Central Emergency Response Fund
The Central Emergency Response Fund (, CERF/FCIU) is a humanitarian fund established by the United Nations General Assembly on December 15, 2005 and launched in March 2006. With CERF’s objectives to 1) promote early action and response to reduce loss of life; 2) enhance response to time-critical requirements; and 3) strengthen core elements of humanitarian response in underfunded crises, CERF seeks to enable more timely and reliable humanitarian assistance to those affected by natural disasters and armed conflicts. The fund is replenished annually through contributions from governments, the private sector, foundations and individuals. From the fund’s inception till August 2013, donors include 125 Member States and more than 30 private donors and regional authorities. History and background CERF was created by all nations, for all potential victims of disasters. It represents a real chance to provide predictable and equitable funding to those affected by natural disasters and other humanitarian emergencies. The fund was established to upgrade the Central Emergency Revolving Fund by including a grant element. CERF has a grant facility of US$450 million and a loan facility of $30 million. The CERF grant component has two windows: one for rapid responses and one for underfunded emergencies. CERF is intended to complement – not to substitute – existing humanitarian funding mechanisms, such as the United Nations Consolidated Appeals. CERF provides seed funds to jump-start critical operations and fund life-saving programmes not yet covered by other donors. In this way, CERF assures that the funds will go where they are most needed in the network of international aid organizations, which include the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO), among others. Management CERF is managed, on behalf of the United Nations Secretary-General, by the Under-Secretary-General (USG) and Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC), Mark Lowcock, Head of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). OCHA is the part of the United Nations Secretariat responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies. CERF is a vital component of this effort. Lisa Doughten is the Chief of the CERF secretariat. Before coming to CERF, Ms. Doughten has worked in more than 30 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East in both the United Nations and the private sector. Advisory Group The CERF Advisory Group provides the Secretary-General with periodic policy guidance and expert advice on the use and impact of CERF. Advisory Group members serve in their individual capacity and not as representatives of their countries or governments. They include government officials from contributing and recipient countries, representatives of humanitarian non-governmental organizations and academic experts, whom are carefully selected to reflect a geographical and gender balance. , the CERF Advisory Group consists of: Caecilia Wijgers (The Netherlands) Sarah Charles (United States) Hilde Salvesen (Norway) James Chiusiwa (Malawi) Dmitry Chumakov (Russia) Deborah Collins (New Zealand) Elissa Golberg (Canada) Zeinabou Hadari (Niger) Cristian Torres (Ecuador) Hesham Huwisa (Libya) Aqeel