Responding to the Crisis in SyriaInstability and conflict in Syria continue to affect hundreds of thousands of people. An es-timated one million Syrians have been internally displaced, while the overall total affected population is estimated at up to 2.5 million.

CERF has responded to the crisis with a total of US$30 million in 2012 – most recently with $16 million to FAO, UNICEF, UNRWA, UNHCR, WFP, UNFPA, IOM and WHO to enable a scaled-up response through provision of life-saving assistance in the areas of shelter, food, health, education, livelihoods, agriculture and water and sanitation. In 2012, $9 million has also been allocated to neighbouring countries affected by the conflict.

New CERF Advisory Group MembersThe UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced seven new members for the CERF Advisory Group. More than 30 nominations were received. The nominations were reviewed with a view to gender balance, broad geographic representation, and a healthy donor and recipient balance.

The new members are Ms. Catherine Walker (Australia), Mr. Wenliang Yao (China), Ms. Nancy Butijer (Croatia), Mr. Mathewos Hunde (Ethiopia), Ms. Yuka Osa (Japan), Ms. Susan Eckey (Norway) and Ms. Susanna Moorehead (UK). The new members will participate in the next Advisory Group meeting in Geneva on 30 and 31 October.

2012 Member State BriefingOn 17 September, the Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Valerie Amos, briefed Member States, Observers and UN agencies in New York. The ERC briefing was well attended with 55 Member States represented. Ms. Amos’ presentation focused on CERF’s allocations to Syria and the Sahel, lessons learned from country reviews under the Performance and Accountability Framework (PAF) and an update on the Management Re-sponse Plan (MRP). The full presentation can be found on the CERF website.

Country ReviewsAs part of the PAF, earlier in the year, CERF commissioned country-level reviews of the added value by CERF to humanitarian operations in the Horn of Africa, Cote d’Ivoire and neigh-bouring countries and the Philippines. The reviews were undertaken between May and July by four independent consultants. Final reports will be available on the CERF website by mid-October.

In line with a recommendation from the Five-Year Evaluation of CERF, CERF secretariat also commissioned a review of the underfunded emergencies window to re-examine the under-funded process and determine how to better promote transparency. The review also sought to ensure that the methodology guarantees that allocations are made to the emergencies most in need of funding. Two consultants have conducted desk research, interviewed CERF stakeholders and analysed funding data. A final report is expected in the first week of Oc-tober.

The Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) is a humanitarian fund es-tablished by the United Nations to en-able more timely and reliable humani-tarian response to those affected by natural disasters and armed conflicts. CERF was approved by the United Nations General Assembly on 15 De-cember 2005 to achieve the following objectives:

• promote early action and response to reduce loss of life;

• enhance response to time-critical requirements; and

• strengthen core elements of humanitarian response in underfunded crises.

Grants from CERF are made through rapid response or underfunded grants. Rapid response grants are made in re-sponse to sudden onset emergencies or rapidly deteriorating conditions in an existing emergency. Underfunded grants support activities within exist-ing humanitarian response efforts that have not attracted sufficient resources.

CERF is funded though the voluntary contributions of governments and pri-vate sector donors such as corpora-tions, individuals and private organiza-tions.

CERF was created by all nations, for all potential victims of disasters. It rep-resents a real opportunity to provide predictable and equitable funding to those affected by natural disasters and other humanitarian emergencies.

This newsletter provides a quarterly overview of the income and expendi-tures of CERF. Since its inception, CERF has committed $2.6 billion in 86 coun-tries and territories .

CERF SecretariatUnited Nations

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

380 Madison Avenue (6th floor)United Nations - New York

cerf@un.orghttp://cerf.un.org

QUARTERLY UPDATE3 rd Quarter 2012School meals served in to school kids in Kenya. School meals are essential for children from poor families and provide an

incentive to keep them in school. © WFP/Rein Skullerud

United Nations

CERF QUARTERLY UPDATE3rd Quarter 2012

2

2012 Underfunded Rounds

Second Round 2012

First Round 2012

Haiti$7.9 million

Colombia$3 million

DemocraticRepublic

of theCongo

$12 million

Pakistan$14 million

Afghanistan$10 million

Sri Lanka$2 million

Djibouti$4 million

Philippines$4 million

Madagascar$2 million

Nepal$5 million

Chad$7.9 million

Côted'Ivoire

$8 million

CentralAfrican

Republic$6 million

Republicof theCongo

$3.9 million

Ethiopia$10 million

Eritrea$4 million

Republicof theSudan

$6 million

SouthSudan

$20 million

Syrian ArabRepublic$7 million

DemocraticPeople’sRepublicof Korea

$11 million

Cameroon$2 million

$55 Million Approved in the Second Underfunded RoundIn July, the Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Re-lief Coordinator, Valerie Amos, allocated $55 million from the Fund to humanitarian operations in eight underfun- ded emergencies - Afghanistan, Cameroon, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Madagas-car, Sri Lanka and Sudan.

Since the announcement of the allocations, Resident/Hu-manitarian Coordinators in the selected countries have prioritised CERF funds for time-critical and life-saving programmes identified by humanitarian UN agencies and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). In August, Humanitarian Country Teams submitted their projects to the CERF secretariat. The window closed on 30 September to allow projects sufficient time for imple-mentation by 30 June 2013.

