Emergency Response Fund Colombia Credit: Humanitarian Studies Institute in Colombia Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Note from the Humanitarian Coordinator Bruno Moro, HC The Emergency Response Fund (ERF) has proven to be an effective tool for rapid response to emergencies caused by natural disasters in Colombia. The 2010 floods in Colombia left a toll of 2.2 million affected. This number continued to grow in 2011 with the start of the first rain cycle. As of May 2011, it is estimated that 3.3 million people are directly affected by floods nationwide. Water levels of the main rivers have yet to recede while the national and international response capacity is overstretched. Furthermore, a prestigious human rights NGO (Codhes) estimates that four in every 10 of the affected are IDPs. This means that approximately 1.2 million people are currently affected in Colombia by floods as well as by the internal armed conflict. This is certainly the harshest of all flood emergencies accounted for in the past 60 years. More than 300,000 households suffered considerable damages, including the loss of goods, livestock and self-sustenance crops. Vast areas of the country some 1.3 million hectares- were washed by bloated rivers that also destroyed damns, roads and community infrastructure. As rains are likely to continue until mid 2011, and hundreds of thousands still have not received humanitarian aid, the social and economic impact is devastating and it will be many months before dispossessed families can recover their livelihoods. Again, it should be highlighted that conditions are especially more dire for affected IDPs, as well as for vulnerable populations settled in conflict-prone areas. Paramount governmental efforts are underway since the peak of the floods in 2010. There is an ambitious fundraising campaign of the Government of Colombia (GoC) that has harnessed significant resources from the private sector. In addition, the Government made sizable national budget allocations (US$ 2.7 billion for emergency assistance, of which 82 percent are reportedly already committed) and cases of solidarity across society continue to sprout, involving chambers of commerce, private companies and grassroots communities. However, claims of corruption, inefficiency and negligence raised by the Public Ministry, add to the collapse of the national response system and the utter lack of sufficient technical and human capacity at the local level to convert large transfers of money into effective and timely humanitarian aid. It is imperative that the international humanitarian community continue to support State efforts to help secure humanitarian aid, as well as to reach those who remain unattended. Furthermore, the GoC needs support in building institutional and social capacities to meet the challenge of recovery and reconstruction by building back better. The Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) mobilized and implemented $26.2 million allowing us to work in the hardest-struck regions by providing humanitarian assistance to some 450 thousand people. A significant portion came from pooled funds managed by OCHA. ERF Colombia disbursed $1.8 million in 2010 (total of $4 million received in 2010-2011) and demonstrated its effectiveness - not so much in terms of the scale of its overall financial contribution- but rather in terms of timeliness, leverage and complementarity with other sources of funding such as the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) which disbursed $6.6 million for 2010-2011 from both windows. In addition, the ERF helped in bolstering response capacities of local organizations and enhancing humanitarian coordination. 1
Still, our efforts did not fully meet the demands of those in need of humanitarian assistance. By the end of 2010 the HCT put together a flood response plan that sought to raise over $43 million. Yet, Colombian authorities opposed the launch of an international appeal making it harder for the donor community to make additional contributions. We are currently finalizing the elaboration of a Common Humanitarian Action Plan. This will be the first time that the international humanitarian community will use this tool as its primary instrument for establishing a common strategy, priorities and sectoral plans. In this regard, I would like to highlight that the HCT will focus on delivering timely, coordinated and efficient humanitarian assistance to those affected by the longstanding armed conflict that over the past months have also been struck by floods. The ERF, a tool designed to meet the country specific needs, places Colombia well ahead in the discussion on how disaster response should be done in areas also affected by the armed conflict. Donors to the Fund- Norway, Sweden and