UN CERF Funding

Dear Readers,

I am still just learning about different types of UN and government funding and so, if I make a mistake in this post, please point it out! I want to know more.

Here's an introduction that I received from a DEVEX Development Update email/newsletter.
"The Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) was approved by the General Assembly in December 2005, and was created to speed up relief operations for emergencies, make funds available quickly after a disaster and finance under-funded emergencies. Its funds are also made available to address the existing imbalance in global aid distribution which results in millions of people in so-called neglected or forgotten crises remaining in need. Since its inception, the CERF has allocated nearly USD 1.3 billion for humanitarian aid in almost 70 countries. "

Similar funding in the US defense world has received criticism for the very reason it was created--it moves a lot faster than regular funds. It (at least from my understanding of the US version) requires fewer checks and balances...and therefore sometimes gets misused, or in the case of Afghanistan, might cause corruption/conflict.

Here is the UN CERF homepage.

This fast(er)-moving money has been critically important in helping the earthquake victims in Haiti, as pointed out in this Relief Web article.

There are even YouTube videos about it! The second speaker brought up some good points about inefficiencies that need to be resolved.

This second article by IRIN News (I am unfamiliar with this news source) points out where some improvements need to be made.

So, it is great that money can move faster than a snail, but what are the checks and balances needed to keep things clear? If you know something about this, please let me know your thoughts!

Best,
Alena