CERF High-level Pledging Event
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has convened the annual CERF "High-level Pledging Event - a Fund for all, by all" on Monday 9 December 2019 from 10 am to 1 pm in the United Nations New York Headquarters, Trusteeship Council. The event was an opportunity to highlight the achievements of the fund, to announce pledges for 2020, and collectively ensure that CERF’s level of funding continues to increase towards the expanded funding target of $1 billion as endorsed by the General Assembly.
The High-level Pledging Event was opened by the United Nations Secretary-General and has brought together senior representatives from UN Member States and Observers, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, foundations and the private sector to express their commitments to the fund.
The following video was created for the event to show the highlights of CERF in 2019:
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The opening segment featured interventions from the following speakers:
Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC), Mr. Mark Lowcock
Mr. Lowcock began his career with the British Government at the Department for International Development (DFID) in 1985 where he served in a diverse range of roles including overseas postings in Malawi, Zimbabwe and Kenya, in addition to holding leadership positions at headquarters. Mr. Lowcock has more than 30 years of experience leading and managing responses to humanitarian crises across the globe, as well as wider strategic leadership in the international development arena. He was most recently the Permanent Secretary at DFID, a role he assumed in 2011. Born in 1962, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics and History from Oxford University and a master’s in Economics from the University of London. He is a chartered accountant.
State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, Ms. Marianne Hagen
Ms. Marianne Hagen has been State Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since November 2017. She has previously worked as Head of Communications at the Royal Court and as Adviser for the CEO of the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association. Ms. Hagen has been a member of Akershus County Council and Executive Board and has held various posts in the Conservative Party in Akershus County. She has carried out undergraduate studies in Political Science and Law and has a board membership experience from four sectors: culture, health, energy and finance. She has also been Deputy Chair of DNB Savings Bank Foundation and Chair of the Board of Dextra Musica.
Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Uganda to the United Nations, Dr. Adonia Ayebare
Dr. Adonia Ayebare is the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Uganda to the United Nations. Prior to his latest appointment, Dr. Ayebare was the Senior Adviser on Peace and Security at the African Union’s Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations in New York from 2013 until 2017. Dr. Ayebare had previously been Deputy Permanent Representative and Chargé d’affaires in New York from 2010 to 2012, and from 2005 to 2008. Between those postings, he served as Director of the Africa Program at the International Peace Institute in New York between 2009 and 2011. From 2001 to 2008, he was Uganda’s Principal Adviser and Special Envoy to the Burundi peace process, having served as Ambassador and Head of Mission to Rwanda and Burundi from 2002 to 2005. Holding two doctorates, from Indiana University and Rutgers University in the United States, Dr. Ayebare also has two master’s degrees, from Long Island University and Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, also in the United States.
Ambassador of Ireland to Colombia and Chair of the CERF Advisory Group, Ms. Alison Milton
Ms. Alison Milton is currently serving as the Irish Ambassador to Colombia. Ms. Milton has extensive experience in humanitarian and development work for the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade, both at headquarters and overseas. Prior to the role as Ambassador to Colombia, served as Humanitarian Director and held other senior management positions within the Department, including Head of Civil Society. Prior to these HQ positions, she has been Head of Development for Ireland’s development programme in Lesotho and Mozambique. As well as working with government, Ms. Milton has experience of working with Non-Governmental Organisations, including on humanitarian responses to natural disasters such as Hurricane Mitch in Central America and the recurring drought in Northern Kenya. She is currently sharing the CERF Advisory Group of which she has been a member since October 2017.
Vice Chair of Muhammadiyah Disaster Management Center (MDMC) and Member of the CERF Advisory Group, Dr. Rahmawati Husein
Dr. Rahmawati Husein is currently Vice Chair of MDMC, Muhammadiyah Organization, which is one of the largest FBOs/NGOs/CBOs in Indonesia with 35 million members. She also serves as an Advisory Board member of the Indonesian National Disaster Management Agency, as well as committee member of the Indonesian Humanitarian Alliance for Rohingya Refugees. Dr. Rahmawati Husein is an executive board member of Humanitarian Forum Indonesia (HFI), an interfaith-based organization forum. She has more than 15 years of experience working with emergency response. Dr. Husein is also an assistant professor of the Jusuf Kalla School of Government, Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta and currently teaches urban and development planning, public policy, disaster risk reduction and research methods. Her current research concentrates on emergency management, local government and disaster risk reduction, as well as disaster management/humanitarian assistance. Dr. Husein has been a member of the CERF Advisory Group since October 2018.