CERF Newsletter Aug 2009

Member States briefing on CERF planned for September

As part of a year-round effort to keep Member States informed on the use of the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), John Holmes, the Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC), has invited the Permanent Representatives of all Missions in New York to a briefing on September 11th in the ECOSOC Chamber.

CERF allocates $55 million to 11 underfunded crises

The United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator allocated some $55 million in July to boost humanitarian response in 11 neglected emergencies where people are suffering from hunger, malnutrition, disease, and conflict.

The funds will be granted to UN humanitarian agencies and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and through them to partner organizations, including non-governmental organizations (NGOs), to support humanitarian projects in the affected countries. Countries were selected to receive grants based on an analysis of the funding levels of their aid programmes, the severity of the humanitarian needs, security, and other constraints on aid delivery.

Humanitarian actors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) received the largest single allocation, some $10 million. Allocations were also provided to support life-saving activities in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ($9 million), Zimbabwe ($9 million), Kenya ($8 million), Ethiopia ($6 million), Chad ($5 million), Central African Republic ($2.8 million), Algeria ($1.5 million), Eritrea ($1.5 million), Guinea ($1.2 million) and Djibouti ($1 million).

This is the second and final round of allocations from CERF's window for underfunded emergencies in 2009. The first round allocated some $75 million to 14 countries. In 2008, a total of $128 million was allocated to underfunded emergencies.