UN CENTRAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE FUND HIGH-LEVEL PLEDGING EVENT
6 December 2023
Statement by H.E. Mr James Larsen, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations
Thank you Under-Secretary-General. Distinguished delegates, colleagues,
We face a reality where humanitarian resources cannot match the demand for assistance. A reality where a humanitarian system designed to save lives is stretched to capacity – and where intersecting and complex crises are pushing organisations and their staff to the very limit.
Against this grim backdrop, the Central Emergency Response Fund remains a vital means of supporting proactive, flexible and inclusive responses to crises.
Australia welcomes the CERF’s sustained support to protracted crises in the Indo-Pacific, such as in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar, as well as most recently in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
And the CERF’s allocation to Tropical Cyclone Lola in Vanuatu demonstrates its ability to respond rapidly to climate-related disasters.
Our region, the Pacific, is the most disaster-prone in the world, requiring us both to help anticipate as well as being ready to respond to crises.
In partnership with Fiji, Australia has proudly supported the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the CERF to deliver a groundbreaking Anticipatory Action Framework for Tropical Cyclones in Fiji.
It's a great example of how the United Nations and governments can collaborate to better prepare for crises and respond to the needs of affected communities.
At a time where humanitarian needs outstrip resources, we appreciate the CERF’s work to refine its value proposition, broaden its donor base, and find innovative and efficient ways work. The new Climate Account is a result of this and is a welcome initiative.
If we're to surmount the challenges of the coming year, we need to be better prepared. Climate change and an El Niño weather event will compound vulnerabilities, and many protracted crises will become more complex.
CERF funding is most effective when receiving agencies invest in their own preparedness, and we encourage them to do more to plan for predictable and recurrent crisis risks.
Australia is proud to be a consistent CERF supporter, providing predictable, flexible contributions to as part of a multiyear commitment. We encourage others to similarly contribute, and I reinforce Canada’s call for us to deepen and broaden the range of contributions that are made available to the fund.
Let me conclude by thanking the CERF secretariat for its efforts in this particularly challenging year and pay tribute to humanitarians around the world for their dedication and sacrifice.