Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Lindsay Hoyle (Labour). It was answered by Hilary Benn (Labour) on Wednesday, 14 June 2006 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Disaster Relief

Question: what progress has been made in establishing a world fund to provide rapid aid and relief at times of major disaster.

Answer: The Central Emergency Response Fund was launched on 9 March 2006. It is now helping UN humanitarian agencies to respond immediately to sudden disasters and to increase activity in underfunded emergencies. So far, CERF has committed $92 million to a number of humanitarian crises, the largest being the Horn of Africa, Darfur and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In total, 43 donors have contributed $262 million, and the UK has been the largest contributor.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 447 c759; 77024
Session: 2005-06
Oral question type: Lead
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Subjects: Armed conflict Contributions Disaster relief Disasters International assistance Humanitarian aid Emergencies United Nations Darfur Democratic Republic of the Congo Horn of Africa UN Central Emergency Response Fund
Contains statistics: Yes
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk