in 20 of 34 provinces. Attacks against health facilities, patients, medical staff and vehicles, continue to disrupt and deprive people of life-saving treatment. With about 40% of the country's population out of reach of the national BPHS health services, it is inevitable that deaths associated with childbirth will increase in 2017 and only a fraction of severely malnourished children will receive treatment. Since the inception of the CHF Afghanistan in 2014, the Humanitarian Coordinator has allocated $31.5 million to the Health Sector, in alignment with the prioritized needs of the annual HRPs. Each year, the CHF has continued support to health partners in providing life-saving trauma services in areas of active fighting, as well as health services to vulnerable populations in the areas underserved by providers of Basic Health Package Services (BHPS) and affected by conflict and natural disasters and cross-border movements. The CHF has supported six health projects over a two year period, and five health projects over a three year period to ensure

3 CHF Afghanistan 1 st Standard Allocation Strategy the continuation of critical health care services in highly vulnerable and underserved areas, which would have otherwise stopped due to lack of funding. Short term and ad hoc projects, supported through humanitarian financing, are increasingly relied on to ensure a minimal level of basic health services are provided to otherwise neglected and extremely vulnerable communities. This is particularly the case in non-government controlled and hard to access areas as well as amongst rapidly growing informal urban settlements with high concentrations of IDPs, refugees and returnees. As of 31st December 20016, 179 such health service delivery points run by humanitarian actors have closed due to the expiration of short term funding contracts. The closure affected delivery of essential health care services throughout 63 districts and 17 provinces leaving 857,990 individuals with no access to basic health care in some of the most remote and hard to reach parts of the country. Districts and provinces affected include: Shorabak, Panjwai and Arghistan (Kandahar Province), Terinkot, and Nesh (Uruzgan Province), Pasaband and Shahrak (Ghor Province), Khak Safid, Bakwa and Gulistan (Farah Province), Kohistan, Qaisar and Pashtoonkot (Faryab Province), Imam sahib, Qalai Zal and Chardara (Kunduz Province), AliKhail, Chamkani and Ahmadkhail (Paktia Province), Urgun and Sharan (Paktika Province), Dehbala, Hisarak and Goshta (Nangrahar Province), Baraki barak and Khoshi (Logar Province), Dahana Ghori (Baghlan Province), Spira, Tani,Terezai (Khost Province), Arghandab and Atghar (Zabul Province), Dara Pech, Nurgal, and Munawara (Kunar Province), Kamdesh and Duab (Nuristan Province). This first envelope is therefore intended to enable continuity of health services currently being provided by humanitarian partners in cluster designated white areas along with temporary and mobile services specifically initiated to address the needs of communities with high concentrations of returnees and IDPs. Escalating numbers of preventable maternal deaths (c. $800,000) The growing gaps in BPHS provision are having a disproportionate impact on children and women of reproductive age. The scarcity of adequate health care is compounded by the deteriorating security environment which further restricts women s ability to travel to access health services and concurrently thwarts efforts to educate and employ female health professionals, particularly in more remote areas. The conflict in Afghanistan is significantly increasing the dangers faced by women during pregnancy. Rates of infant and maternal mortality remain among the highest in the world at 73/1000 live births and 327/100,000 live births respectively with reports of maternal mortality ratio (MMR) rates as 417/100,000 in rural parts of the country. Women are dying at home from easily preventable pregnancy-related complications, especially during delivery. Without provision of quality emergency obstetric care Afghanistan will continue to see increases in its already alarming Maternal Mortality Rate. The continuing crisis of malnutrition (c. $6.4 million) Interruption of routine health services and inadequate coverage of the population is also posing significant challenges in tackling the crisis of malnutrition faced by pregnant and lactating women and children under five. The cluster estimates that 1.8 million people will require treatment for acute malnutrition in 2017, of which 1.3 million are children under 5. More than a quarter of all provinces have acute malnutrition rates above 15%, thus classifying them in an emergency category. Lack of health facilities providing treatment however and an almost complete absence of community mobilisation and outreach means Afghanistan s Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (IMAM) programmes which can substantially reduce the fatality rate associated with malnutrition, have distinctively low coverage and frequent high defaulting.

