In March 2021, CBR was appointed to serve as Fund Manager for Rapid Response Funds (RRF) for IGAD CEWARN for 4 years (till March 2023). As the Finance and Administration Unit (FAU) for the RRF funds, CBR receives and transmits to the CEWERU unit in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and its preferred implementing stakeholders RRFs. The intervention is managed by the IGAD Promoting Peace and Stability in the Horn of Africa Region (IPPSHAR) programme, a 4-year European Union Emergency Trust Fund for Africa for the period 2018-2022, established to promote stability and address the root causes of irregular migration and displaced persons. RRF is intended to help IGAD improve its conflict early warning systems, become more skilled in mediation, and to counter trans-national security threats.
The specific objectives of being the IGAD/CEWERU FAU included:
(a) to provide financial management and reporting services to the CEWERU’s of each Member State, including the co-administration of a separate bank account, and;
(b) holding the funds for emergency interventions, as well as for receiving transfers from the CEWARN unit for regular project activities. The main function of the IGADS/CEWERU FAU is to ensure financial management and financial reporting to the CEWERU in each member state, including the co-administration of a separate bank account which is aimed at keeping funds for the implementation of emergency and regular projects. The FAU has a crucial role in facilitating the implementation of projects and other activities by implementing agencies in the member states.
As an FAU CBR ensures that:
(i) adequate financial controls are in place to maintain documentation and proper accountability of expenditures;
(ii) all financial transactions are properly authorized, recorded, have adequate supporting documentation, filled, maintained and can be easily extracted for the purpose of preparing financial statements; and financial audits;
(iii) timely and reliable financial documents and financial reports are prepared and submitted;
(iv) project financial reports, statement are prepared and submitted to CEWERU for clearance,
and;
(v) all procurement process and expenditures of the project are in accordance with the IGAD procedures.