UN emergency fund gets $375 million for 2012

More than 45 countries from wealthy Norway to impoverished Niger and Afghanistan pledged $375 million to a United Nations fund that provides immediate money to respond to humanitarian emergencies around the world.The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said this was a $16 million increase in pledges compared to 2011. It singled out Denmark, which announced that it will double its contribution to nearly $18 million, making it one of the largest donors.The Central Emergency Response Fund was revamped by the U.N. General Assembly in December 2005 after world leaders decided to make up to $500 million available annually so the U.N. can act speedily to help people caught in conflicts, natural disasters and other emergencies instead of waiting for donors to respond to appeals for aid.Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told Fridays pledging conference that the fund, known as CERF, has exceeded expectations.It has disbursed more than $2 billion in assistance making it one of the largest sources of humanitarian funding in the world, he said.Ban praised the funds flexibility and responsiveness to the needs of millions of people, noting that a recent five-year outside evaluation gave it top marks on speed and efficiency.This year, the secretary-general said CERF helped flood victims in Central America and Pakistan, refugees fleeing famine and fighting in Somalia, and thousands of others elsewhere.Two-thirds of the 193 U.N. member states have contributed to the fund showing how widely it has become accepted, he said.At Fridays pledging conference, Afghanistan, Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Indonesia, Norway, Sweden, South Korea and Britain also increased their pledges and Uruguay and Niger made pledges for the first time, bringing the total number of donors for 2012 to 46, the U.N. humanitarian office said.In the last six years, a total of 126 member states and observers, as well as some 30 public and private donors have contributed more than $2.8 billion to the fund, it said.U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos thanked donors saying their continued belief in CERF ... will enable us to help even more people in need.