What is the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC)?

Last updated 31 October 2024

What is the DEC?

When a major emergency occurs overseas, the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) brings together 15 UK charities – the British Red Cross included – to raise funds for an effective, coordinated response.  

Most recently on 17 October 2024, the DEC launched an appeal for the Middle East - the Middle East Humanitarian Appeal. When you donate to a DEC appeal, the money goes on to each of the 15 member charities, who then deliver aid through their own operations in each affected area.

A donation to the DEC provides support for people most in need at that time and ensures that DEC charities are able to continue their vital work  as the situation evolves.

How funds will be used

The majority of funds from the DEC’s appeal will be used to support people in Gaza and Lebanon, where millions have fled their homes, and urgently need food, water, shelter and medical care.

Funds will also go towards supporting families in the West Bank, where recent violence has displaced hundreds of families and had a devastating economic impact. 

The DEC and its member charities are monitoring the evolving situation across the region closely and continuously. A number of DEC charities are ready to expand their support in Israel if needed.

At the British Red Cross,  we will continue to be led by our colleagues at Magen David Adom. We will always be ready to provide more support or funding if it is needed.

The DEC's history of emergency funding

Founded in 1963, the DEC's first appeal responded to the August 1966 earthquake in Varto, Turkey. Since then, the committee has run 77 appeals and raised more than £2.4 billion as disaster emergency funding, saving millions of lives and helping rebuild communities devastated by disasters.

The other charities on the committee are Action Against Hunger, ActionAid, Age International, Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, Care, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, International Rescue Committee, Islamic Relief, Oxfam, Plan International, Save the Children, Tearfund and World Vision.

“Pooling our resources to work as one, we are pivotal in co-ordinating the UK public's response to overseas disasters." The Disaster Emergency Committee 

 

Most recently, DEC appeals were launched after the 2022 Pakistan flood and the Turkey-Syria earthquake in 2023. There may be several active appeals the DEC is fundraising for at any time. They also monitor ongoing crises around the world that may develop into situations that meet their appeal criteria. 

• DEC appeals that are currently active
  

 

When does the DEC launch an appeal?

Appeals are only launched when the DEC know they can make a difference and that they can raise a substantial amount of money to help. There are many factors that go into deciding whether or not to launch an appeal. If a country has the capacity to respond to an emergency itself, there won't be a reason to launch an appeal campaign. Public awareness in the UK is another factor that contributes to the decision.

This is judged using the following appeal criteria:

• The disaster must be on such a scale and of such urgency as to call for swift international humanitarian assistance
• The DEC’s member charities, or some of them, must be in a position to provide effective and swift humanitarian assistance at a scale to justify a national appeal
• There must be reasonable grounds for concluding that a public appeal would be successful, either because of evidence of existing public sympathy for the humanitarian situation or because there is a compelling case indicating the likelihood of significant public support should an appeal be launched.

Recent DEC appeals with the British Red Cross

In February 2023, the DEC launched the Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal, following two powerful earthquakes which impacted southern Turkiye (Turkey) and northern Syria. 

The earthquakes killed over 44,000 people with a further 70,000 injured. The earthquakes were estimated to have directly impacted 23 million people

Emergency responders from the Turkish Red Crescent and Syrian Arab Red Crescent were immediately on the ground providing urgent humanitarian relief and supporting rescue efforts. 

In Turkiye (Turkey) more than 350 mobile kitchens and 86 catering trucks were deployed to provide food for people in the weeks after the earthquake. As it happened during the winter, the Turkish Red Crescent aimed to deliver over 50,000 blankets, 10,000 electric heaters, 25,000 sleeping bags, and 25,000 beds to the region.

Across the border, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent delivered life-saving assistance and support to those in need in the regions of Hama, Aleppo, and Lattakia. 

Over 4,000 staff and volunteers and 53 Red Crescent ambulances were deployed to help with search and rescue efforts, providing first aid or transporting injured to medical facilities. The Red Crescent also provided support on human remains management as well as restoring family links, providing psychosocial support services, and establishing community shelters, and relief distributions.

 

How else has the British Red Cross been supporting people in Gaza, the West Bank, Israel and the wider region?

The British Red Cross launched an appeal following the devastating attacks in Israel on 7 October, and the escalation of conflict in Gaza that has led to a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. In the year since, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement has provided a lifeline, and our appeal has been supporting the response.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society is providing emergency medical care across Gaza and has distributed 1.6 million emergency relief items, including food and water. Lebanese Red Cross volunteers are supporting the injured and displaced. In Israel, Magen David Adom has responded to over one million emergency calls.

Together, we will continue to provide lifesaving aid today and a concerted, ongoing humanitarian response and recovery effort in the many years ahead.