UN crisis relief fund raises record $424 million in pledges as humanitarian needs mount

UN: The United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) raised a record $424 million at its annual pledging session on Wednesday, as top officials warned of rising needs in 2010 for one of the world’s leading tools in disaster response, such as earthquakes and other natural disasters.“That’s more than we’ve raised at any similar pledging meeting before, so that’s extremely encouraging particularly against the background of a major economic and financial crisis which has affected the budgets of many donor countries in a very significant way,” Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes told reporters. He said “I’m confident that we’ll be able to raise the rest of the funds we need ,to reach the $450 million target in 2010”.