A/RES/63/139 14. Calls upon United Nations humanitarian organizations, in consultation with Member States, as appropriate, to strengthen the evidence base for humanitarian assistance by further developing common mechanisms to improve the quality, transparency and reliability of humanitarian needs assessments, to assess their performance in assistance and to ensure the most effective use of humanitarian resources by these organizations; 15. Calls upon donors to provide adequate, timely, predictable and flexible resources based on and in proportion to assessed needs, including for underfunded emergencies, and encourages efforts to adhere to the principles of Good Humanitarian Donorship; 7 6F 16. Welcomes the important achievements made by the Central Emergency Response Fund in ensuring a more timely and predictable response to humanitarian emergencies, and stresses the importance of addressing the findings and recommendations contained in the report on the Central Emergency Response Fund,2 in order to ensure that the resources are used in the most efficient, effective and transparent manner possible; 1H 17. Calls upon all Member States and invites the private sector and all concerned individuals and institutions to consider increasing voluntary contributions to the Central Emergency Response Fund, and emphasizes that contributions should be additional to current commitments to humanitarian programming and not to the detriment of resources made available for international cooperation for development; 18. Requests the Secretary-General to commission an independent comprehensive review of the activities of the Central Emergency Response Fund, including the ability to meet its objectives, its administration, the needs assessment process and criteria for resource allocations, at the end of its fifth year of operation, and to submit a report on its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session; 19. Invites Member States, the private sector and all concerned individuals and institutions to consider voluntary contributions to other humanitarian funding mechanisms; 20. Reiterates that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs should benefit from adequate and more predictable funding; 21. Reaffirms the obligation of all States and parties to an armed conflict to protect civilians in armed conflicts in accordance with international humanitarian law, and invites States to promote a culture of protection, taking into account the particular needs of women, children, older persons and persons with disabilities; 22. Calls upon States to adopt preventive measures and effective responses to acts of violence committed against civilian populations in armed conflicts and to ensure that those responsible are promptly brought to justice, as provided for by national law and obligations under international law; 23. Urges all Member States to address gender-based violence in humanitarian emergencies and to ensure that their laws and institutions are adequate to prevent, promptly investigate and prosecute acts of gender-based violence, and calls upon States, the United Nations and all relevant humanitarian organizations to improve coordination, harmonize response and strengthen capacity in support services to victims of such violence; _______________ 7 4 A/58/99-E/2003/94, annex II.