New York/Information Office / 25 October 2014/The Permanent Mission of the State of Qatar to the United Nations hosted at its headquarters in New York, over two days, a meeting of the Advisory Group on the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). Valerie Amos, Emergency Relief Coordinator and United Nations Under- Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, opened the meeting. At the first session, HE Sheikha Alia Ahmed bin Saif al-Thani, the Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations welcomed the participants in the meeting stressing in her speech that Qatar attaches great importance to the CERF for its vital contribution over the years in international efforts aimed at addressing the emergency around the world. She stressed Qatar's keeness to support the CERF, and to strengthen its role in addressing emergency. The meeting was attended by HE Dr. Ahmad Mohammad Al Muraikhi, Director of the Department of International Development at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs representative of the State of Qatar in the Advisory Group, CERF officials, Catherine Walker, head of the Advisory Group, the Advisory Group members and representatives of specialized international organizations. The Advisory Group discussed during the meetings the latest developments in the CERF's activities, and exchanged views on means of enhancing its performance and management and the best ways to speed up the implementation of the CERF funded projects around the world. The Advisory Group also discussed topics relating to the reports of humanitarian coordinators, the results of independent monitoring of the performance of the fund and the semi-annual plan.