Denmark has launched an emergency relief fund, drawing on the Start Fund’s experience, to allow the country’s grassroots organisations to respond to crises around the world. The Danish Emergency Relief Fund (DERF) is also open to funding for smaller NGOs within countries affected by crisis.
The DERF is managed by CISU, a network of around 280 Danish grassroots organisations, in partnership with Save the Children Denmark (SCD) and the Start Network. It is funded by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs from until the end of 2019, with annual allocations to be approved under the Danish Finance Act.
The Start Network is part of the steering committee for the DERF and has advised on its set up, to ensure complentarity with the Start Fund.
Launching the fund Ulla Tørnæsis, the country’s minister for Development and Cooperation, said:
"We cannot extinguish all the world's fires. But the humanitarian situation in both the Horn of Africa and in Syria's neighbourhoods is becoming increasingly desperate because of drought, hunger, war and conflict.
“I acquired a glimpse of the enormous humanitarian needs when I visited refugee camps in Lebanon, Jordan and Kenya earlier this year. And I'm convinced that the efforts of smaller NGOs in these areas can make a positive difference to the lives of affected families, and help them get a decent life wherever they are.”
Aim and main objective of the DERF
The overall objective of the DERF is to provide flexible and rapid humanitarian funding, enabling Danish non-Humanitarian Partnership Agreement NGOs and CSOs, within three months of the onset of an acute humanitarian crisis, to initiate provision of emergency relief to affected populations to meet urgent needs and prevent further loss of life or escalation of suffering.
It seeks to contribute to two key objectives of Denmark’s 2017 Development and Humanitarian Strategy policy. These are the Danish National Action Plan for the Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security 2014-19, and the Danish Civil Society Policy. The DERF will disburse around DKK 42 million (£5 million) this year, with a further DKK 25 million (£3 million) each following year.
There are two funding modalities for the DERF:
Funding Modality 1: Life-Saving Intervention
0-3 months with up to 2 million DKK (£235,000)
SCOPE: This is designed for interventions responding to a spike in a protracted humanitarian crisis.
AIM: The aim is to meet urgent needs of particularly vulnerable groups within crisis-affected communities. It is simply to keep people alive and address immediate protection challenges. Typically, people affected by crisis will need food, water, shelter, medicines and /or medical help.
TIMING: The aim is to initiate implementation of the humanitarian intervention in the immediate aftermath of, no later than three months after, the occurrence of the spike.
DURATION: The humanitarian intervention can have a duration of up to three months, with the possibility of extension justified if unmet life-saving needs of the target group can be addressed with additional time.
Funding Modality 2: Life-Saving and Stabilisation Intervention
0-9 months, with up to 5 million DKK (£585,000)
SCOPE: This is designed for interventions responding to both rapid and slow onset humanitarian crises.
AIM: The aim is to combine the focus on urgent needs (life-saving and/or protection) during the initial stages of a humanitarian crisis with stabilisation efforts to support the capacities of crisis-affected communities to transition towards an early recovery phase. Stabilisation initiatives can include, amongst others, awareness-raising activities and strengthening organisation of particularly vulnerable groups for greater participation, protection and voice. It is important to note that DERF does not fund early recovery initiatives.
TIMING: The aim is to initiate implementation of the humanitarian intervention no later than three months after the onset of the humanitarian crisis.
DURATION: The humanitarian intervention can have a duration of up to nine months (with possibility for extension if the context requires).
Current activations
The DERF has already been activated and is receiving applications for the following crises:
Alert date: 01-05-2017
Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Kenya: South Sudanese Refugee Crisis (May 2017)
Location: Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Kenya
DERF Funding Modality: 2 Life-Saving & Stabilisation
Application deadline: 1 June 2017
Alert date: 01-05-2017
Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia and Yemen: Conflict and Food Security Crisis (May 2017)
Location: Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia and Yemen
DERF Funding Modality: 2 Life-Saving & Stabilisation
Application deadline: 1 June 2017
Alert date: 01-05-2017
Syrian Refugee Crisis (May 2017)
Location: Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Eqypt DERF
DERF Funding Modality 2 Life-Saving & Stabilisation
Application deadline: 15 June 2017
Alert date: 16-05-17
Uganda Food Security Crisis (May 2017)
Location: Uganda
DERF Funding Modality 2 Life-Saving & Stabilisation
Application deadline: 23 June 2017
Alert date: 31-05-17
Philippines: Siege in Marawi City
Location:Philippines
DERF Funding Modality: 2 Life-Saving and Stabilisation
Application deadline: 23 June 2017
Questions regarding the DERF? Please email derf@cisu.dk. For more information visit: http://www.cisu.dk/derf