It is a great honour and pleasure to welcome all of you to this reception as part of our preparations for the World Humanitarian Summit.

I thank the Governments of Ethiopia and Turkey for hosting us this evening. And I thank the Government of Turkey in advance for hosting the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul on 23 and 24 May.

Thank you to everyone here representing governments, the African Union and other organizations for your engagement in the preparations for the summit. Many of you have hosted consultations, others have made financial contributions or participated in other ways.

The African continent is a critical location for humanitarian work, and the African Union is our valued partner in meeting needs across the continent. The United Nations and the African Union are working closely together on policy development, protection of civilians and coordination of emergency response.

We are counting on African leaders to make your views heard in Istanbul. We need the leadership and engagement of African governments, civil society, women’s groups, Non-Governmental Organizations, regional organizations and affected people to make the most of the opportunities afforded by the World Humanitarian Summit.

Last year, Governments agreed on global goals to end poverty and build a more sustainable world, and to address the impact of climate change.

Countries agreed unanimously on the importance of leaving no one behind, and helping those farthest behind first.

The World Humanitarian Summit is our opportunity to make good on that promise.

We will come together in Istanbul to affirm and renew our commitment to humanity and to inspire the global leadership and unity needed to prevent and end suffering.

That starts with preventing and ending conflict, reinforcing the rules of war that protect civilians and safeguard our humanity, and making sure that there is strategic coherence between our humanitarian and development work.

Diversifying financing will be another priority. I welcome the important report released earlier this month by my High-Level Panel on Humanitarian Financing.

One of the panel’s recommendations was to increase fast, flexible and predictable funding for emergencies. The Central Emergency Response Fund is a mechanism that is already playing a critical role in getting resources quickly to wherever they are needed.

CERF funds are flexible and can be used to correct imbalances and to direct funds to emergencies that may be overlooked.

I am pleased to announce tonight that I am allocating $100 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to nine underfunded emergencies, eight of which are in Africa.

These resources will go to meet critical humanitarian needs in six countries affected by the crises in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, and to Libya and Mali. They will help vulnerable communities affected by displacement, conflict and food insecurity.

This funding is a lifeline for the world's most vulnerable people. It is a concrete demonstration of our shared commitment to leave no one behind.

The Central Emergency Response Fund is a fund for all, by all. It is a testament to global and African solidarity. 18 African countries including Egypt, Morocco and South Africa have consistently contributed to the CERF.

With this announcement, and as we embark on the road to Istanbul, I would like to propose a toast to the strong humanitarian partnership between the United Nations and the African Union.