Humanitarian Assistance

CANADEM's Rapid Onset Humanitarian Emergency Experts Fund (RAP-Fund)

Through the RAP-Fund, CANADEM quickly deploys Canadian experts to support UN agencies' personnel needs during rapid-onset humanitarian emergencies and disasters. Our RAP Experts, serving with Humanitarian Cluster Leads*, improve the delivery of relief efforts (shelter, security, logistics, etc.)  to successfully contribute to the well-being of local and displaced vulnerable groups.

CANADEM 's RAP Experts can deploy in 48-72 hours, providing immediate expertise through their many years of experience. Our Experts have proven time and again that they can hit the ground running and make that crucial contribution under challenging circumstances.

CANADEM has become an integral UN Stand-by Partner, and holds memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with key UN agencies such as UNICEF, UNHCR, UNOCHA, WFP, UNESCO, IOM and UNDP to provide up to three months staffing relief in times of sudden, urgent needs.

Since 2007, over 100 experts have been seconded to UN missions through the RAP-Fund. Recently, CANADEM deployed experts to Tunisia and Libya to support UNHCR in their emergency relief efforts during the conflict in Libya, while three experts were deployed to Liberia in assist UNHCR and UNICEF with relief efforts related to the conflict in Côte d'Ivoire.

In Summer 2011, CANADEM deployed 8 Canadian experts to assist the IOM, UNICEF, UNHCR and FAO in their emergency relief efforts in the Horn of Africa during the ongoing drought and famine. Please visit our Horn of Africa: Famine in Somalia webpage for more info.

*In 2005, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee established Cluster Leads to coordinate the international community's response to humanitarian emergencies into 10 specific sectors (or "clusters"): water and sanitarion, nutrition, protection, shelter, camp coordination and management, early recovery, agriculture, education, logistics, emergency telecoms.

RAP-Fund Eligibility Criteria

CANADEM seconds experts in cases where there is a sudden, urgent staffing need, resulting from either natural disasters (earthquakes, floods, tsunami, etc.) or catastrophic complex emergencies where there is a sudden and massive population displacement. Clusters covered by the RAP-Fund include: Emergency logistics and telecommunication; Water and sanitation; Emergency shelter; Health; Nutrition; Camp management; Protection.

CANADEM's screened RAP experts:

                              International field work expertise related to the UN clusters;

                              Solid inter-personal skills: ability to work in culturally diverse teams, flexible, adaptable;
                              Excellent language skills (multilingual); 
                              Cultural and gender sensitivity;
                              Other UN/Multilateral field experience.

CANADEM Implements the RAP-Fund programme with a generous financial contribution from the Government of Canada through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).