Migration Emergency Response Fund Handbook

This handbook is for MERF members, from headquarters to in-country staff. The handbook is a guide to the most up-to-date processes, systems, and governance mechanisms which enable the MERF to operate. It is a live document and will be continuously updated based on experience and feedback.

In response to the ongoing migration crisis in southern Europe, the Balkans and North Africa, DFID established the £2.5 million Migration Emergency Response Fund (MERF) which ran from January to November 2017. This was a rapid response context-specific funding mechanism which drew on some of the principles and best practices of the Start Fund – a well-established mechanism that enables rapid release of prepositioned funds for under the radar crises and is managed by civil society. The MERF responded to new and emergent humanitarian needs and filled critical gaps in the crisis-response.