Common Humanitarian Funds (CHFs) are country-based pooled funds that provide early and predictable funding to NGOs and UN agencies for their response to critical humanitarian needs. CHFs enable Humanitarian Country Teams—who are best informed of the situation on the ground—to swiftly allocate resources where they are most needed, and to fund priority life-saving projects as identified in a Consolidated Appeal Process (CAP), or a similar humanitarian action plan.

CHFs are currently present in Ten countries with on-going, large humanitarian operations – USA, Panama, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and the Central African Republic (CAR) Etc. CHF funding decisions involve cluster leads and other key humanitarian partners in an elaborate prioritization and allocation process. CHFs are managed by the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC), with support from OCHA for its day-to-day management.

The size of a CHF varies by country, but should be commensurate to the overall size of the humanitarian operation so that it can make the desired impact.CHFs are replenished through voluntary contributions, mainly from UN Member States. Contributions are received and managed by the UNDP Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (MPTF). Please consult the MPTF Gateway for the current funding status of all CHFs and information on contributions and disbursements to date.