Government to Contribute $6 Million to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund Next Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Ham Sang-wook, Director-General for Multilateral Diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attended the 'UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) High-Level Virtual Pledging Conference' on the 8th, where he evaluated the role and importance of this fund as international emergency relief financing and announced a contribution of 6 million USD for next year. Since the fund's establishment in 2006, the Korean government has contributed approximately 57 million USD.

This meeting was held to gather international support and contributions so that the UN can timely and adequately respond to the unprecedentedly increasing global humanitarian needs caused by COVID-19, climate change, conflicts, and more, utilizing the Central Emergency Response Fund. Attendees included UN Secretary-General Guterres, representatives from UN agencies, ministers and vice ministers from member states, and representatives from non-governmental organizations.

The participants evaluated that the UN Central Emergency Response Fund, as an international emergency relief fund 'for all, by all,' leads life-saving activities by providing the fastest support to the most vulnerable groups. This year, it has broadly supported not only COVID-19 but also natural disasters and underfunded crises. In particular, over 50 countries, including Korea, pledged support totaling 370 million USD for next year.

Director-General Ham stated, "In the complex and multifaceted humanitarian environment, I hope the fund will be operated in a way that maximizes the effectiveness of humanitarian aid on the ground," adding, "Our government is actively contributing to global humanitarian crisis responses, including over 100 million USD in humanitarian aid for COVID-19 response."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.