Spain- have made significant contributions to discussions as members of the ERF Advisory Board. On behalf of the HCT, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the donors of Colombia ERF and encourage their continued support to the Fund. I would also like to welcome new donors to support the ERF in Colombia. In order to respond to on-going challenges and possible new emergencies on the horizon, we are aiming to increase the contribution from current $ 2.2 million to around $4 million per year. I also wish to thank our partners whose dedication enabled us to reach 25,904 beneficiaries that would otherwise never have received any assistance. Projects were carried out by the Colombian, French and Dutch Red Cross, Action Against Hunger, Oxfam and Refugee Education Trust, the National Secretariat of Social Pastoral (Catholic Church) and local NGO Opción Legal. Our partners in 2011 also include Save the Children and Mercy Corps. 2
Executive Summary Although Colombia is ranked as a midincome country, profound inequalities and structural voids in several regions of the country exacerbate the impact of conflict on civilians. Underdevelopment has led to limited access to basic services such as education, health, and water and sanitation to communities often located in remote and isolated areas that are difficult to reach. Colombia s complex topography adds to the difficulties in fighting rebel and paramilitary groups. An average of three civilians fall victims to landmine accidents and create fear within rural communities. Mobility is sometimes restricted for prolonged periods of time (30 days) in areas located far from urban centers. Afro communities, indigenous peoples, women and children, and population living in remote areas are more vulnerable and face a protection crisis. In 2010, Colombia faced the harshest cold wave in decades, intensified by La Niña phenomenon which caused generalized floods by overflowing of major rivers. Two million people were directly affected by the floods. At least 500 thousand people were dispossessed by the floods, more than 200 have died and the Government, despite declaring a national emergency and doing all within its reach to mobilize the response, was not able to fully meet the challenges caused by the natural disaster. The purpose of ERF is to address the needs of communities affected by both armed conflict and natural disasters. It is designed to be activated for smaller scale emergencies or, as was the case in Colombia, to kick-start other funding sources at the wake of massive emergencies. There is a perception that disasters and conflict are two separate phenomena. The greatest challenge is therefore to provide adequate and context-specific response. The ERF, although in a small scale, is proving to do so effectively since its establishment in Colombia in October 2009. In 2011 the ERF will seek to benefit some 50,000 victims of disasters also affected by conflict that would otherwise not be reached. The cold wave that affected Colombia extended all the way to the end of March 2011. The first rain cycle (there are two annual cycles) started in April. It is improbable that families who lost their livelihoods to the current floods will have any access to resources for their survival and recovery for a period of at least six months. While the bulk of resources reach urban and semi-urban victims, the ERF is a critical vehicle for addressing humanitarian needs of the most remote and isolated communities. ERF complements CERF funding since it is more flexible, allowing the implementation of smaller projects over a longer period of time and at a lower cost. Not having this flexibility as a consequence of under funding would create or rather restore- a void in response capacity that the ERF can effectively cover. The last three ERF projects in 2010 for instance complemented CERF RR projects (07 09). Also in 2011, a Water and Sanitation project to be implemented by Action Against Hunger is designed to complement a CERF Under Funded project to be implemented by PAHO Contributions as of May 2011 were made available by Norway ($1,026,043), Spain ($668,700) and Sweden ($468,830) A new administration support team in OCHA AO (GVA) dedicated exclusively to ERFs has ensured the timely processing of requests since September 2010 In December 2010 OCHA launched version 1.0 of the ERF online management tool (erf.colombiassh.org), adding capacity to monitor and evaluate projects systematically, as 3
