ReliefWeb

At a high-level pledging conference, Estonia announced it would support the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) with €150 000 next year and contribute the same amount in 2022.

CERF helps respond to acute humanitarian crises in an efficient and flexible way and provide rapid assistance to save lives and alleviate human suffering.

At the high-level event yesterday, Undersecretary for Economic and Development Affairs Andres Rundu said that CERF was an excellent example of a flexible and efficient humanitarian fund that made it possible to respond to crises quickly worldwide.

“The UN Central Emergency Response Fund has earned the trust of member states with its capacity to provide rapid and efficient emergency assistance, and considering the long-term impact of COVID-19, the fund’s grants are needed more than ever. Estonia firmly believes that it is crucial to help those most in need and we will continue to do our part to that end. This is why we plan to raise Estonia’s contribution to CERF in 2021 by 50% and maintain this level in 2022,” Rundu said.

In 2020, CERF supported Bangladesh, Ethiopia and South Sudan that have been hit by natural disasters. It has also supported the restoration of basic services in Zimbabwe and Lebanon. In terms of underfunded crises, assistance has been provided through CERF to Yemen, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Syria and many other countries. The fund has also been crucial in alleviating the impact of COVID-19 across the world.

Estonia has contributed to the fund since its inception in 2006.

Full statement by Undersecretary Andres Rundu: https://un.mfa.ee/statement-by-the-deputy-foreign-minister-of-estonia-mr...

Additional information:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
Communication Department
press@mfa.ee