Press Releases

Emergency Relief Coordinator and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock today released US$10 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to urgently help the most vulnerable people displaced in Ethiopia due to the conflict along the borders of the Oromia and Somali regions. “Today I visited two IDP re-settlement sites where I saw first-hand the critical importance of scaling up our support to meet their needs, as called for by the Government,” said Mr. Lowcock during his visit.

Following the escalation of conflict along the Oromia and Somali regional borders in early September, hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people have been driven from their homes and are now living in approximately 370 sites, with needs that are far greater than the response that has been able to be provided so far.

The Government has taken the lead in the response efforts and has provided life-saving food assistance to those in need. The Government has also released its plans to respond to the situation, including through efforts to facilitate voluntary returns or alternative resettlement solutions. “The CERF funds will complement the Government plan and will enable humanitarian partners to provide life-saving assistance, including shelter, clean water and sanitation services for those most in need among the displaced and host communities. The funds will also support solutions for displaced people to re-establish their lives,” said Mr. Lowcock. He also added that other donors were encouraged to urgently step up their support in response to the needs of the displaced.

Over the past two years, CERF allocated $49 million to aid operations in Ethiopia. While Ethiopia continues to be faced with acute crises, over the past decades Ethiopia has made remarkable strides in development and addressing food insecurity. However its susceptibility to drought has resulted in recurring food insecurity. Failed rains in 2016 and 2017 threatened a catastrophe that was only averted by a massive Government-led response.

Beyond the recurring crises, Ethiopia simultaneously needs to lay the foundations for recovery and long-term resilience to future shocks. The international community must seize opportunities to support Ethiopia in strengthening government-led sustainable development structures at all levels that can mitigate human risks and the threat from increasingly frequent and severe droughts, and support government and civil society in developing capacities for peace building and reconciliation. The UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner joined Mr. Lowcock on the visit to Ethiopia to solidify humanitarian and development collaboration moving forward, aimed at making joint recommendations for solutions to break the cycle of loss of development gains due to recurrent disasters.

Emergency Relief Coordinator and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock today released an allocation of US$50 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to enable scale up of urgent life-saving assistance in Yemen. This allocation will help stave off the growing risk of famine, mitigate the impact of an accelerated collapse of public services and assist the civilians affected by the recent escalation in conflict.

“I remain deeply concerned by the deterioration in the humanitarian situation – a catastrophe made worse by recent increases in fighting and airstrikes.” said Mr. Lowcock. “I approved today the largest-ever allocation by the CERF – $50 million – to rapidly bolster the response. These funds will help to save lives.”

This allocation has been designed to complement the recent allocation of $68 million from the Yemen Humanitarian Fund (YHF), based on the prioritization of activities led by the Humanitarian Coordinator.

CERF intervention will focus on an integrated, comprehensive food, nutrition, safe water and health support in 27 high-priority districts at risk of famine as well as on responding to worsening diphtheria outbreak. In districts experiencing high levels of displacement, CERF allocation will enable partners to provide emergency shelter, essential items and protection for vulnerable IDPs or returnees. CERF will also help deliver basic needs and essential items to mitigate the impact of recent escalation in  conflict along the western coast, in particular for people unable to flee these conflict areas.

In 2017, CERF released $25.5 million as part of an early funding initiative to avert famine. However, more people are now reliant on emergency assistance as a result of intensified fighting, interruptions in commercial shipping in 2017, pandemic outbreaks and an accelerating collapse in public services.

“This substantial funding is only made possible thanks to the generous support of CERF’s donors, enabling the fund to hit a record high income of $513 million in 2017. This allocation will save many lives and alleviate the suffering of the most vulnerable. “said Lowcock.

CERF is a critical enabler of effective, timely and life-saving humanitarian action, helping front-line partners on the ground to kick-start or reinforce emergency activities. A larger CERF is urgently needed to ensure a responsive and effective humanitarian system against the ever-growing needs.

This December, 32 young women stood in the heart of New York’s holiday festivities and performed a new take on the holiday classic, “Silent Night.” As people gathered for the performance in front of the Lotte New York Palace Hotel, they realized that the words to the familiar song had been changed with lyrics describing the pain and fear of those trapped in conflict areas around the world, and the hope and relief that can be provided by humanitarian aid.

“This is not your typical Silent Night,” said Nyawal, 23, a South Sudanese refugee who sings in the choir. “This is a version of a holiday carol that tells the story of people like us.”

The women are no strangers to suffering themselves, as each of them is a from a conflict area – ranging from Iraq to Sudan. The words they sing are helping to build awareness of conflict around the world and drive donations to the United Nations’ Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which helps people caught up in crises.

