New York, 2 March: In one week, the UN will formally launch the ground-breaking Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).
So far, 19 member states have pledged a total of 188 million US dollar (1,16 milliarder DKR) to the CERF, including the United Kingdom, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Ireland, DENMARK, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Finland, France, Greece, Estonia, Croatia, Sri Lanka, Liechtenstein, Grenada, Armenia, Mexico, and Pakistan.
In addition, a contribution was made by the Disaster Resource Network. Because the CERF is entirely dependent on voluntary contributions, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs urges more governments, the private sector, and individuals to donate to CERF to eliminate delays in funding.
The goal of the Fund is simple: to provide aid workers with sufficient funding to jump-start lifesaving relief operations and to immediately deploy staff, goods and services, for people in need when most lives are on the line.
The Fund was approved by the General Assembly in December of 2005 and marks another milestone in the UN reform process.
– Too often, aid resembles a lottery in which a few win but most lose based on considerations other than need. We must move from lottery to predictability so all those who suffer receive aid, said Jan Egeland, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator.
The CERF will save lives by providing quick initial funding for life-saving assistance and rapid response in sudden onset emergencies, rapid deteriorations, and neglected emergencies. It will thereby help rectify the existing imbalance in global aid distribution, as a result of which millions of people in so-called neglected or forgotten crises remain in need, while others benefit from better funded programmes.
The Fund adds a grant facility of up to 450 million dollar to the existing Central Emergency Revolving Fund loan mechanism of 50 million dollar. Up to two thirds of the grant facility can be allocated to rapid response with the other one-third devoted to addressing under-funded emergencies. When donor funds are in the pipeline, the loan portion will be used; when not–the grant portion.
Jan Egeland, who manages the Fund on behalf of the Secretary-General, will disburse funds within three to four days after the request of a Humanitarian or Resident Coordinator.
He will be guided by an Advisory Group of 12 independent experts. While UN Agencies and the International Organization for Migration are able to draw on the Fund, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) may also receive CERF funds as partners of these agencies.
The worlds two richest countries, the US and Japan, have yet to commit any money to the upgraded Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). Australia, Italy, and Canada – traditionally major contributors to disaster assistance – have yet to be heard from, according to Britain-based Oxfam International, a major non-governmental promoter of the new fund.
In contrast, several poor countries that have recently been on the receiving end of international disaster assistance have come forward with pledges, including Sri Lanka, a major emergency-aid beneficiary after the December 2004 tsunami, as well as Mexico, Grenada and Armenia.
Fifteen European countries have submitted pledges, although some, such as Frances 1,2 million US dollar, have fallen far short of expectations.
The biggest donors to date (all amounts in US dollar) include Britain, at 70 million; Sweden, 41 million; Norway, 30 million; the Netherlands and Ireland, 12 million; DENMARK, 8 million; Finland, 5 million; Luxembourg and Switzerland, 4 million.
The proposed fund, which will be officially launched March 9 by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, will replace the existing fund of 50 million dollar that could only be drawn down by UN agencies if they could identify how the money would be replenished.
The Secretary-Generals Report “In larger freedom” recognized that further improvements to the humanitarian system were needed to introduce more predictability in overall humanitarian response given the increasingly complex humanitarian environment, including the increased frequency and vulnerability to natural disasters and the significant humanitarian impact of armed conflict.
In addition to the CERF, other key humanitarian reforms include strengthening the response capacity and field coordination of the humanitarian system.
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