Partnership Management for Emergency Preparedness and Response

Partnership contingency planning

As part of contingency planning, the existing project workplans and the stakeholder mapping are reviewed to identify potential gaps in expertise, the scope of required results, target population, and the geographical place of delivery during an emergency.

As part of contingency planning, if gaps are identified, a country operation can establish a pool of potential partners. This allows for timely due diligence while ensuring that the best-fit partner is ready to embark quickly in an emergency response when required. This can entail:

• Stipulating within the call for expression of interest the duration for which this contingency pool of partners remains valid. For example, a country operation may mobilize potential partners from the contingency pool until 20XX. 
• If a pool of potential partners is recommended by the IPMC via a call for expression of interest, the UNHCR representative (or head of sub-office) may sign an agreement with a partner from the selected pool, whether or not an emergency of any level has been declared.

Partnering in an emergency

The representative or director has the authority to decide on the best-fit implementation modalities, without an IPMC recommendation. This decision considers the needs, operational capacity, presence, and availability of other stakeholders, and other context-specific parameters. After the emergency declaration expires, the representative will revisit implementation modalities prior to the next year of implementation.

Once an emergency of any level has been declared, the following partnership management procedures apply for the duration of the declaration, including any extension:

• During an emergency declaration, the head of sub-office, representative or director can expand the scope of an existing PFA (for example, to cover a new outcome or geographical area) without a new recommendation from the IPMC – if the partner has prior experience, proven capacity and is willing to expand.
• The registration of a partner on the UN Partner Portal and all applicable capacity assessment processes are to be completed as soon as possible, and no later than three months after signing the project workplan. See the Programme Handbook for further details surrounding a partner’s capacity strengthening and risk management, as well as the applicable capacity assessment processes.

• For new partners, a PFA is generated. In parallel, a project workplan is created with the mandatory requirement of a financial plan. The operation does not need to complete the project description, results plan or risk register ahead of the project workplan signature. The financial plan may be signed with one account code (budget line) per output. The first instalment is released based on the conditions of the project workplan and financial plan only.
• An amendment of the project workplan is then required in case the partnership is extended beyond the emergency declaration period, to include a project description, a results plan, a risk register and any further applicable project workplan components.
• Partners are entitled to special supply procedures, including a ceiling increase for request for quotations and a shortened floating period for formal methods of solicitation. See the Procurement emergency handbook entry for more information on all the special supply procedures that automatically apply to UNHCR when an emergency is declared. See the Programme Handbook for further details surrounding partner’s procurement capacity assessed during the internal control assessment or questionnaire (ICA/ICQ).
• The project closure of a project workplan may be completed, within the emergency declaration period, having only released one instalment, with the PFA, project workplan, financial plan, one project financial report (PFR) and any other reports (as agreed by the operation).

Monitoring partnerships in an emergency

Monitoring partnerships is a crucial component of an emergency response. There are no reduced implementation and results monitoring requirements during a declared emergency. The frequency of monitoring activities for partnerships may in fact increase.

The humanitarian situation in a country is often fluid and subject to frequent change. Monitoring partnership projects is therefore essential to track and confirm their progress against agreed performance targets, adjust their direction and implementation as needed, and identify measures to improve their impact and quality. UNHCR, its partners and other stakeholders, i.e. local authorities (as applicable), should jointly monitor and review partnership projects, share information and coordinate, to strengthen their collective ownership and joint responsibility for project results.

To ensure effective monitoring of partnerships, it is recommended that a country operation updates (or develops) the annual assessment, monitoring and evaluation workplan as soon as possible, that is revisited on an annual basis, which is informed by the overall M&E plan. This will enable the operation to determine the key M&E activities required for the emergency response. See the Programme Handbook for more information.

During an emergency, the partners’ capacity to prevent, mitigate and respond to risks of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) is monitored regularly by the UNHCR multi-functional team and the PSEA focal point. For a partner who is in a high-risk environment and has previously been assessed as having a low or medium PSEA capacity and therefore has a capacity strengthening implementation plan (CSIP), the operation monitors the implementation of CSIP activities after three months and continues checking its progress throughout the emergency declaration and any extension period. Within six months of implementing a CSIP, or nine months in the case of extension, the partner should have reached full capacity. See UNHCR’s Procedures on Partnership Management for more information about continuing partnerships with partners that are not able to reach full PSEA capacity for further years/project workplans.

Reasons for signing a project workplan with a partner despite its low or medium capacity during an emergency may include the partner’s specialized technical expertise within a particular area, lack of viable alternatives in that sector or location, or a satisfactory risk assessment of the partner. Capacity-strengthening regarding PSEA is a key area of UNHCR’s work with these partners.

Associated risks

Emergency preparedness is critical to be able to respond to the humanitarian crisis, mitigate the impact and reduce human suffering and loss of life.  Risk management will help anticipate risks and opportunities that could impact the achievement of shared objectives. UNHCR and partners need to manage and effectively mitigate risks identified (for further guidance see the Risk Management Toolkit  to help identify critical risks in an operation). There is a need to exercise due diligence as the following risks are heightened during an emergency:

• Significant expansion of the operation with new protection and assistance needs and new priorities.
• Civil society not sufficiently developed and lack of NGO capacity in the operation.
• Partners may lack capacity / unable to upscale to address growing operational needs.
• Security situation or other disturbances impact implementation and access to forcibly displaced and stateless persons.
• Competing priorities for limited staff impacts planning and implementation capacity.
• Fraud or other misconduct may occur as a result of faulty internal control systems (see UNHCR’s risk management tool on fraud prevention for further guidance). 
• Resources provided may not be used for their intended purpose.
• Funds may be utilized inefficiently, reducing the quality or availability of the services that forcibly displaced and stateless people receive. 
• Some partners may not fully account for funds entrusted to them by UNHCR. 
• Unethical behaviour of personnel, including risk of SEA.

Associated mitigating measures

• Ensure coordination mechanisms with partners and stakeholders.
• Early engagement of partners in contingency planning.
• Engage complementary partner(s) in view of geographic coverage.
• Update annual assessment, monitoring and evaluation plan based on risk.
• Implement monitoring mechanisms, including remote monitoring (if physical access is not feasible).
• Verify partner controls, standard operating procedures, recordings of transactions, and that segregation of duties is followed.
• Raise awareness and conduct training on PSEA as well as fraud and corruption prevention and reporting, among partners, UNHCR personnel and forcibly displaced and stateless people.
• Establish effective complaints/feedback mechanisms in consultation with communities.
• Expand outreach monitoring and remain accessible to forcibly displaced and stateless people.