“Every year, millions of people around the world are struck by crises not of their own making,” said UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock. “This song shines a light on their experiences, and emphasizes how humanitarian aid can make a difference. CERF is one of the fastest ways to support people in need whenever and wherever a crisis strikes. Each donation helps CERF prepare for the crises yet to come.”

The performance has been turned into a docu-style video now available on social media until 7 January 2017, with the goal of raising funds for CERF. Please visit the UN CERF Facebook page or DonateMiracles.org to support this effort.

Today the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) hosted its annual high-level pledging conference for 2018. 36 donors pledged US$ 383 million to the fund to ensure urgent humanitarian aid reaches people in need whenever and wherever crises hit. CERF also hit a record high income of $504 million for 2017 through additional commitments made by donors.
“CERF is a collective achievement that we all can be proud of,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in opening remarks at the conference. “CERF is always the first to come when we have an emergency, and the last to leave when situations are forgotten. A strong United Nations needs a strong CERF.”
Reinforcing the important role CERF plays as a lifeline for people trapped in crises, the Secretary-General announced the allocation of $100 million from the 2017 CERF to nine neglected emergencies where millions of people need urgent humanitarian assistance in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Haiti, Mali, Pakistan, the Philippines, Tanzania and Uganda. “In all these crises, CERF funds will enable UN agencies and their partners to carry out essential life-saving activities, and contribute to longer-term resilience and stability,” the Secretary-General said.
In 2018, the United Nations and partners will require $22.5 billion to meet the needs of 91 million people in 26 countries. Given the ever-increasing scale and intensity of emergencies, a more robust CERF is imperative to address the growing needs of affected people. To that end, Member States last year adopted a United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for the CERF to be increased to $1 billion by 2018.
Following the Secretary-General’s remarks, a panel discussed the role of CERF in improving the humanitarian community’s ability to assist people affected by conflict and crises. “CERF is unmatched in its speed, global reach and scale of impact in enabling the humanitarian community to respond to people most in need in crises,” said Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock.
Mr. Lowcock was joined on the panel by Minister for Disaster Preparedness, Relief and Refugees of the Republic of Uganda, H.E. Mr. Hilary Onek; Permanent Representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, H.E. Mr. Ignace Gata Mavita Wa Lufuta – on behalf of H.E. Mr. Bernard Biando Sango, Ministre de la Solidarite et Actions Humanitaires of Democratic Republic of the Congo; Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund, Dr. Natalia Kanem; and, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Somalia, Mr. Peter de Clercq.
Azerbaijan, Guyana, Iraq, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, UAE were among the donors that announced increased contributions from the previous year, while Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, the Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Mongolia, Myanmar, Netherlands, Portugal, Qatar, Russian Federation, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the Belgian Government of Flanders pledged their support.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced last week the appointment of nine new members of the Advisory Group of the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2005, the 21-member Advisory Group provides policy guidance to the SecretaryGeneral and advice on the use and impact of CERF, through Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock, who manages the Fund on the Secretary-General’s behalf.

The new members are:

• Mr. James Wallace Isbister, First Assistant Secretary and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia
• Mr. Bruno van der Pluijm, Director General of Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid, Belgium
• Ms. Alexandra MacKenzie, Director of Humanitarian Organizations and Food Assistance Division, Canada
• Mr. Toro Tassara, Director of the National Emergency Office (ONEMI) and leading coordinator of the National Civil Protection System, Chile
• Ms. Rahel Asfaw, Director of the National Disaster Response and Rehabilitation Directorate, Ethiopia
• Mr. Claus Lindroos, Director of the Humanitarian Assistance and Policy Division, Finland
• Ms. Alison Milton, Director of the Humanitarian Unit, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ireland
• Mr. Per Enarsson, Ambassador of Sweden to Eritrea
• Ms. Mairo Mandara, Country Representative of Nigeria at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

“I thank the departing members for their service and welcome the new members to CERF’s Advisory Group. As the fund moves towards an increase in its annual target from $450 million to $1 billion by 2018, the Advisory Group plays a key role in providing the strategic guidance vital to enable CERF to fulfil its mandate in an increasingly challenging humanitarian context,” Lowcock said.

CERF is one of the fastest ways to get urgent aid to people whenever and wherever they need it the most. For more than a decade, CERF has enabled the UN agencies, funds and programmes, and their implementing partners to provide close to $5 billion in life-saving assistance across the globe. The Advisory Group is key to managing the Fund efficiently, and to ensuring that assistance reaches those most in need.