UN Secretary-General appoints new members of humanitarian fund Advisory Group

(New York, 7 October 2009): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the appointment of seven new members of the Advisory Group for the $450 million Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).

The sixteen-member CERF Advisory Group provides the Secretary-General with expert advice on the use and impact of the Fund through the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, John Holmes. Mr. Holmes manages the Fund on behalf of the Secretary-General.

The Advisory Group was established by the General Assembly under resolution 60/124 of 15 December 2005. The members include government officials from countries that have contributed to or received funding from CERF, representatives of humanitarian non-governmental organizations, and academic experts. Members of the Advisory Group serve in their individual capacity, and not as representatives of their countries or governments.

Since it was launched in March 2006, CERF has allocated nearly $1.3 billion dollars for humanitarian aid around the world. Funded by voluntary contributions, the CERF was approved by the General Assembly in December 2005 and officially launched on 9 March 2006. The Fund aims to save lives by providing quick initial funding for life-saving assistance and rapid response in sudden onset or rapidly deteriorating emergencies and by ensuring a fair distribution of funds where crises are forgotten or neglected.

Humanitarian agencies in nearly 70 countries around the globe have benefited from CERF. One-hundred and eight Member States, the Holy See, companies from the private sector and individual donors have contributed more than $1.5 billion to CERF since its inception.

The new advisory group members are as follows:

Ms. Luz Amanda Pulido, Colombia
Director: Risk Management Department, Ministry of the Interior and Justice

Ms. Satu Helinä Lassila, Finland
Senior Advisor: Unit for Humanitarian Assistance, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Mr. Silvano Langa, Mozambique
Senior Adviser: Minister of the State Administration

Ms. Janina Ochojska, Poland
Founder and Head: Polska Akcja Humanitarna

Brigadier General Abdullah Muhammad Alsuwedi, Qatar
General Manager: General Directorate of Civil Defense

Ms. Elena Madrazo, Spain
Secretary-General: Agency for International Aid and Development (AECID)

Mr. Jon C. Brause, United States
Deputy Assistant Administrator: United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

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, John Nyaga +1 917 367 9262, +1 917 318 8917, nyagaj@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