4 CHF Afghanistan 1 st Standard Allocation Strategy The Nutrition Cluster has identified the establishment of comprehensive IMAM programming in Kabul Province as an immediate priority in The cluster estimates 45,000 children aged 0-59 months will be in need of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) treatment, 85,000 children aged 6-59 months will be in need of moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) treatment and 62,500 pregnant and lactating women will be in need of malnutrition treatment in However currently the province has no systematic provision of IMAM programming and the only nutrition services provided in Kabul City are for severely malnourished children through three inpatient treatment sites. In addition, about 24% of all returnees from Pakistan are settling in Kabul further increasing demand for acute malnutrition treatment services. Eligible Actions: Improve essential live saving trauma care facilities in referral hospitals in conflict affected provinces Procure and preposition emergency trauma and health kits and support FATPs in high risk areas Provide PHC services in underserved cluster designated white areas as well as temporary and mobile services specifically initiated to address the needs of communities with high concentrations of returnees and IDPs Scale up priority facilities with Emergency Obstetric and Newborn care (EmONC) services Procurement of emergency RH kits and equipment and training and deployment of medical staff including female health workers in high risk priority districts Establishment of integrated OPD-SAM and OPD-MAM sites in Kabul Province Procurement of supplies for MAM treatment in children aged 6-59 and acute malnutrition treatment in pregnant and lactating women (PLW) in Kabul Province Procurement of supplies for SAM treatment of children aged 0-59 months (IMAM scale up in Kabul Province for IDPs, refugees, returnees and white areas) Envelope 1 All proposed project activities and locations must be discussed and endorsed by the relevant Clusters prior to submission to avoid rejection.

5 CHF Afghanistan 1 st Standard Allocation Strategy ENVELOPE TWO: Addressing basic needs of undocumented returnees and their hosts Indicative allocation: $4.0 million 2017 HRP SO1: Immediate humanitarian needs of shock affected populations are met - including conflict and natural disaster affected and IDPs, refugees and returning Afghans from armed conflict Ensure that the life-saving protection and assistance needs of conflict, natural disaster affected and internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees and returning Afghans are met. Protection Objective 2: Evolving protection concerns, needs and violations are monitored, analysed, and responded to, upholding fundamental rights and restoring the dignity and well-being of vulnerable shock affected populations WASH Objective 1: Ensure timely access to a sufficient quantity of safe drinking water, use of adequate and gender sensitive sanitation, and appropriate means of hygiene practices by the affected population WASH Objective 2: Ensure timely and adequate access to WASH services in situations (returnees transit points, health centers, therapeutic feeding centers, schools, etc.) affected by emergencies ES-NFI Objective 2: Coordinated and timely ES-NFI response to returnees In 2016, more than 621,000 undocumented returnees (251,252) and registered refugees (370,102) returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan. The overwhelming majority 93% (578,874) returned between July and December. From June 2016 onwards, all registered refugee arrivals were assisted with cash grants totalling USD 400 per person. In comparison, less than half of all undocumented returnee arrivals (121,949) received postarrival assistance comprised of a one month household food ration, an assorted NFI kit and a transportation grant supporting onward movement amounting to approximately USD 600 per household. Almost 130,000 undocumented returnees who arrived from Pakistan in 2016 have yet to receive targeted humanitarian assistance. So far in 2017, 5,430 undocumented returnees have arrived from Pakistan. The surge in returnees from Pakistan coupled with the large increase in conflict IDPs experienced in 2016, has placed enormous stress on the existing humanitarian resources but has also placed significant stresses on host communities and local governments, creating risks of additional conflict if adequate access to basic services and reintegration of the new arrivals is not well managed. Shelter & WASH needs of returnees and their hosts (c. $1.5 million) To alleviate the strain placed on hosting communities and lessen potential for further conflict, basic shelter and WASH interventions are required that provide equal benefit on the basis of need and vulnerability. The Refugee and Return Chapter have highlighted provision of shelter and winter assistance for returnees as a main priority, particularly during the first three months of the year. During a comprehensive needs assessment carried out in the central region, UNHCR assessed over 462 returnees the majority of whom settled in the province of Kabul followed by the province of Logar and Parwan and found that the main priority need for returnees is shelter. While some returnees have managed to buy land, many families are currently living in rental houses or with their relatives. A few families are also living in tents. Access to education for returnees (c. $2.5 million) Access to education is also a priority concern for returning girls and boys and their parents, however schools are overcrowded and cannot absorb returning children into existing classrooms. Long distances and the lack of safe transportation between home and school pose an additional challenge for boys and girls from exercising

