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The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, has approved $100 million from the organization's Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support relief operations in areas where levels of vulnerability are alarmingly high but funding remains critically low. According to a statement released on Monday, the UN said the allocation will provide life-saving assistance to more than six million people in Nigeria, Cameroon, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, Somalia and Uganda.

“CERF is a lifeline for people caught up in crises that don't make the headlines but where needs are just as urgent,” Guterres said. “This funding is crucial so that the UN and partners can continue assisting people who need our help so desperately.”

The UN said the funding will ensure that millions of people who fled Boko Haram-related violence and conflict in Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon will receive healthcare, food assistance and shelter. The funding will also bring relief to the internally displaced people as well as refugees from in Somalia, Uganda and Libya. Urgent support will also reach those suffering from malnutrition and food insecurity in Madagascar, Mali and North Korea, the UN said.

“CERF is one of the fastest ways to provide urgent aid. The allotment approved will save lives in all nine countries,” said Stephen O'Brien, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, who manages the CERF on the Secretary-General's behalf.

The UN said the $100 million allocation addresses only a small portion of urgent humanitarian needs, stating that more robust CERF is needed to reach more people in crisis-hit countries. In view of this, UN General Assembly endorsed a recommendation in December last year by then Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to double CERF's annual target to $1 billion by 2018.

“As we race to address the humanitarian challenges of today, our goal of a $1billion CERF is vital so that help reaches people, whenever and wherever crises hit,” said O'Brien, who is also the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs. “A strong CERF – for all and by all – is a key step towards our shared commitment to leave no one behind.”