Disasters Emergency Committee
The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) is an umbrella group[1] of UK charities[2] which coordinates and launches collective appeals to raise funds to provide emergency aid and rapid relief to people caught up in disasters and humanitarian crises around the world. Since being formed in 1963, the DEC has had strong relationships with major UK broadcasters in particular the BBC and ITV, who provide airtime to broadcast emergency appeals upon its recommendation.[3] It is a member of the global Emergency Appeals Alliance, which reports that since its first television appeal in 1966, the DEC has raised over £1.4 billion.[4]
The DEC is a registered charity(charity no:1062638)[5] with 14 charity members all with associated disaster relief capabilities such as providing clean water, humanitarian aid and medical care.
Notable DEC appeals
The first DEC appeal was run for victims of an earthquake in Turkey in 1966.[6]
In 2004, the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) ran UK television appeals and telephone lines for donations following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, which raised a record £392m in public donations,[7]
Between January and July 2010, the DEC appealed for donations following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, raising a total of £107 million.[8]
On 22 January 2009, the BBC declined a request from the DEC to screen an appeal to raise money to aid relief efforts for victims of conflict in the Gaza Strip. This decision was the object of considerable controversy within the BBC[9] as it is the only time the BBC is known to have refused such a request from the DEC; the 2009 Gaza appeal in question was screened by Channel 4 and ITV and raised £8.3m.[10] Since then, the BBC has broadcast other DEC aid appeals for people in Gaza, without similar controversy. The DEC August 2014 Gaza appeal shown by the BBC helped to raise £16m over two years.[11]
On the launch of its recent (Oct 2017) appeal for Rohingya refugees fleeing Myanmar to Bangladesh, the UK Government pledged to double public donations up to £3 million.[12]
Member charities of the Disasters Emergency Committee
As of 2015, the committee's member organisations are:[13]
- ActionAid
- Action Against Hunger
- British Red Cross
- CAFOD
- CARE International
- Christian Aid
- Concern
- Age UK
- Islamic Relief
- Oxfam
- Plan UK
- Save the Children
- Tearfund
- World Vision
List of DEC appeals
Recent[14] and archive[15] DEC appeals.
Date | Location | Appeal reason | Amount raised |
---|---|---|---|
August 1966 | Turkey | Earthquake | £560,000 |
June 1967 | Middle East | War | £160,000 |
February 1968 | Vietnam | War | £360,000 |
September 1968 | Iran | Earthquake | £210,000 |
November 1968 | Nigeria | War | £240,000 |
October 1969 | Algeria and Tunisia | Floods | £90,000 |
November 1969 | Yugoslavia | Earthquake | £60,000 |
March 1970 | Turkey | Earthquake | £370,000 |
June 1970 | Peru | Earthquake | £230,000 |
June 1970 | Romania | Floods | £110,000 |
November 1970 | East Pakistan (Bangladesh) | Cyclone | £1,490,000 |
June 1971 | India and Pakistan | War | £1,420,000 |
December 1972 | Nicaragua | Earthquake | £340,000 |
October 1973 | Ethiopia and the Sahel | Drought | £1,540,000 |
September 1974 | Honduras | Hurricane | £350,000 |
February 1976 | Guatemala | Earthquake | £1,300,000 |
September 1979 | Indo-China | War | £560,000 |
November 1979 | India | Cyclone | £870,000 |
June 1980 | East Africa | Drought | £6,100,000 |
March 1982 | Central America | War | £430,000 |
July 1982 | Lebanon | War | £1,030,000 |
March 1983 | Ethiopia | Famine | £1,970,000 |
June 1984 | Africa | Famine | £9,520,000 |
October 1984 | Ethiopia | Famine | £5,250,000 |
May 1985 | Bangladesh | Cyclone | £1,400,000 |
June 1987 | Mozambique | War/Drought | £2,480,000 |
December 1987 | Ethiopia | Famine | £2,690,000 |
August 1988 | Sudan | Floods | £8,890,000 |
September 1988 | Bangladesh | Floods | £5,810,000 |
September 1988 | Caribbean | Hurricane | £1,000,000 |
