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5. Humanitarian Aid

What we agreed at Gleneagles

The G8 and the international community will rethink the way help is provided in emergency situations.

How is the UK doing?

young girl at feeding centre, southern sudan The UK is the largest donor to the reformed UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), launched in 2006 in response to Gleneagles and the UN World summit in 2006. The UK is contributing £163 million over 4 years (2006-9), so that the CERF can provide humanitarian agencies with funds to respond immediately to sudden disasters, like earthquakes and provide often overlooked yet urgent services in emergencies.

In order to reduce the burden of disasters on the poor and vulnerable, over the next three years, the UK is providing over £21 million on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) for governments and community-based organisations. Of the funding provided in response to large natural disasters, the UK has committed to spend 10%, to prepare for and mitigate the impact of future disasters. Following the Indian Ocean Tsunami and the Pakistan and Yogyakarta earthquakes, the UK committed £7.5 million, £5.8 million and £0.5 million to DRR respectively.

To tackle the issue of education and conflict the UK has increased its bilateral spending on education in fragile states to £3.3 million.

How the international community is doing

The CERF has now received nearly $400 million of its $500 million target from 73 partners. $376 million has already been allocated to humanitarian needs in 40 countries, including Sudan, Kenya and Afghanistan.

A number of donors and agencies have also committed to providing better co-ordination during emergencies to improve the effectiveness of responses. Co-ordination includes pooling funding, strengthening and streamlining leadership, improving shared planning on such vital areas as water and health and creating a Global Humanitarian Platform to deal with strategic issues.

What should happen next?

The UK is encouraging donors to increase contributions to CERF. It is also working closely with the UN, NGOs and other donors to improve administration of the CERF and pooled funds.

The UK is also integrating Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) across its development programming. With the UN, we are working to ensure that effective response is better integrated into their work. The UK is also considering how DRR can be applied more effectively in the kind of conflict-related emergencies often seen in Africa.

Where it is making a difference

In 2006, in Darfur, Sudan, swift allocation of CERF funds allowed agencies to deliver assistance to more than 90,000 newly displaced persons and 14,000 Chadian refugees before the rainy season, which would have made access to many areas difficult.

In 2006 in Kenya, drought, floods, outbreaks of disease and the arrival of over 22,000 new refugees, threatened to severely stretch humanitarian capacity. However, CERF funds made it possible to respond swiftly and effectively to save the lives of more than 3 million people.

In 2005, an earthquake in Pakistan killed 73,500 people. Many of these were children who died because of poorly constructed schools. The UK’s commitment to spend 10% of the £53 million humanitarian response budget on longer-term disaster risk reduction has helped strengthen early warning systems and support governments in establishing and monitoring effective building codes.

Last updated 24 April 2007