2022 was an especially dire year with regard to the overall global humanitarian situation. We have just co-chaired the launch of the Global Humanitarian Overview with OCHA in Addis and we concur with your assessment that the figures are more than alarming.

Especially the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine but also the devastating effects of climate change, such as the floods in Pakistan and Nigeria or the drought at the Horn of Africa took a huge toll on the people and the humanitarian system.

In all these situations, the CERF has demonstrated again that it is the most efficient instrument to react quickly, getting aid to those who need it most.

Let me outline three points as to why the CERF in our view is so central:

First, it is the CERF´s outstanding flexibility. Within only 48 hours, the CERF can disburse urgently needed funds. This is why Germany values this instrument and is its largest single contributor, having already provided 100 million EUR in 2022.

We also value the CERF for its commitment to address those protracted crises not featured in the daily news – through its “underfunded emergencies window”, e.g. in Chad and Myanmar.

Second, Germany highly appreciates the CERF as a driver for change. The CERF has made great strides in advancing anticipatory action as integral to humanitarian assistance: through pilot programs, such as in Niger and Nepal, we were able to predict disasters with precision, thus rendering the response ahead of time more dignified, while also being less expensive. It is encouraging to see that anticipatory action will be scaled up even further in 2023.

And third, the CERF’s effectiveness also relies on its scale. Given the enormous global needs, it is up to us to further ensure reliable and steady funding – this is what Germany is doing:

Through our multi-year agreement with CERF spanning three years from 2021-2023, we are able to provide 50 million EUR as a first contribution for 2023.

And I am glad to announce that we can also provide an additional top-up of at least 30 million EUR for this year, thereby increasing the overall German contribution in 2022 to at least 130m EUR.

Let me end by ensuring you of our continued commitment to effective and flexible humanitarian assistance.