Central Emergency Response Fund

Central Emergency Response Fund

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. The fund was created to improve the speed and quality of humanitarian response by providing initial funding to jump-start critical operations and to support underfunded emergencies.

History

The CERF was established by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2005 and became operational in March 2006. It was created in response to the need for a more predictable and timely funding mechanism for humanitarian emergencies. The fund is managed by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Objectives

The primary objectives of the CERF are:

• To promote early action and response to reduce loss of life.
• To enhance response to time-critical requirements.
• To strengthen core elements of humanitarian response in underfunded crises.

Funding Mechanism

The CERF is funded through voluntary contributions from United Nations Member States, regional governments, private sector donors, and individuals. The fund is replenished annually and aims to raise approximately $450 million each year.

The CERF is divided into two main components:

• Rapid Response Window: This component provides immediate funding for new or rapidly deteriorating emergencies. It allows humanitarian organizations to quickly scale up their operations in response to sudden-onset crises.

• Underfunded Emergencies Window: This component allocates funding to humanitarian operations in crises that are underfunded and often neglected by the international community.

Allocation Process

The allocation of CERF funds is based on a rigorous assessment process. The Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) is responsible for approving funding requests. The ERC consults with humanitarian agencies and uses data from the Humanitarian Needs Overview and other assessments to determine the most urgent needs.

Impact

Since its inception, the CERF has provided billions of dollars in funding to support humanitarian operations in over 100 countries. It has played a crucial role in enabling rapid response to emergencies such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the 2014 Ebola outbreak, and the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis.

Challenges

Despite its successes, the CERF faces challenges such as:

• Ensuring sufficient and predictable funding from donors.
• Balancing the allocation of funds between rapid response and underfunded emergencies.
• Coordinating effectively with other humanitarian funding mechanisms.

Also see

• United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
• Emergency Relief Coordinator
• Humanitarian response
• Disaster relief
• International humanitarian law