Yearly Contribution to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) 2018

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.

CERF is one of the fastest and most effective ways to support rapid humanitarian response. It is also a lifeline for those caught up in the world’s most neglected, underfunded and long-lasting crises.

Switzerland continued to support the CERF leadership morally and financially to achieve the 1 billion USD CERF  efforts were undertaken by the CERF secretariat to finalize the Standard Operating Procedures for handling fraud cases.

The CERF secretariat also strived to enhance the analysis and reporting of performance data from grant reports on the use and impact of funds.

Manuel Bessler kept chairing the CERF Advisory Group in his own capacity throughout 2016.

• The SG, the ERC, the DERC and the CERF secretariat strongly advocate and engage donors and the Advisory Group in identfying means and opportunities for meeting the goal of a 1 billion USD CERF by 2018, in line with the USG’s call at the WHS.
• The donor base continues to grow through outreach activities, in particular towards Gulf states.
• The CERF secretariat keeps donors informed about potential fraudulent use of Fund allocations and reports on ongoing investigations.
• The newly established Hum. Financing and Resource Mobilization Division with its 2 pillars (pooled fund management branch and resource mobilization branch) will have to prove its efficiency in the course of the year.

• Opt for more flexibility in the division of funds allocated between the rapid response and underfunded emergencies windows of the Fund in the context of more protracted humanitarian crises
• Further promote early action to prevent pandemic outbreaks (in January 2016, the spread of yellow fever outbreak in Angola was successfully contained due to urgent vaccination campaigns, partly funded by CERF; in 2014, CERF was one of the earliest sources of funding for the multi-country Ebola outbreak enabling humanitarian partners to kick-start vital services reaching 37 million people).
• Continue to ensure fast disbursement of the funds from recipient agencies to their implementation partners.
• Switzerland should continue to support the 1 billion USD CERF goal even though it will not be reached in 2018.

In 2017, Switzerland is ranked on 12^th position

Since 2006, donors to CERF have enabled the UN agencies, funds and programs, and their implementing partners to provide 5 billion USD worth of life-saving assistance in 50 countries thanks to the voluntary contributions from 126 UN Member States and observers as well as regional governments, corporate donors, foundations and individuals.

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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