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Ten years of rapid growth

FAO's work in emergencies is almost exclusively funded from extra-budgetary resources provided by Member Countries and Intergovernmental Organizations (such as the European Union, International Financial Institutions, or other United Nations Agencies).

FAO solicits donor support on behalf of affected countries mainly through the inter-agency Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) and other emergency or transitional appeals as well as strategy papers/updates.

In the past decade, FAO’s emergency programme has grown from USD 160 million in 2002 to over USD 400 million in 2011.

This growth has been supported by more than 100 resource partners, including 50 FAO member countries and the European Community, as well as numerous pool funding mechanisms such as the Common Emergency Relief Fund (CERF), and other UN Trust Funds at country level.

FAO’s main resource partners for emergency activities over the last ten years have been (in order of importance):

The European Union, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (mostly through the Central Emergency Response Fund), the USA, Sweden, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Spain, Canada, Japan, Norway, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, South Africa, France, Germany, Switzerland and UN trust funds at country level, of which the two main ones are: The Common Humanitarian Fund in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo Pooled Fund.

Rapid response fund

To enhance FAO's capacity to deal rapidly with an emergency situation, a Special Fund for Emergency and Rehabilitation Activities (SFERA) was established in April 2004.

SFERA provides FAO with the flexibility and financial means to react promptly to humanitarian crises even before donor funding is secured.

For example the fund allows:

• early participation in interagency needs assessments initiation of coordination activities in support of all actors involved in agricultural relief
• timely preparation of context-specific emergency programmes

It also enables the Organization to acquire logistical equipment and agricultural inputs for the quick launch of field activities.