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UN Secretary-General appoints new members to CERF’s Advisory Group

The UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) recently allocated US$10 million to provide emergency assistance after flooding that left half of South Sudan under water, affecting 800,000 people. Credit: OCHA

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed ten new members to the Advisory Group of the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).

Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2005, the 19-member Advisory Group provides policy guidance and advice on the use and impact of CERF to the Secretary-General through the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, who manages the fund on the Secretary-General’s behalf.
CERF Advisory Group members serve a single three-year term and are rotated annually.

The new members are:

• Canada: Mrs. Elissa Golberg, Assistant Deputy Minister for Strategic Policy at Global Affairs for Canada
• Denmark: Ms. Mette Thygesen, Ambassador and Head of Department for Humanitarian Action, Civil Society and Engagement in the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Malawi: Mr. James Chiusiwa, Director of Disaster Risk Reduction in the Department of Disaster Management Affairs in the Government of Malawi
• Morocco: Mr. Mohamed Methqal, Ambassador and Director General of the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation
• New Zealand: Ms. Deborah Collins, Head of Humanitarian, Multilateral and Civil Society Partnerships in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade New Zealand
• Niger: Ms. Zeinabou Hadari, Deputy Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister of Niger
• Russia: Mr. Dmitry Chumakov, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations in New York
• Republic of Korea: Ms. Hyunjoo Oh, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations in New York
• Sweden: Mr. Carl Skau, Deputy Director General, Head of Department for United Nations Policy, Conflict and Humanitarian Affairs in the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs
• United Kingdom: Mr. Matthew Wyatt, Director for Humanitarian, Security and Migration Division and Covid-19 Hub in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Aiming at gender and geographical representativity among members, the Advisory Group now includes eight men and eleven women, seven members from Europe, one from Oceania, one from North America, five from Asia, one from the Gulf and four from Africa. Members are appointed for a three-years term in a rotative manner.

Since 2006, CERF has been enabling humanitarian actors in the field to provide rapid and timely humanitarian assistance to tens of millions of people. The Advisory Group is key to providing strategic guidance to the fund and ensuring that assistance reaches those most in need.