6 CHF Afghanistan 1 st Standard Allocation Strategy their right to education. Access to education proves especially challenging for girls with families not sending their daughters to school because of the lack of female teachers. Besides the lack of space and teachers, the availability of learning and teaching materials is limited. As a result 85% of assessed returnee communities request support by way of the provision of school supplies/materials. The education in emergencies (EiE) working group, through the Protection Cluster has identified an urgent need to provide EiE services in Nangarhar, Kabul and Kandahar through establishing more Temporary Classrooms and Community-Based Schools (CBS) as well as providing returning girls and boys with school supplies/materials and to recruit and deploy additional teachers. In the absence of conducive access to education, returning girls and boys are more prone to the risks of early marriage, child labour, neglect and exploitation. Eligible Actions: Household water treatment, water trucking, safe storage solutions, rehabilitation of emergency boreholes and hygiene promotion to ensure sufficient quantity of safe drinking water and appropriate means of hygiene practices for returnees and host communities in areas of high return Emergency and transitional shelter support to vulnerable returnee households and host communities to sustain returnees through the winter months and alleviate pressures placed on hosting families. Projects proposing implementation of transitional shelter solutions must demonstrate assessed families are living in sub-standard shelter conditions (e.g. open shelter, over-crowdedness, unsafe/unprotective structures), have limited access to resources to construct their own shelters, and have access to land / secure tenure Establishment of TLS/Community Based Schools in Nangarhar, Kabul and Kandahar, provision of learning materials and recruitment of teachers, particularly female teachers Envelope 2 All assessments undertaken to determine emergency needs must be done through the HCT endorsed HEAT assessment tool with the production of required assessment reporting. Partners submitting unconditional cash projects must endorsed by the Cash Voucher Working Group demonstrate expertise and proven commitment to coordination with other actors in the area of intervention. All cash programmes will be in accordance with CHF Minimum Requirements for Cash Based Programming and are required to conduct Post Distribution Monitoring (PDM). All proposed project activities and locations must be discussed and endorsed by the relevant Clusters prior to submission to avoid rejection.

7 CHF Afghanistan 1 st Standard Allocation Strategy ENVELOPE THREE: Response to neglected needs exacerbated in a deteriorating humanitarian and protection environment Indicative allocation: $2.5 million 2017 HRP SO1: Immediate humanitarian needs of shock affected populations are met - including conflict and natural disaster affected and IDPs, refugees and returning Afghans from armed conflict Ensure that the life-saving protection and assistance needs of conflict, natural disaster affected and internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees and returning Afghans are met. Protection Objective 1: Acute protection concerns, needs and violations stemming from the immediate impact of shocks and taking into account specific vulnerabilities, are identified and addressed in a timely manner Protection Objective 2: Evolving protection concerns, needs and violations are monitored, analysed and responded to, upholding fundamental rights and restoring the dignity and well-being of vulnerable shock affected populations Protection Objective 3: Support the creation of a protection-conducive environment to prevent and mitigate protection risks, as well as facilitate an effective response to protection violations 2017 HRP SO3: The impact of shock induced acute vulnerability is mitigated in the medium term Support households to cope with prolonged (6 months to 2 years) humanitarian needs to prevent a further deterioration in their situation in the absence of progress on durable solutions. FSAC Objective 2: Ensure continued and regular access to food during lean season for severely food insecure people, refugees and prolonged IDPs at risk of hunger and acute malnutrition The 2017 HRP highlighted an intensification of humanitarian needs in the country resulting from unrelenting displacement and exposure to shocks. Most households experience multiple and repetitive shocks within a year resulting in food insufficiency and adoption of negative, often harmful coping strategies. With so much poverty, or forced displacement over the past decades, informal community support mechanisms have lost potency. Mounting vulnerability and multiple shocks simply plunge families deeper into crisis. Severe food insecurity among the prolonged displaced (c. $1.0 million) 2016 recorded unprecedented levels of displacement. As the on-going conflict and changing control of territory prevents people from returning home, more families are enduring prolonged periods of displacement (6 months to 2 years) and with it, enhanced vulnerability. In December 2015, 48% of IDP households living in the Kabul Informal Settlements were found to be severely food insecure. The FSAC cluster has also reported serious food security issues in Hirat informal settlement where prolonged IDP s have crossed emergency food security thresholds with more than 75% of assessed people exhibiting a poor food consumption score. Given the breadth of new emergency requirements around the country these extremely vulnerable groups are all too easily forgotten. Their needs during this period of the peak hunger season however can also become quickly lifethreatening. As part of the HRP 2016 strategic objective to enhance context analysis and coordinated needs assessments, REACH was commissioned to conduct an assessment to better understand the humanitarian needs and vulnerability of prolonged IDPs in Afghanistan. Their initial findings of the assessment identified some 325,000 people internally displaced between January 2014 and the 1 st of March 2016 who are still currently displaced. Joint ICCT analysis of the assessment findings is currently being finalized and in addition FSAC is specifically working with REACH to undertake further food security assessments in informal settlements of Kabul and Nagarhar. On the basis of these assessments funding will be provided under this envelope of the allocation strategy to provide adequate immediate support to severely food insecure prolonged IDPs.

