Christian Aid Welcomes U.N. $500 Million Emergency Fund
Christian Aid welcomed the launch of a $500-million emergency fund by the United Nations last week but warned that the money must first reach the people of East Africa.
Christian Aid welcomed the launch of a $500-million emergency fund by the United Nations last week but warned that the money must first reach the people of East Africa, who are suffering from one of the worst drought in years.
The Central Emergency Response Fund was launched by Kofi Annan, the secretary-general of the United Nations, in New York on Mar. 9 and is designed to speed the distribution of money for humanitarian disasters.
“We are grateful that Kofi Annan has followed the call of the British Government to set up this fund,” said Babatunde Olugboji, Africa policy and advocacy manager at U.K.-based Christian Aid, in a report on Mar. 10.
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“However, there is no time for back-slapping. There are emergencies that need attention now. It is vital that money is immediately sent out to East Africa where more than 11 million people are at risk of starvation and death as a result of severe drought. Christian Aid is already there, working with local communities, but more support is urgently needed,” Olugboji stated.
Annan did mention the drought in the Horn of Africa in his speech in New York on Thursday, noting that the fund can be “particularly effective” for “slow onset natural disasters” such as the current African drought.
The United Nations hopes that the fund will be “proactive rather than reactive” by providing a pool of resource that it can use to fund immediate relief efforts during times of disasters.
“Instead of waiting for money to trickle in, the Fund will enable us to deploy staff, goods, and services immediately, when most lives are at stake,” said Annan on Thursday.
However, worldwide responses to the fund have been “muted” – with only a quarter of the amount needed raised so far with a third coming from the United Kingdom, according to Christian Aid.
The fund will be managed by the U.N. emergency relief coordinator Jan Egeland in consultation with humanitarian agencies.
