Central Emergency Response Fund Guidelines

The General Assembly upgraded CERF in December 2005 from a revolving loan mechanism of US$50 million to a Fund composed of the existing loan mechanism and an additional grant element with a funding target per year of $450 million.  It was upgraded to enable more timely and reliable humanitarian funding to be channelled rapidly and effectively to humanitarian partners for response to natural disasters and complex emergencies. The Fund also serves as an integral part of humanitarian reform as it contributes to reinforcing humanitarian leadership and coordination through the Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator (RC/HC) and the cluster approach.
 

The rapid response window serves to address sudden onset crises and time-critical requirements. In responding to sudden onset crises, the Fund aims to support humanitarian response to natural disasters and new complex emergencies, or rapid deterioration of existing complex emergencies. Grants that fulfil time-critical requirements are typically slow onset crises, such as drought or locust infestation. In such cases, rapid funding is required because a time-critical intervention will prevent escalation of the disaster and reduce the overall costs and impact. All rapid response projects must be implemented within six months.