8 CHF Afghanistan 1 st Standard Allocation Strategy Heightened protection risks among the prolonged displaced (c. $0.5 million) The on-going conflict has not only significantly increased the number of families fleeing violence but has also led to a worsening of the overall protection environment both through direct risk and exposure to the violence of war but also resulting from heightened levels of vulnerability amongst those displaced. A priority of the protection cluster is to ensure a wider network of partners equipped to respond to humanitarian protection needs in areas of prolonged displacement (6 months to 2 years) and particularly beyond the emergency phase of displacement as protection concerns often persist and deepen over time. Previous CHF allocations for protection partners have served to support the cluster in reinforcing a more responsive and agile approach, allowing for the targeting of vulnerable individuals in underserved (displaced) communities in need. Further efforts are required to ensure greater coverage of protection systems and ensure continuity of critical services, particularly community-based psychosocial support initiatives that provide medical, legal and psychosocial counselling as well as facilitating access to health and referrals for GBV case management. Education on mine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) risk (c. $0.9 million) According to UNAMA, alongside ground engagements, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and explosive remnants of war (ERW) continue to be leading causes of civilian casualties the latter disproportionately impacting children, who comprised 85 per cent of the casualties caused by ERW in the first half of There is an urgent need for expanded MRE activities throughout the country, in particular in areas where regular humanitarian access is limited and where displaced civilians are settling and returning to. Between 1 January and 30 September, UNAMA documented 8,397 conflict-related civilian casualties (2,562 deaths and 5,835 injured). The intensification of ground fighting is directly related to the increase in civilian casualties from ERW, or unexploded ordnance. UNAMA documented 510 civilian casualties (160 deaths and 350 injured), a 67 per cent increase from the same period in While MRE at the moment is provided to documented and undocumented returnees upon arrival, there remains a significant gap with regard to the displaced and conflict affected civilians in the Southern, Northern and Eastern regions of the country. According to UNMAS estimations, 35 mobile MRE couple teams for conflict affected areas and 14 cross trained teams are required to ensure sufficient geographical coverage. Mobile cross-trained teams have been identified as the most suitable approach that combines demarcation and removal of UXO resulting from the conflict and provision of MRE to the displaced and conflict affected communities. Eligible Actions: In-kind food ration /cash assistance to severely insecure prolonged IDP families. Findings of relevant assessments undertaken within the past 6 months will be a prerequisite for funding and must be submitted along with the proposal Mobile outreach protection services to women, men, girls and boys; principled referrals and psychosocial support to conflict affected people Provision of protection services (including health, psychosocial, legal and safety) to GBV survivors and children abused or exploited by armed groups and armed forces Mine risk education and mobile, prioritised and responsive surveillance and demarcation of ERW in conflict impacted communities and spot-erw clearance Envelope 3 All assessments undertaken to determine emergency needs must be done through the HCT endorsed HEAT assessment tool with the production of required assessment reporting. Partners submitting unconditional cash projects must endorsed by the Cash Voucher Working Group demonstrate expertise and proven commitment to coordination with other actors in the area of intervention. All cash programmes will be in accordance with CHF Minimum Requirements for Cash Based Programming and are required to conduct Post Distribution Monitoring (PDM). All proposed project activities and locations must be discussed and endorsed by the relevant Clusters prior to submission to avoid rejection. Coordination Saves Lives

9 ENVELOPE FOUR: Emergency Response Preparedness Indicative allocation: $3.0 million CHF Afghanistan 1 st Standard Allocation Strategy ES-NFI Objective 1: Coordinated and timely ES-NFI response to families affected and displaced by natural disaster and armed conflict FSAC Objective 3: Strengthen emergency preparedness and response capabilities of partners through development of contingency plans, timely coordinated food security assessments and capacity development especially in hard to reach areas Health Objective 1: Ensure access to emergency health services, effective trauma care and mass casualty management for shock affected people Nutrition Objective 1: Quality community and facility-based nutrition information is made available for timely programme monitoring and decision-making Protection Objective 2: Evolving protection concerns, needs and violations are monitored, analysed, and responded to, upholding fundamental rights and restoring the dignity and well-being of vulnerable shock affected populations Stock replenishment and prepositioning (c. $2.2 million) In the context of a rapidly changing crisis, the humanitarian community must be prepared to provide fast and flexible emergency