BBC Charity Appeals - Disaster Emergency Appeals

Disaster emergency appeals - about emergency appeals

The BBC, along with other broadcasters, occasionally broadcasts emergency appeals on behalf of the Disasters Emergency Committee, an organisation which unites the leading independent humanitarian agencies in the United Kingdom in their efforts to raise money from the people across the UK to mount an effective humanitarian response to major disasters overseas.

DEC Appeals are reserved for major disasters and emergencies which cannot be dealt with by the usual in-country coping mechanisms, and where DEC member agencies are in a position to respond quickly and effectively.

Three principles have been adopted to provide a guideline in deciding whether a national joint appeal is the appropriate response to a particular emergency:

1) The disaster must be on such a scale and of such urgency as to call for swift international humanitarian assistance.
2) The DEC agencies, or some of them, must be in a position to provide effective and swift humanitarian assistance at a scale to justify a national Appeal.
3) 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.

The three criteria are of equal importance. Both the DEC agencies and the BBC will need to assure themselves separately that all three criteria have been satisfied for any individual emergency before it can be considered for a broadcast appeal.

All broadcast appeals must conform to the BBC's Editorial Policy and Guidelines, and to the BBC's obligations under its Royal Charter and Agreement with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (the 'Charter and Agreement').

 Read the Memorandum of Understanding between the BBC and the DEC. (41kb)

The 14 member agencies are:

Find out more about the work of the DEC.

Money raised by previous DEC Appeals

Money raised by previous DEC Appeals

Year	Appeal	Money raised
2008	Congo (DRC)	£9.7m
2008	Burma Cyclone Appeal	£19.2m
2007	Bangladesh Cyclone Appeal	£9.8m
2007	Darfur & Chad Appeal	£13.7m
2005	South Asia Quake Appeal	£59m
2005	Niger Crisis Appeal	£32m
2005	Tsunami Appeal	£372m
2004	Sudan Crisis Appeal	£35m
2003	Liberia Appeal	£2.5m
2002	Southern Africa Crisis	£16m
2002	Goma Crisis Appeal	£4.65m