The United States has pledged more than $240 million in humanitarian and disaster response assistance to Catholic Relief Services (CRS). The announcement was made in Rome, Italy, by Ryan Shrum, Senior Bureau Official at the State Department Bureau of Disaster and Humanitarian Response. He was joined by United States Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch; Lynda Blanchard, Permanent Representative of the United States to the UN Agencies in Rome; Jennifer Poidatz, CRS Vice President for Humanitarian Response; and Alistair Dutton, Secretary General of Caritas Internationalis.
First in a Series of Awards
This assistance to CRS marks the first in a series of global State Department awards to trusted and vetted implementing organizations. These awards are designed to enable rapid deployment of time-bound, life-saving assistance in response to crises worldwide, with implementers capable of responding within 24 hours. This approach complements the Department’s historic memorandum of understanding and $3.8 billion in assistance provided through the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). It reduces bureaucratic grant management burdens on staff and reinforces efforts to make humanitarian assistance faster, more efficient, and more accountable to U.S. taxpayers.
CRS Network and Impact
CRS operates through an extensive network of local partners, including over 160 Caritas chapters globally, ensuring that assistance reaches the most vulnerable populations efficiently and effectively. For instance, following Hurricane Melissa, CRS demonstrated its capacity to provide aid in challenging political environments, such as Cuba, where local partnerships enabled humanitarian assistance to reach those in need without regime interference.
Funding Allocation
The funding will be used to provide multi-sectoral assistance across food, nutrition, health, water and sanitation, and shelter sectors in countries with significant humanitarian needs, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Nigeria, and Sudan. CRS already has offices and staff in the DRC supporting Ebola response efforts. This funding will supplement CRS’s Ebola response activities and its work to address other humanitarian needs throughout the country.
Global Rapid Response Fund
This contribution will also support a CRS global rapid response fund, allowing CRS to immediately activate its extensive network of local partnerships, including Caritas organizations, to deliver assistance where it is needed most. This includes responding to sudden-onset disasters or addressing surges in needs within ongoing complex emergencies. With funds already on hand, CRS can respond immediately, bypassing lengthy procurement processes.
