UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations has allocated some 100 million U.S. dollars to respond to 14 ongoing but underfunded emergencies, ranging from Afghanistan to Yemen, the world organization announced Monday.

The single largest allocation of some 17 million dollars from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) went to UN agencies and their partners in Ethiopia. The Democratic Republic of the Congo ( DRC) came second with approximately 16 million dollars.

Other recipient countries include Afghanistan, Kenya, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Yemen, Chad, Niger, Colombia, Eritrea, the Philippines and Haiti. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) noted in a news release that Haiti's full funding needs are being re-evaluated in light of the tragic earthquake that struck the country last Tuesday.

Launched in March 2006, CERF is managed by OCHA and aims to speed up relief operations for humanitarian emergencies and make funds available quickly after a disaster, when people are most at risk.