Top United Nations officials have encouraged Member States to donate $450 million to the Organization's Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) - a rapid response mechanism for humanitarian disasters - ahead of the coming year as proliferating crises and sustained conflicts continue to push global humanitarian needs to unparalleled heights and place growing demands on the UN.
"Humanitarian assistance is one of the most important functions of the United Nations," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told delegates gathered at UN Headquarters in New York today. "When natural disasters strike and conflict rages, it is our duty to do everything we can for the women, children and men caught up in crisis."
...