Central Emergency Response Fund
When disasters happen, the world looks to the UN to lead the international response. The Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) provides an easy and centralized way to support the UN’s lifesaving efforts in humanitarian crises around the world. The CERF has committed significant resources to humanitarian projects in 62 countries affected by natural disasters and armed conflicts, including recent commitments to the earthquake in China, cyclone-affected people in Myanmar and Central African Republic refugees in Chad. Your gift will provide predictable and timely funding to help people in their hour of need.
The CERF is the UN’s central donation facility to help ensure that funds are on hand in time to take action on humanitarian emergencies. The fund is financed by voluntary contributions from both public and private donors; already, more than 90 nations have contributed to the CERF, as have many private individuals and organizations.
The CERF in Action
The CERF works by making rapid-response grants to promote early action to reduce loss of life and to enhance response to time-critical requirements. It also provides emergency grants to strengthen core elements of humanitarian response in underfunded crises.
Below are just a few examples of the work that the CERF supported during 2006:
- Early Action. The CERF provided key assistance for immediate humanitarian response during the crisis in Lebanon in July and August of 2006. The fund supplied $5 million that was used to provide food, medicine and security for humanitarian operations.
- Time-Critical Requirements. The CERF allocated early funds for food distribution to Afghanis in risk of being isolated during the winter in certain areas of Afghanistan. In Darfur, the fund delivered assistance before the rainy season to more than 200,000 newly displaced people and 14,000 Chadian refugees.
- Underfunded Crises. The CERF has provided support for urgent but often ignored needs such as malaria control, cholera response, mine action activities and the protection of internally displaced people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Support the CERF
You can help the CERF continue its lifesaving work around the world by donating today. Every contribution can help make a difference. As a 501(c) (3) public charity, contributions made to the UN Foundation are tax deductible for U.S. donors.
To donate, click here.
For more information on how the CERF works, click here.
