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UN PhotoUN / CENTRAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE FUND 2026
STORY: UN / CENTRAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE FUND 2026
TRT: 04:00
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 09 DECEMBER 2025, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, UN headquarters
09 DECEMBER 2025, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chamber
3. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Yesterday the global Humanitarian Overview for 2026 estimated that we will need 23 billion U.S. dollars to reach 87 million people in most desperate needs. Within that wider effort, CERF is our flexible first responder fund. Since 2006, it has provided nearly 10 billion USD in lifesaving assistance in more than 100 countries, working with over 20 UN agencies and hundreds of partners, and reaching tens of millions of people every year.”
4. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chamber
5. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“In many places, CERF has made the difference between lifesaving help and no help at all. Through the CERF Climate Action accounts, you mediate in projects are helping communities brace for floods, droughts and storms before disaster strikes. And as hurricane Melissa approached the Caribbean, CERF helped countries act early, providing funds, evacuation support and essential supplies that gave families invaluable time before landfall.”
6. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chamber
7. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“But even the most efficient engine cannot run without fuel. In 2025, donor contributions fell sharply like never before. This year's projected contributions are expected to be the lowest since 2015, a dangerous trend that weakens our ability to respond. As a result, countless more people have died. Others have gone hungry or been left without health service, shelter and protection. This is a moment when we are asked to do more and more with less and less, and this is simply unsustainable.”
8. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chamber
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator:
“I've seen this just in the last few weeks, spending six days in Darfur, the epicenter of human suffering: people fleeing with nothing, children carrying other children to safety — all of it made worse because we don't have the funding to meet them when they escape these atrocities. And that's why the humanitarian reset matters; not a slogan, but a challenge to us all. A mission, but also a survival strategy for the work we do and for so many people. It's about being smarter, faster, closer to the communities we serve, more honest about the difficult tradeoffs that we face, making every dollar count for those we serve. And the CERF is at the center of that humanitarian reset.”
10. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chamber
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator:
“Today, I'm also announcing an allocation of $100 million for the world's most underfunded emergencies. That's about a quarter of our projected income for 2025. It's not just about plugging gaps. It's about who gets help, when and why. Deeper engagement with those local communities and getting cash directly into people's hands. And also, vital-vital, especially in this cultural moment in which we find ourselves, ensuring that women and girls, so often those at greatest risk, are at the heart of the response.”
12. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chamber
“This is a moment when we are asked to do more and more with less and less, and this is simply unsustainable,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said today (9 Dec) as he appealed for stronger support to the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).
Guterres said the 2026 global humanitarian overview shows rising needs and shrinking resources. He noted that “yesterday the global Humanitarian Overview for 2026 estimated that we will need 23 billion U.S. dollars to reach 87 million people in most desperate needs.”
He said CERF remains the UN’s flexible first responder fund and has provided nearly $10 billion in assistance since 2006 across more than 100 countries.
UN Chief said CERF’s early-action work is already helping communities adapt to climate risks. “In many places, CERF has made the difference between lifesaving help and no help at all,” he said. Through the fund’s climate action accounts, “projects are helping communities brace for floods, droughts and storms before disaster strikes.”
He cited preparations ahead of hurricane Melissa, saying “CERF helped countries act early, providing funds, evacuation support and essential supplies that gave families invaluable time before landfall.”
Guterres warned that donor contributions dropped sharply in 2025 and are projected to be the lowest since 2015, weakening the UN’s ability to respond and leaving more people without food, health care or protection.
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher said the consequences are visible on the ground. “I've seen this just in the last few weeks, spending six days in Darfur, the epicenter of human suffering: people fleeing with nothing, children carrying other children to safety — all of it made worse because we don't have the funding to meet them when they escape these atrocities.”
Fletcher said the humanitarian “reset” underway is meant to make operations more effective and grounded in local communities. “The CERF is at the center of that humanitarian reset,” he said.
He also announced a $100 million allocation for the world’s most underfunded emergencies, equal to roughly a quarter of projected 2025 income. He said it aims to improve “who gets help, when and why,” strengthen engagement with local partners, get cash directly to people, and ensure that women and girls are “at the heart of the response.”
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