Guterres said the funds are necessary as humanitarian needs have increased from US$5.2 billion in 2005 to over US$24 billion today.

“Over the past 12 years, CERF (Central Emergency Response Fund) has been at the forefront of humanitarian response,” said the UN Secretary-General as he thanked the 126 member-states and observers, and the other donors who have generously contributed to the fund since its creation in 2005.

“CERF is without question one of our most important tools to reach people quickly and save lives,” he added.

This year, the UN said CERF, managed by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), has funded life-saving work, allocating nearly US$130 million to help prevent famine in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen.

The fund also supported relief responses in other places, including for Palestine refugees in Gaza, for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, and those affected by hurricanes Irma and Maria in the Caribbean, the UN said.

Guterres on Friday announced a CERF allocation of US$100 million to meet critical needs in nine underfunded emergencies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Tanzania, Cameroon, Mali, Philippines, Eritrea, Haiti and Pakistan.

The UN said “protracted conflict and the impact of natural disasters, compounded by structural fragility and chronic vulnerability, mean that more people than ever before survive on the brink of disaster.”

In 2018, the UN said protracted crises are likely to continue “while the impact of climate change is likely to grow and intensify.”

“There is no sign of a let-up in humanitarian needs,” said Guterres, noting that this is why the General Assembly adopted a resolution a year ago that calls for an expansion of CERF’s annual funding target from US$450 million to US$1 billion.

“US$1 billion is an ambitious but achievable goal. A strong United Nations needs a strong CERF,” Guterres said.