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UN Global Emergency Response Fund allocates record $125 million for world’s underfunded crises

Countries
World
+ 13 more
Sources
OCHA
Publication date

11 April 2019, Washington D.C.: Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock approved today the allocation of US$125 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support the response in 13 underfunded emergencies (UFE). This is the largest underfunded allocation in CERF history, made possible by the increasing generosity and diversity of donors to the fund.

“This CERF allocation is a lifeline for millions of people caught up in crises across the globe where the level of suffering is alarmingly high, but the funding remains critically low,” said Lowcock. “Without these funds, clean water, shelter, protection, nutritional support, food assistance and other life necessities might never reach people in desperate need in time.” The allocation will allow the United Nations and humanitarian partners to sustain critical aid operations for more than 9 million people in Cameroon, Chad, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Djibouti, Haiti, Honduras, Madagascar, Niger, the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), Tanzania, Uganda and Ukraine.

This allocation round marks the first time country proposals have given specific consideration to addressing four chronically neglected areas: more than half a million women and girls will receive support in the area of gender-based violence and close to 400,000 will get access to critical reproductive health care. A total of $24 million will go to projects helping over two million people in need of immediate protection across 10 countries. Over $7 million will support education efforts for over 150,000 children across Cameroon, Chad, Colombia, DRC, Madagascar, Niger, the oPt and Ukraine. Over 350,000 people with disabilities across all countries will benefit from CERF funding.

“The $125 million is a fantastic catalyst for the response efforts in the 13 countries, but it only covers the most highly prioritized needs of 9 million of the 28 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in the 13 countries,” added Mr. Lowcock. “I thank all Member States and donors who have made this possible and encourage their further generosity to fund our response plans.”

As the scale and intensity of emergencies continue to increase, a larger, more robust CERF is needed so that aid can reach people, whenever and wherever crises hit.

For further information, please contact:
Russell Geekie, OCHA Spokesperson, geekie@un.org, Tel. +1 212 963 8340
Ann Weru, Public Information Officer, weru@un.org, Tel. +1 917 367 7094

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.