Responding to CholeraA cholera epidemic has broken out in West and Central Africa affecting countries already suffering from food in-security and malnutrition. In response, CERF has allocat-ed more than $15 million to WHO and UNICEF. In West Africa, $6 million was given to five countries - Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Niger and Cote d’Ivoire. This com-plements earlier contributions to Central Africa where the Democratic Republic of Congo received more than $9 million. These allocations will help more than 6 million direct beneficiaries and close to 25 million indirect ben-eficiaries.

Support IDPs in MyanmarCERF has allocated $4.9 million to UNHCR, UNFPA, WFP, UNICEF and WHO to provide emergency assistance to the most vulnerable people affected by the communal violence in Rakhine State. The conflict erupted in June 2012 and violence has since then prompted loss of lives and livelihoods, massive displacement of some 65,000 people and damage to public infrastructure and homes. The allocation will support an estimated 80,000 benefi-ciaries.

Funding by AgencyIn keeping with previous trends, UNICEF, WFP and UNHCR were the top three recipients of CERF funds, accounting for two thirds of funding (approximately $77 million) in the third quarter. WFP in Ethiopia received the largest project allocation ($6 million) of all agencies to fund the agency’s efforts to enhance peoples’ resilience to food insecurity.

Drought$6.2 mil.

10.6%

Conflict-Related Displacement$23.6 mil.40.1%

Disease$5.5 mil.

9.4%

Protracted Conflict-Related Emergency$0.6 mil. | 1.0%

Flood$7.2 mil.

12.2%Internal Strife$15.7 mil.26.7%

3rd QUARTERFUNDING by

EMERGENCY TYPE

$58.8MILLION

$2,461,235

$1,999,893

$1,997,430

$1,994,899

$2,990,259

$2,577,014

UFE

RR

$5 mil.

$10 mil.

$15 mil.

$20 mil.

$25 mil.

GhanaMali

Cote d'IvoireKorea, DPR

Sri LankaCameroon

MadagascarSierra Leone

ParaguayColombia

NigerMyanmar

LesothoYemen

EthiopiaAfghanistan

Republic of the SudanSyrian Arab Republic

Congo, DR $10,617,495$15,679,682

$8,503,075

$6,220,011

$4,858,026

$3,738,681

$11,770,546

$13,994,482

$9,995,396

$9,912,447

$1,955,140

$1,526,060

$324,230

$312,440

CERF QUARTERLY UPDATE3rd Quarter 2012

3

Refugees in Mali find hope and food in Mauritania. Life is es-pecially hard for children at M’bera, where temperatures during the day can climb as high as 50C/120F. © WFP/Justin Smith

Rapid Response EmergenciesThe ERC approved $58.8 million for 19 countries from CERF’s rapid response window during the reporting period. The largest allocations were given to the Humanitarian Country Teams in Syria (approximately $16 million), the Democratic Republic of Congo (approximately $11 million) and Yemen (approximately $9 million).

Funding byEmergency TypeConflict-related displacement in nine countries accounted for the majority (40 per cent) of CERF allocations in the third quarter, totalling $24 million. UN partners in Syria were allocated $16 million, or more than a quarter of funding, for people affected by internal strife. CERF gave $7 million (12 per cent) to people affected by floods.

UFE

RR

$5 mil.

$10 mil.

$15 mil.

$20 mil.

$25 mil.

$30 mil.

$35 mil.

UNDPUNRWAUNFPA

IOMFAO

WHOUNHCR

WFPUNICEF $16,288,732 $15,200,967

$12,040,456 $16,727,150

$9,431,592 $16,727,150

$8,927,131 $6,623,361

$4,609,129$6,138,556

$3,029,267$1,066,001

$1,517,080$1,903,954

$909,158$150,001

$2,020,544

3rd Quarter Funding by Country

3rd Quarter Funding by Agency

CERF QUARTERLY UPDATE3rd Quarter 2012

4

Funding by SectorThe food and shelter sectors were the top funded sectors for the quarter receiving approximately $23 million, or some 40 per cent in total. The third quarter was characterized by a significant increase in the health sector and a decrease in the food sector from the second quarter of the year. This development is mainly caused by the responses to the cholera epidemic in West and Central Africa and the Syria conflict during the third quarter, as well as the ‘food heavy’ allocations to the Sahel crisis early in 2012.

Coordination &Support Services

$1.8 mil.3%

Health$9.7 mil.16%

Food$12.2 mil.21%

Nutrition$1.1 mil.2% Early Recovery

$0.4 mil.| 1.0%Mine Action$0.3 mil.| 0%Education

$0.1 mil.| 0%

Agriculture$4.6 mil.

8%

Multi-sector$4.7 mil.

8%

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene$9.8 mil.17%

Shelter& NFIs$11.1 mil.19%

Protection$3.0 mil.

5%

3rd QUARTERRAPID RESPONSE

FUNDING by SECTOR

$58.8MILLION

Syrian refugees welcomed with food at Zaatari camp in Jordan. Families arriving in Jordan often have few assets and little cash, and over time become increasingly dependent on humanitarian assistance. © WFP/Abeer Etefa