UN emergency fund provided over $200 million in first half of 2007

A landmark United Nations humanitarian aid fund has provided over $200 million in the first half of this year for live-saving activities ranging from supplying medical treatment, building material and food to Afghan refugees to distributing much-needed food in Sudan, the world body’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced today.

The largest amounts of rapid response funding form the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) during this six-month period have gone to Mozambique, which received $11.2 million; Guinea, receiving $9.8 million; and Chad, receiving $7.2 million.

During the second quarter of this year, nearly $7 million was made available to Somalia to alleviate the suffering brought about by drought, floods, political violence and insecurity.

Since the beginning of 2007, the CERF – which is managed by John Holmes, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator – has committed over $115 million for rapid response in new and or rapidly deteriorating emergencies in 31 countries, including Afghanistan, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan and Yemen.

Additionally, more than $80 million has been provided for underfunded operations in 15 countries, such as Angola, Burundi, Eritrea, Haiti and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Since its launch last March, the CERF has allocated $460 million to over 530 projects in nearly 50 countries.

The CERF was approved by the General Assembly in December 2005, and was created to speed up relief operations for emergencies, make funds available quickly after a disaster and finance underfunded emergencies. Its funds are also made available to address the existing imbalance in global aid distribution which result in millions of people in so-called neglected or forgotten crises remaining in need.