Norway contributes NOK 200 million to UN emergency relief fund

“Norway is contributing NOK 200 million to the new UN emergency relief fund, CERF, and is thus one of the first countries to make a contribution. We are doing this because the past year has shown that humanitarian crises call for an immediate response,” said Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

The UN General Assembly voted before Christmas to establish a new emergency relief fund, the central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). The purpose of the fund is to prevent delay in international relief efforts.

The fund, which is expected to total USD 500 million within three years’ time, will have three objectives: rapid response in the first days of a disaster, financing vital preventive measures in a crisis situation (e.g. vaccinations so that the crisis is not exacerbated) and supporting humanitarian efforts in “forgotten” crises.

“The fund is a concrete improvement of the humanitarian system. The difference will be noticeable to the victims of crises and disasters,” said the Foreign Minister. “The UN has, and should have, a leading role in humanitarian efforts, but it cannot do the job without funds,” he emphasised.

Norway urges other countries to pay their contributions at an early stage so that the fund can become operational as soon as possible.