UN Secretary-General appoints new members to global emergency fund's advisory group

(New York, 24 September 2015) – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of seven new members of the Advisory Group of the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), the UN’s global emergency response fund.

The Advisory Group’s 18 members provide policy guidance to the Secretary-General and advice on the use and impact of CERF, through the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O’Brien, who manages the Fund on behalf of the Secretary-General.

“Over the past 10 years, CERF has been one of the fastest and most effective ways to support communities hit by crisis. The Advisory Group is key to help me manage the Fund efficiently,” said Mr. O’Brien. “As CERF marks 10 years of operations, the Advisory Group is vital to guide the Fund in a challenging resource mobilization environment, as global discussions on humanitarian financing pave the way forward for the future of aid funding.”

In the immediate aftermath of the Nepal earthquake, CERF supported aid agencies deliver food, water and shelter, saving lives. In Yemen, the Fund provided US$44 million for life-saving activities. In Syria and neighbouring countries, $78 million was provided earlier this year to help keep critical aid operations up and running.

The new members are:

  • Ambassador Nozipho Joyce Mxakato-Diseko, Deputy Director-General of the Global Governance and Continental Agenda of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, South Africa

  • Ms. Najla Alkaabi, Assistant Under-Secretary of International Cooperation in the Ministry of International Cooperation and Development, the United Arab Emirates

  • Ms. Judy Cheng-Hopkins, Adjunct Professor at Columbia University, Malaysia

  • Ambassador Seokyoung Choi, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the Office of the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva

  • Dr. Ashraf Shikhhaliyev, Director of the International Development Agency, Azerbaijan

  • Ms. Christina Buchan, Director of the Humanitarian Organizations and Food Assistance, Department of Foreign Affairs Trade and Development, Canada

  • Ms. Rachel Turner, Senior Director for East and Central Africa Department, Department for International Development, United Kingdom

The existing members are:

  • Ms. María Andrea Albán Durán, Director of the International Cooperation Agency, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Colombia

  • Mr. Nestor Koko, Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Côte d'Ivoire to the United Nations in New York, Côte d’Ivoire

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The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors.

  • Ms. Jette Michelsen, Chief Advisor, Department for Humanitarian Action, Civil Society and Personnel Assistance, Denmark

  • Dr. Eltje Aderhold, Head of Division, Task Force for Humanitarian Aid of the Federal Foreign Office, Germany

  • Mr. Samson Palia Wangusi, Deputy-Secretary, Emergency Humanitarian Response and head of the Kenyan Relief and Rehabilitation Department, Kenya

  • Mr. Jozef H.L. M. Andriessen, Director, Stabilisation and Humanitarian Aid Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Netherlands

  • Mr. Jesus R.S. Domingo, Assistant Secretary, Office of the United Nations and International Organizations, Department of Foreign Affairs, Philippines

  • Dr. Ahmed Al-Meraikhi, Director of the Department of International Development, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and Director-General of the Qatar Development Fund, Qatar

  • Mr. Per Örneus, Deputy Director-General and Head of the Department for Multilateral Development Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sweden

  • Mr. Manuel Bessler, Ambassador and Delegate for Humanitarian Aid and Head of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Switzerland

  • Major General Dr. Julius Oketta, Director, National Emergency Operations and Coordination Centre, Office of the Prime Minister, Department of Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Management, Uganda.

CERF was established in 2006 to help agencies respond rapidly to new or deteriorating humanitarian situations. Member States and Observers, regional and local authorities, the private sector, foundations and individuals have contributed more than $4 billion to CERF. Since 2006, CERF has allocated nearly $4 billion to support humanitarian operations in 94 countries and territories.