Giving Compass' Take:

· Even when crises fade from the news, the problems don't just disappear. To reduce response time and ensure funding is available for these situations, the United Nations Foundation has established the Central Emergency Response Fund.

· How can philanthropists spread awareness for crises they care about?

· Partnerships are key to helping solve some of the world's most major crises.

You have likely seen the news coverage about ongoing conflict  in South Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. But what about volcano survivors in Guatemala? Or elderly victims of the conflict in Ukraine? Or displaced families in Cameroon?

When a crisis fades from the headlines — or never makes the front-page news — it can be much harder for the international humanitarian community to raise funds to respond. Most of the funding the UN receives is earmarked by donors for specific operations or countries, which means under-reported emergencies often go under-funded. This also means that when natural disaster strikes or violence erupts, UN agencies have to solicit new donations.

That’s where the Central Emergency Response Fund — or CERF — comes in. Established by the UN General Assembly as a “fund for all by all,” CERF has two key objectives: 1) To deliver funding to humanitarian responders as quickly as possible and 2) to provide crucial funding to the world’s most neglected and underfunded crises. Since its launch in 2006, CERF has provided more than $5 billion worth of lifesaving assistance to 100 countries in need. This assistance includes food relief, health care, shelter, water and sanitation, and livelihood support for disasters you see in the headlines and the ones you don’t.

Read the full article about urgent and underfunded crises by MJ Altman at United Nations Foundation.