CERF Newsletter Jun 2009
Supporters Urged to Turn Pledges into Contributions
While CERF has received some US$383.4 million in commitments in 2009, only $178.1 million has been turned into useable contributions to date.
In May, Armenia ($5,000), China ($500,000), Finland ($8.2 million), Japan ($1 million), Myanmar ($10,000) and Turkey ($200,000) turned their pledges into contributions to the Fund, providing CERF with the cash it needs to fund the vital activities of relief partners.
OCHA encourages Member States to turn their pledges into contributions as soon as possible. As the Member States' strategic financial instrument, CERF can assist the most vulnerable populations suffering from a disaster or a conflict fast.
Table 1: Top ten contributors to CERF for 2009 (As at 31 May 2009)
|
Country
|
Amount (US$)
|
| United Kingdom** |
61,444,000
|
| Netherlands* |
51,812,000
|
| Sweden |
49,367,572
|
| Norway |
42,734,983
|
| Spain* |
38,860,104
|
| Canada** |
31,850,960
|
| Ireland** |
25,906,000
|
| Germany |
19,522,484
|
| Qatar* |
10,000,000
|
| Denmark |
8,544,087
|
* Unpaid pledge
** Pledge paid in part
Myanmar Makes First-Ever Contribution to CERF
Myanmar made the list of CERF supporters for the first time with a contribution of $10,000 in May.
The country joins twelve other first-time contributors to the Fund in 2009. Myanmar is one of five countries that has both pledged or contributed to CERF in 2009 and received assistance from CERF in the past.
Table 2: New pledges/contributions to CERF for 2009 (As at 31 May 2009)
|
Country
|
Amount (US$)
|
| Afghanistan* |
1,440
|
| Benin |
1,500
|
| Kenya* |
10,000
|
| Lao |
3,000
|
| Myanmar* |
10,000
|
| Mozambique* |
2,000
|
| Namibia |
1,000
|
| Oman |
30,000
|
| Saint Lucia |
1,000
|
| Samoa |
2,000
|
| Timor-Leste* |
1,200
|
| Tuvalu |
1,000
|
| Viet Nam |
10,000
|
*Also received funding from CERF
Record Country Allocations For May 2009
In May 2009, CERF provided more than $64 million for emergency assistance to relief agencies working in ten crisis-affected countries, the largest single monthly allocation total since CERF began operating in March 2006.
Countries requiring rapid response funding from CERF in May included Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Madagascar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Sudan.
Burkina Faso
An outbreak of measles in 37 of the country's 63 health districts has affected some 40,000 people and it continues to spread. The situation has stressed the capacity of the Ministry of Health and has necessitated an emergency response from humanitarian agencies.
Consequently, CERF has provided more than $1.6 million in emergency funding to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO). In partnership with Ministry of Health and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), UNICEF and WHO will immunize nearly 3.7 million people between the ages of six months to 24 years in order to stop the spread of the disease.
Chad
An unanticipated influx of refugees from the Central African Republic into Chad has worsened an already precarious situation in the country. Estimates in mid-May put the total number of newly arrived refugees at 18,000, with more arriving. Newcomers are overwhelming the local population and competing for very scare resources.
The UN Country Team in Chad, together with government and NGO counterparts, has identified priority sectors requiring emergency support, particularly food and health. In order to prevent the situation from deteriorating even further and in support of overall relief activities in the country, CERF has contributed $2 million to kick-start life-saving support for 17,000 refugees and 5,000 local people in host communities.
The World Food Programme (WFP), WHO, UNICEF and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) will work together to provide food, health care and other services to the most vulnerable, especially pregnant women, new mothers and children. The assistance includes capacity-building activities for local health staff and community health workers, support to reproductive and neonatal health, and training on gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS awareness.
Chad is currently the eleventh-largest overall recipient of funding from CERF, with some $32 million having been allocated from the Fund for emergency programmes there since 2006.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
Attacks by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) continue to aggravate the humanitarian situation in DRC, Sudan and Uganda and the Humanitarian Coordinator in DRC has designated Haut Uélé as a priority area. Donors have expressed their intention to fund humanitarian assistance in the area but the sheer scale of current requirements has left a significant gap.
To cover the gap and meet immediate, life-saving needs, CERF has released nearly $10 million to four UN agencies working in the region. The UN, government counterparts and NGO partners will use the funding to provide urgent assistance to tens of thousands of victims of the fighting, including shelter, healthcare, clean water, sanitation and food. Some 13,000 families who have lost land and farming inputs due to the conflict will receive emergency agricultural inputs for the production of short-cycle crops in order to feed themselves and their communities
In April, CERF has allocated nearly $5 million in emergency funding to cover critical, life-saving gaps in for the same humanitarian relief efforts in southern Sudan.
A $3 million grant from CERF will allow UNHAS to operate in DRC for three months without interruption and while additional funding from the donor community is secured.