well as to ensure transparency and visibility in real time to implementing agencies, the Technical Review Committee, and the ERF Manager and the Advisory Board. This tool was presented by Colombia ERF Manager at the Pooled Fund Management Workshop in Nairobi (9-11 April 2011) and will be shared with countries that are considering using the on-line management tool to manage their own Funds (e.g. Pakistan and Haiti). The Advisory Board met on 18 March 2011 and agreed on the use of a small portion of the ERF to develop a similar tool to systematize real-time Rapid Needs Assessment missions, as well as to place greater emphasis on preparedness projects and the start up of early recovery actions when possible. Most projects have concentrated on humanitarian assistance, but given the current emergency, the ERF could make also a big difference if funds are invested on preparedness and contingency planning. 4
Summary of projects funded in 2010 AVAILABLE 2010 $1,851,853 % ALLOCATED $1,821,239 98% Carryover $30,614 2% PROJECT SECTOR TOTAL AREA BENEFICIARIES % French Red Cross - 001 Health, WatSan $214,600 GUAPI (CAUCA) 1,250 12% Colombian Red Health, WatSan, Cross - 002 shelter $238,120 PUEBLO VIEJO (MAGDALENA) 3,300 13% Action Against Hunger - 003 WatSan $246,111 URIBIA / MANAURE (LA GUAJIRA) 3,000 13% Netherlands Red Shelter, Health, Cross - 004 WatSan $159,100 MUNGUIDO (CHOCÓ) 339 9% Colombian Red Cross - 005 Shelter $149,265 FLORENCIA (CAQUETÁ) 350 8% Refugee Education Trust - 006 Education $100,000 FLORENCIA (CAQUETÁ) 596 5% Opción Legal - 007 Education $233,935 LORICA, AYAPEL, SAN BERNARDO, SAN PELAYO (CÓRDOBA) 7,069 13% Oxfam - 008 WatSan $250,000 SUCRE (SUCRE) 7,000 13% Pastoral Social - 009 BARRANQUILLA, MAGANGUE, SANTA Food and NFIs $230,108 ROSA DE OSOS Y MONTELIBANO (LA distribution MOJANA) 3,000 12% $1,821,239 25,904 Summary of projects funded in 2011 as of 12 May AVAILABLE 2011 $2,189,255 % ALLOCATED $669,742 31% BALANCE 2011 $1,357,455 69% PROJECT SECTOR TOTAL AREA BENEFICIARIES % WatSan, Food, SANTA LUCIA, CAMPO DE LA CRUZ Mercy Corps - 010 Preparedness, Early $ 170,000 (ATLÁNTICO) Recovery 2,007 8% Action Against WatSan $ 250,000 TIERRALTA (CÓRDOBA) 3,100 11% Hunger -011 Refugee Education Trust -012 Education, Protection $ 249, 742 CAMPO DE LA CRUZ, MANATI (ATLÁNTICO) 2,440 11% $ 669,742 7,547 5
Country Map: Humanitarian snapshot as of 4 April 2011 ERF projects 6
Information on Contributors Contributions for 2010 by country in US$* Contributions for 2011 by country in US$ as of 12 May Carryover from 2010 29,451 Norway 993,484 Norway 1,005,112 Spain 431,790 Spain 674,764 Sweden 426,579 Sweden 437,850 Total 1,851,853 Total 2,147,177 *Contributions were disbursed in 2009/2010 for 2010, and late in 2010 for 2011 Fund Overview Summary of ERF Allocations in 2010 Requested for 2010 in US$ Carry over from 2009 in US$ Amount received in 2010 in US$ Total available in 2010 in US$ 2,500,000 0 1,851,853 1,851,853 Disbursed ERF funds in 2010 by partner type in US$ Disbursed ERF funds in 2010 by project type in US$ UN Agencies 0 Emergency response 1,424,754 International NGOs 970,239 Preparedness 238,120 National NGOs 852,163 Innovative (if any) 159,528 Total 1,822,402 Total 1,822,402 UN Agencies 0% Innovative (if any) 9% Preparedness 13% National NGOs 47% International NGOs 53% Emergency response 78% 7
Results of ERF Projects per Cluster 1. Overview of Health Number of projects Budget in US$ Implementing agencies Geographic Area 2 452,720 French Red Cross, Colombian Red Cross Outputs Guapi (Cauca department) and Pueblo Viejo (Magdalena department) Total number of beneficiaries: 4,550 Gender consideration: number of women (1,170), men (1,309) and children (1,899) who were beneficiaries Project results: i) 1,000 in Cauca received basic medical attention and 254 families gained access to safe-drinking water through the provision of water and sanitation solutions. In addition, 2 community shelters in Cauca were set up and left functioning with support from the French Red Cross and a Health Rapid Response Team was garnished with equipment and medical supplies to ensure continuity after the end of the project. ii) In Pueblo Viejo (Magdalena) 793 families received medical attention. Their households were repaired and water and sanitation solutions were provided so that they are better prepared for floods and erosion. ERF s added value to the project: ERF enabled a quick intervention in Cauca that restored humanitarian access to indigenous communities blocked by non-state armed groups operating in the area. Thanks to this intervention, other humanitarian organizations were able to come in, bringing further humanitarian assistance, relief and protection to these communities. In Magdalena, a province facing tremendous risks of flooding (currently affected), the work undertaken by the Colombian Red Cross helped IDP communities gain awareness and begin to adapt their way of life to climate change, as well as to improve their health, prevent diseases and have access to safe-drinking water. Adaptation projects are usually hard to fund but are critical to prevent greater humanitarian consequences. 