Report Criticizes Foreign-Aid Response

The U.N. Central Emergency Response Fund has not received enough money from some of the world’s richest countries, according to Oxfam, an international aid organization, reports Reuters.

The fund, which has pledges of $342-million this year, supports emergency-relief efforts, including “forgotten emergencies” that do not receive much news-media attention. The United Nations hopes to receive $450-million from international donors.

A report issued by Oxfam compares how much governments have contributed to the fund with what they could give, based on their national income. The United States, which has not promised any money, could give $195-million—“less than what it cost to produce the latest King Kong movie,” said Greg Puley, an Oxfam International policy adviser.

In addition to the United States, Austria, Canada, Greece, Italy, and Japan have not pledged any money for 2007. In 2006, the U.N. fund spent $376-million on more than 360 international projects.