Yearly Contribution to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) 2013

The Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) is a humanitarian fund established by the United Nations to enable more timely and reliable humanitarian assistance to those affected by natural disasters and armed conflicts. In 2012, the CERF allocated $477 million for Rapid Response and Underfunded Emergencies in 49 countries in the world.

CERF was created by all nations, for all potential victims of disasters. CERF assures that the funds will go where they are most needed in the network of international aid organizations. It represents a real chance to provide predictable and equitable funding to those affected by natural disasters and other humanitarian emergencies, as it is written in the principles of „Good Humanitarian Donorship“ to which Switzerland commits. The CERF is a specialised tool to contribute to the international commitment of burden sharing.

A 5-year Evaluation of the CERF took place in 2011. In line with OCHA’s Guidelines on Management Response and Follow-Up to Evaluations, the CERF Secretariat developed OCHA’s Management Response Plan (MRP) to the five-year evaluation in consultation with a variety of stakeholders both inside and outside of the UN Secretariat, and the MRP was then approved by the Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Ms. Valerie Amos. Implementation of the follow-up actions contained in the MRP is being tracked by the CERF Secretariat and the MRP periodically updated before the meetings of the CERF Advisory Group.

Accountability and transparency have improved following the revision of the resident coordinator/humanitarian coordinator narrative reporting process and format. The revisions made strengthened the Fund’s transparency to donors, humanitarian partners and beneficiaries.

lowing the progress made by the secretariat of the Fund in implementing the Management Response Plan, (based on the recommendations contained in the five-year evaluation), it will continue focusing on achieving its objective as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Continued efforts undertaken to ensure a rapid and predictable response to humanitarian crises. The CERF continues to improve its methods so that its resources are used as efficiently and transparently as possible. UN agencies and implementing partners are able to access the CERF within 72 hours of a crisis, thus enabling more lives to be saved during the earliest moments of a disaster, when people are most at risk.

10 out of 72 UN Member States and Observers in 2012

Since its creation in 2005, 126 UN Member and Observer States and Territories contributed, as well as 2 regional and local authorities and 31 private donors.

The CERF is a humanitarian fund that is used according to the consensus reached by the UN General Assembly on 15 December 2005, resolution A/RES/46/182.

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