OCHA to host High-Level Conference on the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF)

Watch the webcast

A High-Level Conference of the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), with the participation of the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, will be held on 4 December 2008 from 10.00 to 17.00 in the ECOSOC Chamber.

Since its inception, the Fund has allocated more than $1 billion to over 1,400 projects in 67 countries, covering emergencies in Africa, Asia, Latin American and the Middle East, reaching millions of victims of natural disasters, conflicts and complex emergencies.

The annual High-Level Conference on CERF is a key instrument to mobilize resources for the Fund. All Permanent and Observer Missions are invited to attend.

The event is open to the media from 10.00 to 11.25 a.m. On 5 December, during the noon briefing, John Holmes, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, will brief the media in room 226 on the outcome of the conference.

The Vice President of General Assembly of the United Nations, Mongolia, H.E. Ms. Enkhtsetseg Ochir will make a statement.

There will also be statements by the following honoured guests:

Mr. E. Ahamed, Minister of State for External Affairs of India

Dr. Naomi Shaban, Minister of State for Special Programmes of Kenya

Ms. Catherine Walker, Deputy Director-General, Global Programmes Division, AusAID

Broadcast quality footage of CERF-funded humanitarian projects in Haiti and Kenya can be downloaded free of charge from Wednesday, 3 December, onward at the UN's 'UNIFEED' website at http://www.unmultimedia.org/tv/unifeed/

CONTACTS:

Stephanie Bunker, OCHA-New York, +1 917 367 5126, +1 917 892 1679 mobile, bunker@un.org

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

John Nyaga, OCHA-NY+ 1 917 367 9262, nyagaj@un.org

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