7.5.4 Coordinating donor support

Getting the foundations of donor assistance into place for the Pre-establishment Phase takes time and has foreseeable challenges. For UNCT staff who are asked to help coordinate donor support, or to approach donors, there are several salient features:

• The UN planning system should reflect and support the plans to engage with the NHRI (see Chapter 6);
• Like the UN itself, donors rarely have funds available (except for minor initiatives) at short notice for unplanned projects;
• Donors are reluctant to commit funding unless the need is demonstrated and there is a strong likelihood that the entity will actually exist and serve identified needs; and
• Funding approaches can only be made when it is clear that an institution will be established and that the institution will conform to the Paris Principles.

The combination of these factors poses a dilemma and can lead to problems. If donor funding is secured too late, the institution will begin operations without the benefit of prior training, properly planned infrastructure and the tools that are needed before its doors open.

UN agencies, in particular the UNDP and OHCHR, which have a high level of expertise in the area of NHRIs, need to time their funding approaches carefully so that they conclude the project agreements in a manner that ensures support is provided in a timely fashion. In addition, legislators could be advised to include a clause in the enabling legislation that would grant lead-up time to the institution beginning to function.