December 1989 | Ethiopia | Famine | £10,240,000 |
September 1990 | Gulf | War | £3,490,000 |
January 1991 | Africa | £7,930,000 | |
May 1991 | Bangladesh | Cyclone | £3,520,000 |
June 1991 | Africa | £2,600,000 | |
September 1992 | Africa | £17,300,000 | |
October 1993 | Africa | War | £2,530,000 |
February 1994 | Yugoslavia | War | £2,600,000 |
May 1994 | Rwanda | War/Genocide | £37,000,000 |
May 1998 | Sudan | War/Drought/Floods | £10,500,000 |
September 1998 | Bangladesh | Floods | £5,500,000 |
November 1998 | Central America | Hurricane | £18,500,000 |
April 1999 | Kosovo | War | £53,000,000 |
November 1999 | India | Cyclone | £7,000,000 |
March 2000 | Mozambique | Floods | £30,000,000 |
February 2001 | India | Earthquake | £24,000,000 |
January 2002 | DR Congo | Volcano | £4,650,000 |
July 2002 | Southern Africa | Drought/Floods | £16,000,000 |
August 2003 | Liberia | War | £2,500,000 |
July 2004 | Sudan | War | £35,000,000 |
December 2004 | Asia | Tsunami/Earthquake | £392,000,000 |
August 2005 | Niger | Drought/Locust | £32,000,000 |
October 2005 | India and Pakistan | Earthquake | £59,000,000 |
May 2007 | Darfur and Chad | War | £13,600,000 |
November 2007 | Bangladesh | Cyclone | £9,000,000 |
May 2008 | Myanmar (Burma) | Cyclone | £19,500,000 |
November 2008 | DR Congo | War | £10,500,000 |
January 2009 | Gaza | War | £8,300,000 |
October 2009 | Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam | Earthquake/Typhoon | £9,300,000 |
January 2010 | Haiti | Earthquake | £107,000,000 |
August 2010 | Pakistan | Floods | £71,000,000 |
July 2011 | East Africa | Drought/Famine | £79,000,000 |
March 2013 | Syria | War | £27,000,000 |
November 2013 | Philippines | Typhoon | £96,000,000 |
August 2014 | Gaza | War | £19,000,000 |
October 2014 | West Africa | Disease (Ebola) | £37,000,000 |
April 2015 | Nepal | Earthquake | £87,000,000 |
December 2016 | Yemen | War | £30,000,000 |
March 2017 | East Africa | Drought/Famine | £66,000,000 |
October 2017 | Bangladesh (Rohingya from Myanmar) | Refugees | £30,000,000 |
October 2018 | Indonesia | Tsunami/Earthquake | £29,000,000 |
March 2019 | Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe | Cyclone | £43,000,000 |
2020 | Yemen, Syria, Somalia, South Sudan, DR Congo, Afghanistan | COVID-19 | ongoing |
References
- "How we work". Disasters Emergency Committee. 30 January 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
- "The Charity Commission – GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
- "Disasters Emergency Committee, UK – Emergency Appeals Alliance". Emergency Appeals Alliance. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
- "Disasters Emergency Committee, UK – Emergency Appeals Alliance". Emergency Appeals Alliance. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
- "Charity overview". Retrieved 9 October 2017.
- "Appeals Archive". Disasters Emergency Committee. 26 November 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
- Kweifio-Okai, Carla (25 December 2014). "Where did the Indian Ocean tsunami aid money go?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
- "Haiti Earthquake Appeal". Disasters Emergency Committee. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
- Holmwood, Leigh (26 January 2009). "BBC staff protest over decision not to show Gaza aid appeal". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
- "Appeals Archive". Disasters Emergency Committee. 26 November 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
- "Gaza Crisis Appeal". Disasters Emergency Committee. 8 August 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
- "Disasters Emergency Committee appeal for people fleeing Burma reaches £3 million with UK aid support – GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
- "How we work". Disasters Emergency Committee. 30 January 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
- "Appeals". Disasters Emergency Committee. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
- "Appeals Archive". Disasters Emergency Committee. Retrieved 23 March 2017.