Central Emergency Response Fund allocation for Gaza humanitarian relief, Qatar pledge – OCHA newsletter (excerpts)

March 2009

Qatar pledges $40 million to the UN for

humanitarian aid

Qatar announced a donation of $40 million to the United Nations for its humanitarian programmes worldwide. Thirty million dollars has been pledged for emergency operations in Gaza while $10 million will go to CERF, making Qatar the ninth-largest contributor to the Fund for 2009.

Of the $30 million, $10 million has been allocated to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for lifesaving activities, and $10 million for the World Food Programme’s (WFP) emergency food assistance for more than one million Gazans. Five million dollars has been allocated for humanitarian programmes of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and $2.25 million for the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) activities in support of the damaged agricultural sector. The remaining $2.75 million will go to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) for coordination and advocacy activities.

Since 2006, more than 100 member states and private sector donors have contributed some $1.5 billion to CERF, which is managed by OCHA.

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Country allocations and highlights for

February 2009

In February, CERF allocated over $15 million for relief activities in Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Lesotho, Niger, the occupied Palestinian territory, Sri Lanka and Uganda.

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Occupied Palestinian territory

Continued conflict is resulting in a serious humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. The situation is complicating the efforts of the humanitarian community to deliver assistance into the area.

To meet immediate emergency needs, CERF provided $1 million to WFP to facilitate the consolidation, prioritization and dispatch of humanitarian relief items into Gaza by setting up staging areas in Israel, the West Bank and Egypt.

The operation will facilitate the uninterrupted supply of lifesaving relief items to the most affected populations in Gaza. CERF also provided $7 million to relief efforts in Gaza in January.

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