Gareth Thomas (Harrow West, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether a UK Minister attended the UN Central Emergency Relief Fund replenishment conference in December 2011; and if he will make a statement.Alan Duncan (Minister of State, International Development; Rutland and Melton, Conservative)
The Department for International Development’s Director General, Policy and Global Programmes, represented the UK at the UN Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) replenishment conference on 16 December 2011 and made a statement outlining our ongoing support.The UK is content that the CERF delivers good value for money and plays a critical and unique role in responding to emergencies. This has been recognised in the horn of Africa following the drought in 2011, where CERF funding enabled the UN and partners to rapidly respond in a difficult environment.
The UK provided £40 million to the CERF in 2011 and we will provide £40 million for 2012. In addition to this funding, we announced, at the replenishment conference, an extra £20 million for the CERF for 2012 because of a shortfall in its funding. The UK’s funding for future years is set to increase subject to the CERF’s performance.
