DEC marks 50 years of emergency appeals
Howard Lake | 2 July 2013 | News
The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) is marking this 50th anniversary this year. Tonight ITV will broadcast a document about the organisation, which has launched 63 appeals, raised £1.1 billion and helped provide emergency aid to tens of millions of people around the world.
The DEC was formed on 18 December 1963 to co-ordinate overseas aid and went on to launch its first appeal in response to the August 1966 earthquake in Varto, eastern Turkey. Since it was founded the DEC has launched 63 appeals, raised 1.1 billion pounds and helped provide aid to tens of millions of people around the world.
Prime Minister David Cameron said:
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“For 50 years the Disasters Emergency Committee has done monumental work and I am delighted to sign-up and pledge that this government will continue to support you. You’ve been able to do all this because of the extraordinary generosity of the British people. A generosity that means millions around the world have lived who otherwise would have died.”
DEC Chairman Clive Jones said:
“The history of the DEC is one of extraordinary collaboration between major aid agencies, British broadcasters and blue chip companies. Ultimately though, all our collective achievements are really just a product of the staggering generosity of the UK public. This is above all their story and we want to take this opportunity to thank them for their extraordinary support.
“The DEC was unique when it was founded because of the way it brought a whole nation together when there is a major overseas emergency. We are pleased to say that since then it is a model that has been admired and copied around the world.”
The documentary about the DEC is entitled ‘A Very British Appeal’ and it will be broadcast on ITV at 10.35pm tonight. The documentary team had unprecedented access inside the DEC during the run up to the Syria Crisis Appeal and also filmed on location in Haiti.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.