2. Overview of Water and Sanitation Number of projects Budget in US$ Implementing agencies Geographic Area 2 496,111 Action Against Hunger and Oxfam Uribia and Manaure (La Guajira department) and Sucre (Sucre department) Total number of beneficiaries: 10,000 Outputs Gender consideration: number of women (2,765), men (2,708) and children (7,464) who were beneficiaries Project results: i) Distribution of safe water for 643 people through water trucking, distribution of 6 flexible water tanks for community water storage, distribution of 500 family water containers + 1,000 drums of 20 liters of capacity, rehabilitation of 8 water points, distribution of 230 household water filters. ii) Distribution of 1.400 household water storage tanks of 100l and microbiologic analyses carried out to ensure water quality, training of 1.400 families in use and maintenance of system home filtration of water, hygiene and good water management practices, distribution of 1.400 basic family hygiene kits and training of Local Health Promoters on the use of household filters ERF s added value to the project: both projects were 100% implemented according to the original proposals. Water, sanitation and hygiene promotion activities achieved a significant impact on reducing the incidence of diseases related to water and poor sanitary conditions presents at initial stage in the vulnerable indigenous and peasant rural families of La 8
Guajira and Sucre. The institutional strengthening components are a milestone in ensuring a continuum and multiplication of the achieved results. ACF, through OCHA funds is the only organization that provides WASH humanitarian aid in Guajira Department during the drought and the floods in 2010-2011. 3. Overview of Shelter Number of projects Budget in US$ Implementing agencies Geographic Area 2 309,528 Netherlands Red Cross and Colombian Red Cross Outputs Munguidó (Chocó department) and Florencia (Caquetá department) Total number of beneficiaries: 689 Gender consideration: number of women (130), men (123) and children (436) who were beneficiaries Project results: i) In Munguidó NRC set up one mobile medical unit and community kitchens; facilitated the relocation to a safe plot of the affected families and members of the community worked on the reconstruction of their wooden houses, two community centers and a school, all of them equipped with artisan rain-water collection and storage systems. Assistance was given to recover their self-sustenance crops to ensure their food security. Tools and techniques were given. The whole process was conducted to adapt to climate change and mitigate risks of flooding, as well as developing the response capacities of the community and the local authorities to disaster emergencies. Houses were also equipped with environmentally friendly stoves that require up to 50% less wood and avoid smoke staying inside the homes. ii) The Colombian Red Cross built 6 temporary multi-family shelters of 354.5m 2 each of immunized wood with a capacity to host 60-72 persons. Shelters are compliant with Sphere standards. Shelters are for IDP families that lost their houses as a direct consequence of the avalanche and fresh flood of the Hacha River that devastated vulnerable settlements and neighborhoods. The building of shelters and the training process for managing them provided a safe environment for families also affected by conflict, taking into account the special needs of women, children, and indigenous persons. ERF s added value to the project: These two projects propelled early recovery of livelihoods and introduced some innovative solutions such as involving the communities directly in the reconstruction of their infrastructure and houses ( building back better ) and developing their capacities to mitigate risks related to climate change and disaster emergencies. 4. Overview of Education Number of projects Budget in US$ Implementing agencies Geographic Area 2 333,935 The Refugee Education Trust (RET) and Opción Legal Outputs Florencia (Caquetá department) and Lorica, Ayapel, S. Bernardo and S. Pelayo (Córdoba department) Total number of beneficiaries: 7,665 Gender consideration: number of girls (3,759) and boys (3,906) who were beneficiaries Project results: i) 5 rural schools repaired with adequate restrooms and equipped with furniture and teaching materials. Institutional capacities for risk reduction, mitigation and preparedness strengthened to ensure that education in rural areas can continue during emergencies. ii) 3,500 children provided with school kits. Transport to schools in affected areas restored through the provision of 400 community bicycles and boat transport service (4 boats). Provision of temporary tented classrooms for 7,000 children. Local authorities established education committees to ensure education in emergencies. Children s families were given lodging and shelter. 9
