Press Releases

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock today announced that the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has reached its 2017 funding target of US$450 million, following an additional commitment of SEK 50 million ($6 million) from Sweden.

“I am inspired by the generosity of CERF’s donors. Given the many challenges we face today with 145 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, achieving the target set for 2017 provides a much-needed boost in fulfilling our mission to reach the world’s most vulnerable people with timely assistance,” Lowcock said. “But given the increase in needs brought on by ongoing conflict and natural disasters this year, it is more important than ever that donors enable CERF to reach its 2018 funding target of $1 billion.”

CERF has been at the forefront in responding quickly when crises emerged in 2017 and in providing funds to jump-start the underfunded emergencies. This enabled partners to deliver critical health care, food, clean water, sanitation and much more to people who need it the most, especially women and girls caught up in crises. CERF was among the first to provide funding when more than 20 million people were in or imminently close to famine in north-east Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia and Yemen, helping to stave off the worst. It allocated $145 million to help millions of people caught up in 14 neglected and critically underfunded emergencies around the world, and provided $13 million to enable humanitarians to help tens of thousands of people needing assistance following Hurricanes Irma and Maria in the Caribbean, as well as $19 million for urgent help to refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar.

Recognizing that a larger and more robust CERF is critical to ensuring aid reaches people whenever and wherever they need it the most, the UN General Assembly last year endorsed the expansion of CERF’s annual funding target from the current $450 million to $1 billion by 2018. CERF’s annual high-level pledging event in December 2017 can therefore be an important milestone towards achieving the new funding target.

“For the sake of millions of people who are suffering, I ask all countries to further stretch their generosity. Every contribution helps make Central Emergency Response Fund a fund for all, by all,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “The December pledging conference is our chance to show solidarity and save lives. A strong United Nations needs a strong, reliable CERF to reach people trapped in crises and to meet the needs of those still left furthest behind.”

Emergency Relief Coordinator and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock today released an additional US$12 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to urgently help the most vulnerable people fleeing violence in Myanmar and their host communities in Bangladesh, where the refugees are seeking refuge.

“We urgently need to get more food, shelter, water, sanitation facilities, medical help and other support to the refugees. The people of Bangladesh have offered a generous welcome, but the current conditions in the camps are terrible. Without much more international assistance, the refugees, who have suffered greatly, could face a health catastrophe on top of the existing tragedy,” said Mr. Lowcock during his visit to one of the refugee sites in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.

Over 1.2 million people, including the host population, newly arriving refugees as well as refugees already in Bangladesh prior to August 2017 need humanitarian assistance. The CERF allocation will support the rapid establishment of additional campsites on land that has been made available by the Government of Bangladesh to accommodate the fast-growing refugee population. Since 25 August, more than 500,000 refugees have arrived in Bangladesh – significantly surpassing the capacity of existing camps – and people continue to arrive.

Funding will enable humanitarian partners to kick-start life-saving critical health care, access to clean water and sanitation and camp management in the new sites.

“My appreciation goes to all the donors to CERF, who have made this urgent aid possible to reduce human suffering,” Lowcock said.

These funds follow a previous CERF allocation of US$7 million to scale up humanitarian action and help tens of thousands of people fleeing Myanmar, bringing the total CERF support to $19 million.

Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock announced today the allocation of US$3 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to meet the most pressing needs of the people of Dominica affected by Hurricane Maria. The Category-5 storm made landfall on the island on 18 September.

The devastating hurricane has left people without electricity and water, destroyed homes and health clinics and isolated communities on the mountainous island. Over 90 per cent of Dominicans—some 65,000 people—need immediate assistance.

"The damage caused by this storm is catastrophic. People need food, water, shelter, medications and life’s other necessities,” Mr. Lowcock said. “The CERF allocation will support the most urgent needs under the flash appeal, which was launched today by the UN team in the region.”

The CERF funds will be jointly prioritized by the UN agencies and humanitarian partners on the ground based on the frontline responders’ rapid assessment of the damage and needs.

CERF funds will kick-start the response operations but will not be enough to meet the needs of all the communities affected. Further support is urgently needed in the coming weeks and months to help rebuild people’s lives and livelihoods.

“My heart goes out to people who lost everything in the storm. I thank all of CERF's donors for keeping the fund replenished at all times so that responders on the ground can act quickly,” Mr. Lowcock said.

Last week, CERF allocated $10 million to enable humanitarians to assist tens of thousands of people in need of assistance in Cuba and several other islands in the Caribbean following Hurricane Irma.

Since its establishment 12 years ago, CERF has been the fastest mechanism for providing emergency funding to people in need, sometimes within hours of devastating hurricanes and earthquakes. In 2017, CERF has responded to critical needs in the aftermath of drought, cyclones, floods and landslides, with materials to rebuild shelters, food, access to clean and reliable water sources, access to education for children, as well as health and nutrition support.

The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, today allocated US$10 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to enable humanitarians to help tens of thousands of people in need of assistance following the devastating category five storm, Hurricane Irma.

The funds will enable the United Nations and other organisations to support the national and regional response immediately to provide food, critical health care, clean water and other urgently needed aid to the people most affected by Irma, in particular women and girls.

“People are still cut off from basic services and infrastructure. This allocation will allow us to kick-start operations for families and communities in desperate need,” Mr. Lowcock said.

Hurricane Irma left a wake of destruction on several islands in the Caribbean. In Cuba hurricane-force winds and rain ravaged 13 of the country’s 15 provinces. More than 2 million people were forced to evacuate their homes ahead of the storm. Many homes have been destroyed or are barely habitable. Health facilities are severely damaged, hampering the rapid delivery of emergency care.

The UN and partners deployed experts and supplies to the Caribbean ahead of the storm, and continue to support regional organizations, national governments and local authorities to coordinate the response throughout the affected islands. “We will continue to stand in solidarity with the people of the Caribbean to ensure maximum support is available to the commendable national and regional efforts,” Mr. Lowcock said.

“This immediate funding would not be possible without the generous support of CERF’s donors, which enable it to be the fastest way to get urgent aid to people whenever and wherever they need it the most.”

For more than a decade, donor contributions to CERF have enabled the UN agencies, funds and programmes, and their implementing partners to provide over $4.9 billion in life-saving assistance across the globe.

The United Nations humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock released today US$7 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to urgently help tens of thousands of people fleeing violence in Myanmar and seeking refuge in Bangladesh.

“CERF is one of the fastest ways to get aid to people whenever and wherever they need it the most,” Lowcock said. “These funds will immediately allow humanitarian partners to scale up urgent aid by providing additional shelter, food, critical health care and more to those who need our help so desperately, especially women and girls”.

Over the past two weeks, more than 160,000 people have fled fighting in Myanmar’s Rakhine state to Bangladesh. Many have walked for days, leaving behind their homes and crossing mountains and rivers to seek safety.

“As we help those fleeing across the border, I appeal for urgent unhindered access to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to all those in need,” said Lowcock.

The influx is straining existing basic services in Bangladesh. Aid agencies have been providing assistance for new arrivals but struggle to cope with the rising needs. The situation is alarming and comes at a time when the country also faces severe flooding and landslides.

These funds follow a previous CERF allocation to help the flood-affected people of Bangladesh, bringing the total to nearly $10 million.

“My appreciation goes to all donors to CERF, who are making this urgent aid possible to reduce human suffering and to save and protect lives,” Lowcock said.