CENTRAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE FUND: MORE THAN US$2 BILLION AT FIVE YEAR MARK

(New York: 14 December 2010): Contributions made at today's conference in support of the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) brought the total amount raised for the global emergency fund to more than US$2 billion since it was established by the General Assembly five years ago.

Today, some 59 donors pledged more than $358 million for 2011. Before the latest round of pledging, donors had contributed $1,955,773,530 to the Fund. Since 2006, a total of 124 Member States and Observers have contributed--almost 2/3 of the membership of the General Assembly. A 2006 resolution of the General Assembly specifies that the CERF should be funded at $500 million per year, of which $50 million is a revolving loan fund.

"The Central Emergency Response Fund is one of the world's leading tools for disaster response. It is fast. It is effective. Most importantly, it saves lives," said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Five new donors stepped forward today--Kyrgyzstan, Gambia, Costa Rica, the Regional Government of Flanders, and the Turkish NGO Kimse Yok Mu. Several long standing donors also announced significant increases in their contributions, including Sweden, with the largest increase of over $10 million, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Finland, Indonesia, Japan, Kuwait, New Zealand, Singapore and Switzerland. The top ten donors account for 90 per cent of the funding for the CERF: the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Canada, Spain, Ireland, Germany, Denmark and Australia.

Contributions from the private sector this year increased significantly, mainly because of the outpouring of solidarity following disasters in Haiti and Pakistan. Private sector donors have contributed $6.8 million since the inception of the CERF. In 2010, private sector donors, including corporations and individuals, contributed almost $4.4 million to the CERF. This is almost double the total amount received in the last four years combined ($2.4 million).

"I am delighted to see such continued generosity in these difficult economic times, not only for CERF, but also for emergency appeals," said Valerie Amos, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. "Such support for the CERF helps us quickly reach people caught up in crisis, when they most need assistance."

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the Vice-President of the General Assembly, H. E. Anatolio Ndong Mba, and the Deputy Vice Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic, H.E. Mr. Kadanbai Baktygulov, addressed the meeting, which was chaired by Ms. Amos.

The CERF saves lives by providing quick initial funding for life-saving assistance and rapid response in conflict-related crises and natural disasters. Since 2006, CERF has committed more than $1.8 billion to humanitarian partners in 78 countries and the occupied Palestinian territory. Five countries--the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia--account for approximately onethird of all CERF allocations.

"When CERF started, 53 Member States supported it. Five years on, its supporters have more than doubled, and the majority are developing countries. Such widespread support truly makes it a fund by all, and for all," Ms. Amos said.

For further information, please call:

OCHA-New York: Stephanie Bunker, +1 917 367 5126, mobile +1 347 244 2106, bunker@un.org;

Nicholas Reader, +1 212 963 4961, mobile +1 646 752 3117, reader@un.org,

OCHA-Geneva: Elisabeth Byrs, +41 22 917 2653, mobile +41 79 473 4570, byrs@un.org

OCHA press releases are available at http://ochaonline.un.org or www.reliefweb.int

For more information about CERF, please see http://cerf.un.org