Between August 2018 and October 2019, the Migration Emergency Response Fund (MERF) funded three 3-month long projects in Morocco. Though available in 11 countries, the MERF contingency fund has been primarily used in Morocco, in part due to the described spikes in needs starting in 2018 and lack of other sources of funding.
The evolving nature of mixed migration, particularly its drivers, politicisation and corresponding flows, continues to challenge humanitarian actors to respond in a way that is appropriate, adapts with learning, and adheres to humanitarian principles of independence and impartiality.
On the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples we look back at the DEPP Innovation Labs project in the Philippines. Enhancing Traditional Food Source Management is one of the 40 innovative solutions supported by Philippines TUKLAS Innovation Labs that help communities better prepare for disasters. The project is implemented by a consortium of four non-governmental organisations: Plan International Philippines, Action Against Hunger, CARE Philippines, and the Citizens' Disaster Response Center. It is part of the Disasters Emergencies Preparedness Programme (DEPP) Innovation Labs, a programme that is managed collaboratively by the Start Network and the Communications with Disaster Affected Communities (CDAC) Network.
A management response to the Migration Emergency Response Fund (MERF) Research Piece
This research piece attempts to navigate the discussion and explore Start Network members’, donors’ and staff perceptions and experiences of the Start Network’s dedicated Migration Emergency Response Fund (MERF), with a view to making practical recommendations in support of Start Network’s institutional engagement with mixed migration going forward.
The Migration Emergency Response Fund (MERF), funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), was established in January 2017. The MERF’s aim is to address the unpredictable nature of the mixed migration context across the Mediterranean and rapidly respond to new or emerging needs. It built on the Start Network’s experience of collaboratively responding to the needs of migrants and refugees through its two European Refugee Responses (ERR) in 2015-2016.
In June four humanitarian organisations from India joined the Start Network, and one of these is SEEDS. We spoke with Manu Gupta and Varghese Antony about their previous interactions with the Start Network and their motivations for joining.
As part of Start Network’s commitment to supporting local actors, eight national and local members have so far been selected to participate in a fund for COVID-19 response. This fund will allow these organisations to access funding of up to £30,000 to respond to COVID-19 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, India and Pakistan.
Le financement du MERF a été accordé sous la forme d'une subvention pour la Collaborative Information Collection and Analysis (CICA) afin d'évaluer les besoins sur la route émergente entre Sévaré et Tombouctou. L'évaluation a été menée par le Danish Refugee Council (DRC) au Mali et a confirmé le nombre très élevé de migrants utilisant cet itinéraire ainsi que le besoin d'une aide à la protection.
Funding from the Migration Emergency Response Fund (MERF) was awarded in the form of a Collaborative Information Collection and Analysis (CICA) grant in order to assess the needs on the emerging route between Sévaré and Timbuktu.
