Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) High-level pledging conference

• Thank you for giving me the floor.
• CERF provides timely and critical funding which is essential for FAO life-saving support to rural populations in humanitarian crisis.
• As the FAO Director-General said at the FAO Council on Monday earlier this week: “we can only save the lives of people if we protect their crops and animals, if we save their livelihoods.”
• Investing in livelihoods saves lives because it preserves critical productive assets and enables people to continue meeting their basic food needs.
• With CERF’s help, on average every year 5 million farmers and herders affected by crises and disasters have been able to continue producing food in their places of origin.
• In Somalia, thanks to CERF grants and loans, this year FAO quickly scaled-up assistance to vulnerable rural families affected by drought. This support enabled them to purchase food while planting crops and keeping their livestock alive, contributing to wider efforts to avert a famine.
• In South Sudan, FAO provided fishing kits and short cycle vegetable seeds to families trapped in swamps and fighting hotspots. This allows them to access nutritious food even while isolated from humanitarian assistance.
• Allow me to stress that, even in protracted conflicts, agriculture remains essential and life-saving. In Syria, more than 75 percent of the over 6 million people who remain in rural areas are still growing their own food. This is a foundation to build on for the future of the country.
• The timeliness, predictability and flexibility of CERF funding are considered essential by FAO.
• Our country offices report that CERF Rapid Response funding allows FAO to react to urgent needs in rapid onset emergencies and to acute needs in slow onset crises. And the Underfunded Emergencies funding allow us to respond to needs in the forgotten crises.
• Looking forward, FAO would like to emphasize the value of expanding CERF investment in early action in response to early warnings.
• Early action can mitigate the impact of disasters on vulnerable people and reduce costs of humanitarian response. It is especially critical for agriculture, where responding to early warning can make the difference between crisis and catastrophe. FAO stands ready to help with its technical leadership in this area.
• To conclude, FAO looks forward to strengthening its partnership with CERF in 2018, in the efforts to achieve a ‘one billion’ CERF.