United Nations, Dec 9 (IANS): Thirty-nine donors have announced record pledges of more than $467 million for the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for 2022, said.

This year's pledge is the highest amount committed to CERF in a pledging event, compared to the $372 million pledged one year ago for 2021, and surpassing the previous record of $438.5 million pledged for 2019 at the event in 2018, Xinhua news agency quoted the CERF as saying.

Several donors announced top-ups for 2021, bringing overall funding this year to CERF to $610 million.

In his remarks at the event, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said CERF is a proven success story.

CERF is fast and flexible and it is one of the most effective ways to get help to people in crises, he said.

His address was read by Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths as the secretary-general is currently in self-isolation after he came into contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19.

Griffiths, in his own remarks, said CERF, with its agility, is one of the most effective and efficient funding instruments in humanitarian aid systems.

CERF also remained a lifeline for people caught up in crises that do not attract sufficient donor support.

As of today, CERF has provided $553 million in life-saving assistance this year for millions of people in 34 countries. This is the second-highest annual CERF disbursement, surpassed only by the record in 2020 of $848 million, said the fund.

Over the last 15 years since its creation, CERF has released $7.5 billion to save lives and protect people in 112 countries.

However, it remains well below the $1 billion target endorsed by the UN General Assembly five years ago. 2019 saw the highest contributions of $831.4 million.