Austria raises contribution to humanitarian fund by 70 percent

(New York, 2 June 2008): The Government of Austria pledged an additional $233,645 to the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) last week. The country's total contribution for 2008 now stands at $674,495, after it committed an initial $440,850 at the high-level United Nations conference in support of the CERF in December 2007. This total amounts to an increase of almost 70 percent in comparison to last year's contribution of $401,430.

'This increase is a clear signal that the Government of Austria recognises the added value that the CERF provides to the humanitarian work of the United Nations,' said John Holmes, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. 'It is especially welcome at a moment when we have to deal with two crises of an extraordinary magnitude,' he added, referring to the devastating Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar and the earthquake in China.

So far, the CERF has allocated $22.4 million to Myanmar and more than $8 million to China from its window for rapid response.

'We are still several million short of our aim to raise $450 million by the end of the year. We need to reach that goal, in particular as we expect disasters to happen even more frequently in the future, especially those related to climate,' said Mr. Holmes. 'We may also need to replenish the CERF during the year, given the extra demands from the global food crisis, for which we have reserved $100 million of CERF funding,' he added.

Since its inception, the CERF has helped save millions of lives by providing quick initial funding for life-saving assistance in sudden onset, rapidly deteriorating, and underfunded humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters. It is part of an effort to redress imbalances in global aid distribution that have too often left millions of people in need in so-called neglected crises.

Since its launch on 9 March 2006, the CERF has committed $836 million to humanitarian projects in 62 countries affected by natural disasters and armed conflicts, including the Central African Republic, Chad, Jordan and Sudan during May 2008.

After the high-level conference in December 2007, the total cumulative amount of pledges and contributions exceeded the $1 billion-dollar mark. So far, pledges and contributions for 2008 have reached almost $430 million. The broad donor base shows the commitment of Member States to a key element of humanitarian reform, a fund that is for all and by all.

For further information, please call: Stephanie Bunker, OCHA-New York, +1 917 367 5126, mobile +1 917 892 1679; Kristen Knutson, OCHA-New York, +1 917 367 9262; Elisabeth Byrs, OCHA-Geneva, +41 22 917 2653, mobile, +41 79 473 4570. OCHA press releases are available at http://ochaonline.un.org or www.reliefweb.int