UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos said "this $465 million is the highest amount we have ever allocated in a calendar year."
Amos told a meeting of donors at the UN headquarters in New York that nearly $52 million had been spent in Syria, where UN operations are struggling to raise cash. Amos told envoys that the emergency cash had been used to expand and sustain food and relief efforts during "several critical points" of the worsening Syria conflict. UN appeals for Syria and Syrian refugees in other countries are less than half funded. Britain is by far the top donor to the UN emergency fund, giving more than $95 million last year and pledging a minimum of $80 million for 2013. It is followed by Sweden and Norway, while 80 percent of the fund is provided by about a dozen European countries.
"The CERF demonstrates good value for money," British human rights and development specialist Barbarie Hendrie told the meeting, joining calls for more countries to help the fund.
"It is unfortunate that 80 percent of the funding for CERF is provided by a handful of donors," said Norway's deputy foreign minister Gry Larsen, whose country has increased its 2013 pledge to $72 million, up $10 million on this year. "We therefore strongly believe that more countries could and should contribute more," she added. Sweden increased its 2013 pledge to about $77 million and its UN ambassador Marten Grunditz also said: "we believe that more countries could and should contribute more." The United States will next year give $4 million to the fund, but stresses that it gives most of its aid direct to UN agencies. China gave $500,000 to the fund in 2012 and Russia $2 million.