Approximately US$380 million was pledged to the voluntarily-funded Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) during the High-level Conference on the Central Emergency Response Fund, organized by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, in New York, US.

The CERF was set up in 2006 to speed relief for natural and man-made disasters. In a message delivered at the event, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon underlined the key role played by the Organization in terms of emergency assistance. He noted the importance of humanitarian disaster response for development, and stressed that the financial crisis, climate change and population growth are likely to increase demands for relief aid in the future. He indicated that currently nearly 20% of CERF funds are used to help people suffering from climate-related disasters and called on delegates to contribute generously appealed to the to the CERF.
Link to further information
UN Press Release, 4 December 2008