ERF s added value to the project: These projects helped establish a model whereby school facilities used as shelters during emergencies were evacuated, repaired/re-built and used again exclusively for education, therefore demonstrating that schools should not be used as shelters if education rights are endangered. In Florencia, there was complete articulation between RET and the Colombian Red Cross so that shelters built by the CRC eased pressure on schools that were repaired by RET. This model showed that by investing relatively modest amounts, local authorities and the Ministry of Education are willing to take part in increasing coverage by similarly investing in recovering schools, as well as in developing their capacities through increased knowledge on preparedness, emergency response and risk management. These projects also helped activating the Education Cluster with concrete actions. The implementing organizations were commissioned by the cluster directly upon an internal assessment of needs, priority areas and capacities. The cluster is led by UNICEF and delegates from the national government (Ministry of Education). 5. Overview of Food Security and Nutrition Number of projects Budget in US$ Implementing agencies Geographic Area 1 230,108 Secretariado Nacional de Pastoral Social La Mojana Region Total number of beneficiaries: 3,000 Outputs Gender consideration: number of women (800), men (700), girls (800) and boys (700) who were beneficiaries Project results: targeted families were provided with food aid (packages) and basic household/hygiene kits (i.e. clothing for women, men, girls and boys, kitchen appliances for cooking, cleaning utensils) ERF s added value to the project: targeted beneficiaries were located in remote and hardly accessible locations affected also by conflict where the Catholic Church is generally the only actor with access and capacity to provide humanitarian assistance. 10
Summary and analysis of achievements The overall objective of the ERF in Colombia was to provide flexible and timely humanitarian assistance to those affected by small-scale natural disasters in areas already burdened by internal armed conflict. In particular, ERF projects were implemented in places and communities that were geographically isolated, institutional capacities were limited and State presence was small to non-existent. Usually, these remote locations also provided refuge to non-state armed groups. In 2010 Colombia was struck by the harshest winter in decades. The HC decided to direct ERF funding to the areas most affected by floods as a way to start up larger interventions. Most ERF projects in 2010 served this purpose. The humanitarian context was framed by a longstanding 50-year old internal armed conflict involving the Colombian Army and non-state armed groups (ELN and FARC-EP). Serious human rights violations and IHL breaches continued to be reported each year across the country as consequences of hostilities. Conflict dynamics re-shaped, involving a larger number of communities and civilians who were called to provide intelligence for the Army and the illegal armed groups. Retaliation by the other party often perpetuated this dynamics. While the GoC insisted that paramilitaries no longer existed and referred to rearmed groups as criminal bands involved with drug-trafficking, the 2010 UNHCHR report documented how these new bands that emerged after the paramilitary demobilization (2005) were engaging in widespread and serious abuses against civilians, including massacres, killings, rapes, threats, and extortion. These groups have repeatedly targeted human rights defenders, trade unionists, displaced persons involved in processes of land restitution and victims of the former AUC. IDP figures vary according to the source and methodology (i.e. registry vs. estimations). There are at least 3.6 million IDPs acknowledged by the GoC while the human rights NGO CODHES estimated nearly 5.2 11 million. Intra-urban displacement increased especially in the cities of Medellin and Cali (the most important cities after the capital Bogotá). Small-scale displacements are less visible but account for more than 50 percent of displacement cases each year. Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities in the most remote areas of the country have been most affected by internal displacement, particularly in the Pacific Coast region. Under-registration and access constraints were limiting the provision of humanitarian assistance for a large part of the displaced population. While return policies were a key priority of the GoC, unaccompanied returns, often spontaneous and in unsecured conditions, posed multiple challenges in terms of humanitarian assistance and durable solutions. The re-intensification of the armed conflict since the beginning of 2009 continued to affect the Pacific Coast departments (Chocó, Cauca, Nariño) and those along the Venezuelan border (Arauca, Norte the Santander). According to national sources, the number of homicides during 2010 was 15,459 with an estimated rate of 33 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, a slight reduction compared to the previous semesters. According to the National Observatory for Human Rights and IHL, the number of massacres increased in 2010 (41 percent compared to 2009) with 38 cases and 179 victims. In Córdoba department, the increased in massacres was of concern. In 2010 and the first months of 2011, the harshest rainy season in the last decades due to La Niña phenomenon left 2.5 million people affected, more than 1.3 million of hectares destroyed and damaged 330,000 houses. In 2011, the GoC has been working to ensure timely humanitarian assistance to the affected population and bolster the recovery, rehabilitation and mitigation of risk from further flooding. The HCT prepared a plan to complement the Government s response to the high-magnitude disaster. However, the GoC adamantly refused an international appeal
arguing that the appeal would send a signal that the Government lacked capacities to cope with the emergency. Instead, the GoC requested support from the national community in three areas: i) IM, through the strengthening of the Situation Room set by the GoC in December 2010; ii) monitoring of the delivery of aid in the regional levels, in a highly politicized context due to the forthcoming elections for mayors, deputies and governors; and iii) membership of the HC in the Advisory Board of the National Calamity Fund, which channeled the humanitarian assistance and recovery phases of the emergency. The HCT presented locally the response plan totaling $49.7 million to the GoC and the in-country donor community in January 2010. The HCT has mobilized $26.2 million so far, including CERF and ERF resources, as well as internal surge funding. The country had to face a second wave of heavy rains since March 2011, furthering causing damage to communities and areas that were still suffering from the impact of the past floods. Against this backdrop, Colombia ERF disbursed $1.8 million to implement nine projects in Health, Water and Sanitation, Shelter, Education, Food Security and Nutrition, and has enabled the humanitarian community to address humanitarian needs of nearly 26,000 affected people in 2010. Projects were prioritized by clusters based on needs assessments reports and under the following criteria: Double affectation (i.e. floods and conflict): most beneficiaries were IDP communities, indigenous persons and afro- Colombians. Especially vulnerable population groups: gender considerations were always made. Colombia will start implementing the Gender Marker as of June 2011. However, gender specific assistance and protection needs were mandatory throughout the program cycle of each project (i.e. needs assessments, project design, implementation, reporting). Children, IDPs, indigenous persons and afro communities were prioritized. Hardly accessible locations with little to no State presence or institutional response capacities, with presence of non-state armed groups No other funding source to cover identified gaps: therefore, sectors were also prioritized based on gaps analyses. Cluster-based decision: as a means of strengthening coordination, it was sought in all cases that ERF projects were discussed and approved by clusters and at the local level by Local Humanitarian Teams. This was particularly the case for Education, Water and Sanitation, Shelter and Nutrition. Projects were screened for quality by the Technical Review Committee. In all cases, the TRC availed their project reviews in less than 48 hours. The resource allocation process was duly observed as per the ERF Guidelines. Thus, HC endorsements and processing of requests in Geneva were timely. The value added of the ERF lies in the following: ERF enabled quick interventions that restored humanitarian access to indigenous communities blocked by non-state armed groups operating in the area. Subsequently, other humanitarian organizations were able to come in, bringing further humanitarian assistance, relief and protection to these communities. Adaptation to climate change is very much linked to disaster risk reduction. Done in the context of an ongoing emergency, adaptation interventions seem usually more relevant. Such was the case in Magdalena, a province facing tremendous risks of flooding (currently affected), the work undertaken by the Colombian Red Cross helped IDP communities gain awareness and begin to adapt their way of life to climate change, as well as to improve their health, prevent diseases and have access to safe-drinking water. Adaptation projects are usually hard to fund but are critical to prevent greater humanitarian consequences. 12