response to conflict and natural-disaster emergencies of unknown scope and scale. In 2016 unprecedented levels of displacement, coupled with the massive response to returning refugees and undocumented returnees stretched the limits of the humanitarian community and drained available resources. The onset of winter and planned pause in UNHCR s voluntary repatriation programme has led to significant reductions in the numbers of returnees crossing from Pakistan since mid-december. From March 2017 onward however both IOM and UNHCR anticipate a resurgence in returnees. Planning figures include at least 400,000 documented refugee returnees with undocumented arrivals expected to increase to 400,200 (+7.3%). The spring months are also typically associated with wide scale seasonal flooding as thawing snows and spring rains often combine to cause devastation to both lives and livelihoods. Year after year, spring flooding has killed dozens and damaged thousands of houses across some 21 of Afghanistan s 34 provinces considered vulnerable to seasonal floods. Contingency planning and prepositioning of essential supplies is a critical component of annual humanitarian response planning in preparation for spring floods, usually occurring from March until May. Overall Afghanistan s security situation continued to deteriorate throughout 2016 with 33 of 34 provinces experiencing increasingly intense confrontations between Non State Armed Groups (NSAG) and the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) leading to more than 600,000 people fleeing their homes. With no obvious prospects for an improved state of affairs, 2017 is likely to see at least a further 450,000 new IDPs quite possibly more, to which the humanitarian community must mobilize a response. Household Level Emergency Assessment Tool (HEAT) Training (c. $200,000) Success of humanitarian coordination systems relies heavily on providing the right information and analysis to the right people to inform decision making and guide the delivery of a relevant and dynamic response. In June 2016 the humanitarian community in Afghanistan endorsed a common, household level rapid assessment tool for establishing emergency relief needs of families impacted by sudden shocks (natural disasters, conflict displacement and cross border displacement). The development of the Household Level Emergency Assessment

10 CHF Afghanistan 1 st Standard Allocation Strategy Tool (HEAT) has addressed a gap in terms of providing a systematic and coherent evidence base for decision making and financing of emergency humanitarian response interventions, across sectors and throughout the country. This initial effort towards standardisation of assessment and data collection methodology has contributed to greater efficiencies in coordinated response efforts. The adoption of a household approach has reduced misdirection of resources, and enabled more systematic analysis of where, and how needs vary. Critical to the successful implementation of the common tool has been the nationwide roll out of accompanying training. To date trainings have occurred in all regions of the country however due to high demand from partners additional trainings at the provincial level are envisaged along with a new training of trainers package to enable organisations to provide their own in-house training and significantly expand capacities for coordinated humanitarian needs assessment as well as soft skills for management and coordination of joint assessments, needs analysis and reporting, and protection sensitivity. Cluster Led Needs Assessment (c. $600,000) The previous four CHF Standard Allocations have provided funding to support the collection of multi-sector data that can inform future humanitarian programme design at a strategic level and improve understanding of critical humanitarian needs and vulnerabilities. While progress is now being made on these fronts, significant data gaps remain, particularly regarding the collection of sector-specific information to enhance prioritization of humanitarian programming. With clusters reporting that partner capacity and resources are the two biggest constraints to carrying out national level cluster/sector assessment activities, CHF funding will be made available to support cluster led initiatives that result in more comprehensive, robust analysis of humanitarian needs across the country to enable allocation of critical resources where they are most needed. Eligible Actions: Procurement and prepositioning of emergency relief supplies. Justification for stock requirements and prepositioning locations must be made on the basis of consolidated, updated cluster stockpile data and preparedness plans Countrywide Household Level Emergency Assessment Tool (HEAT) training and Training of Trainers Sector specific needs assessments that address current humanitarian data gaps and inform strategic cluster programming approaches. Proposals to undertake humanitarian assessments that cater for a wide range of actors and their information needs across sectors as well as between geographic localities would be given precedence. Envelope 4 All proposed project activities and locations must be discussed and endorsed by the relevant Clusters prior to submission to avoid rejection. Annexes: 1. 1 SA Cluster Objectives & Standard Indicators 2. Guidance for Submission 3. Guidance for Budget Preparation 4. CHF Minimum Requirements for Cash Programming 5. Guidance for IASC Gender Codes 6. Guidance for Protection Mainstreaming 7. Strategic and Technical Review Scorecard