Financing the humanitarian-development-peace nexus

A new generation of pooled funds are bridging the humanitarian-development-peace finance divide. These flexible instruments demonstrate that well-designed pooled funds can quickly pivot in a situation, particularly when there are rapid changes in an operative context.

These funds combine, blend and sequence development, peace, and humanitarian financial streams for crisis-affected countries. They also improve cost-efficiency, transparency, and collective outcomes by pooling resources and delivery systems—spreading the risks that arise in highly volatile and unpredictable settings.

Humanitarian and development changemakers share the common vision: Investing in prevention, mitigation, and preparedness for early action is the best way to decrease humanitarian setbacks and ensure that “no one is left behind” in the process. It is a way for implementing partners to scale-up social protection measures, build resilience, and reduce vulnerability and risks across a broad spectrum of programmes.

Financing modalities that support collective outcomes and durable solutions incentivize collaboration. The UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office has worked closely with partners on a new generation of pooled funds that facilitate the blending, sequencing, and cross-referral of development and humanitarian resources. Now that several funds have been launched in this area the MPTF Office plans on learning from this experience, continually innovating to better address challenges, achieve results and capitalize on opportunities.

Featured nexus pooled funds

• Reconciliation, stabilization and resilience in South Sudan  | The Fund adopted an area-based programming approach, targeting geographic locations where there are opportunities to foster transformational change and move beyond cycles of conflict and violence.

• The UN Secretary-General’s Ebola Response MPTF  |  A pivotal funding instrument that blends humanitarian and development financing to address immediate humanitarian and peacebuilding needs, as well as longer-term development priorities.

• Malawi One Fund  |  Starting in 2012, the Fund Steering Committee launched a Humanitarian Window to convert this development instrument into a pivot fund, to also encompass humanitarian interventions. This was a way for partners to meet the country’s humanitarian and development needs based on strong national leadership and ownership—all the while increasing transparency, strengthening coordination, and accelerating disaster response.