Towards the end of the fourth quarter, CERF and its humanitarian partners were challenged by a series of large, complex crises, including three system-wide level-three (L3) emergencies. These crises, in countries including the Central African Republic (CAR), the Philippines, Syria and Yemen, have affected 35 million people who urgently needed emergency relief, protection and basic services. CERF was there to provide a lifeline.
Thanks to the donor community’s continued generosity, the Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) was able to allocate US$125.4 million from CERF in the fourth quarter, bringing CERF’s total allocations for 2013 to $482 million. CERF helped humanitarian partners to kick-start critical operations following sudden-onset emergencies, respond rapidly to deteriorating conditions in existing emergencies, and maintain relief work in countries where life-saving activities are severely underfunded.
In December, donors reaffirmed their trust in CERF at the annual CERF High-Level Conference by pledging $404.6 million for 2014. This is an increase of 5.5 per cent compared to last year.