Water, sanitation and hygiene promotion activities achieved a significant impact on reducing the incidence of diseases related to water and poor sanitary conditions presents at initial stage in the vulnerable indigenous and peasant rural families of La Guajira and Sucre. The institutional strengthening components are a milestone in ensuring a continuum and multiplication of the achieved results. ACF, through ERF funds, was the only organization that provides WASH humanitarian aid in Guajira Department during the drought and the floods in 2010-2011. Shelter projects propelled early recovery of livelihoods and introduced some innovative solutions such as involving the communities directly in the reconstruction of their infrastructure and houses ( building back better ) and developing their capacities to mitigate risks related to climate change and disaster emergencies. The project carried out by the Netherlands Red Cross was innovative onto itself precisely because it was mostly implemented by the community with technical assistance from NRC. In this sense, it was also demonstrated that communities are usually more than willing to take part in producing their own solutions without necessarily having economic incentives. The project was very low cost and high impact. Education projects helped establish a model whereby school facilities used as shelters during emergencies were evacuated, repaired/re-built and used again exclusively for education, therefore demonstrating that schools should not be used as shelters if education rights are endangered. In Florencia, there was complete articulation between RET and the Colombian Red Cross so that shelters built by the CRC eased pressure on schools that were repaired by RET. This model showed that by investing relatively modest amounts, local authorities and the Ministry of Education were willing to take part in increasing coverage by similarly investing in recovering schools, as well as in developing their capacities through increased knowledge on preparedness, emergency response and risk management. These projects also helped activating the Education Cluster with concrete actions. The implementing organizations were commissioned by the cluster directly upon an internal assessment of needs, priority areas and capacities. The cluster was led by UNICEF and delegates from the national government (Ministry of Education). Bringing other actors to the table is fundamental in Colombia. The Catholic Church is a point in case. The project implemented by the Pastoral Social targeted beneficiaries located in remote and hardly accessible locations affected also by conflict where the Catholic Church is generally the only actor with access and capacity to provide humanitarian assistance. Project Monitoring OCHA s monitoring plan is based on the implementation of an online program management tool that is currently operational. The tool enables the ERF manager to control every aspect of the process, systematize interim and final reports and provide access to different users (i.e. organizations, Advisory Board, Technical Review Committee) so that each actor involved in the process can easily comply with their Terms of Reference. Two key screenshots of the online tool can be found on pages 15 to 16 of this report. Should you wish to have a closer look, please visit http://erf.colombiassh.org where you need to log in using user name juntaasesora and password juntaasesora. In addition to this tool, OCHA facilitates the coordination of Local Humanitarian Teams and leads rapid needs assessment missions. Both are mechanisms that enable doing follow-ups on mostly all ERF projects. In 2011 OCHA will organize on-site reviews to sample projects. These visits will be accompanied by donors locally. OCHA has also provided a workshop on humanitarian assistance quality standards jointly sponsored by the Humanitarian Studies Institute and IECAH (Spain). The seminar was attended by all ERF partners who are now 13
capacitated in the use of the COMPAS methodology. The ERF Colombia is managed by the ERF Manager with support from other areas of the Field Office. However, the ERF Management Unit currently lacks the capacity to conduct dedicated monitoring missions and activities to all projects. Five out of nine projects (55 percent) were actively monitored through field missions at the start, middle and end (2 in Florencia, 1 in Chocó, 1 in La Guajira and 1 in Magdalena). Gender Consideration Note: Gender considerations were made for all projects. However, Colombia will only start implementing the Gender Marker as of June 2011. While gender specific assistance and protection needs were mandatory throughout the program cycle of each project (i.e. needs assessments, project design, implementation, reporting), gender mainstreaming remains a challenge for 2011. OCHA will report on this in June 2012. 14
