Global Humanitarian Assistance: Emergency Response Funds (ERFs)

The main aim of emergency response funds (ERFs) is to provide rapid and flexible funding to in- country actors to address unforeseen humanitarian needs. ERFs also provide governments and the private sector with an opportunity to pool their unearmarked contributions to a specific country to enable timely and reliable humanitarian assistance in response to emergencies. For those donors that do not have a presence in country or in-depth country knowledge, ERFs offer a platform through which they can channel their funding. For donors with in-country representation, funding an ERF can lessen the administrative burden associated with bilateral funding and promotes coordination of humanitarian interventions.