Dashboard and map views: 15
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Conclusion Colombia is a challenging operational environment. Thousands of Colombians are still not receiving humanitarian assistance to meet their needs after the 2010 floods. The current, intensifying rains threaten to devastate entire communities and it will be extremely difficult for the affected population to recover their livelihoods in the short term. The ERF is nested within a wider effort of the Humanitarian Country Team to fully implement the Humanitarian Reform. The most outstanding initiative is the launch of a Common Humanitarian Framework, accompanied by the strengthening of the cluster system. However, humanitarian financing will not necessarily improve in 2011. While Colombia has access to CERF funds the Government of Colombia puts strong barriers against a Consolidated Appeal Process and/or a Flash Appeal to relieve those affected by conflict and floods. Alternative means of humanitarian financing should be explored and efforts should be made to make them materialize. This will require further dialogue with the National Government. In the mean time, one key challenge is to scale-up the ERF by increasing donor contributions and donor base, and increasing the size of the fund. The goal for 2011 is to mobilize $4 million in donor contributions. The ERF has proven to be flexible, timely, transparent, and accessible to a wider range of partners- key to developing national capacities and a cost efficient tool to trigger humanitarian action in all its phases. However, Colombia ERF is currently far too small to reach a larger number of beneficiaries. Although it is not the purpose of the ERF to fill all gaps, the humanitarian and donor communities should take stock of good lessons learnt by implementing partners and the beneficiaries. To this end, by August 2011, in commemoration of the World Humanitarian Day, OCHA will organize a fair to display the best ERF projects to a wider audience. There will be a discussion session to address key achievements and challenges based on concrete experiences of our implementing partners. Another effort currently underway is to develop an online tool for Rapid Needs Assessments. The Advisory Board has authorized that ERF funding can be allocated to developing this tool. This on-line tool will enable those involved to more quickly and systematically produce consolidated needs analyses reports and link them to concrete actions (i.e. ERF, CERF, other projects). This will be done following the success in developing the ERF online program management tool, which aside from its technical prowess, is a low-cost solution developed locally with open-sourced software and tools that can be shared worldwide. In this sense, ERFs are also demonstrating that substantive contributions can emerge and flow from the field to the Headquarters level - an aspect that was much appreciated during the last OCHA Pooled Fund Management Workshop in Nairobi. While Colombia is making progress in its program management and monitoring strategies, one outstanding challenge is the implementation of the Gender Marker. As of June 2011, an add-on of the Gender Marker will be installed in the online ERF tool, therefore making it mandatory that gender considerations are effectively looked at throughout the project cycle. Likewise, the Gender Marker will be implemented from the outset in the development of the Needs Assessment online tool mentioned above. In 2011, floods are expected to be much worse as the water has not had time to recede in 17
the main rivers due to continuation of heavy rains. Therefore, OCHA is working more intensely with the clusters to map out the risks and be better prepared so that the allocation of ERF funds can be disbursed much more strategically, considering that the peak of this year s floods will be around October. The course of action so far has been to link ERF projects to larger interventions funded by the CERF. Last but not least, it should be highlighted that the ERF is not only a funding mechanism that enables humanitarian response, but also an advocacy tool. By funding projects that are formulated and implemented to the highest quality standards, we are being able to demonstrate the value added of the humanitarian community as a whole, as well as to leverage more funding and greater engagement and commitment from local and national actors. 18