28 July 1983

Strengthening the capacity of the United Nations system to respond to natural disasters and other disaster situations

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling General Assembly resolutions 2816 (XXVI) of 14 December 1971, by which the Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Co-ordinator was established, and 36/225 of 17 December 1981, in which the Assembly reaffirmed the mandate of the Office and, inter alia, called for the strengthening and improvements of the capacity and effectiveness of the Office,

Recalling also General Assembly resolution 37/144 of 17 December 1982, in which the Assembly recognized that, in order to attain an effective co-ordination system of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance, it was essential to strengthen and imporove the capacity and effectiveness of the Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Co-ordinator and the United Nations system as a whole,

Recognizing that, as a result of those resolutions and other relevant resolutions and decisions, there is now in place a workable system to promote, facilitate and co-ordinate relief activities by the United Nations system, in co-operation with Governments and voluntary agencies,

Noting that the operation of the system has been much improved but that there remains a need for its full application,

Noting further with appreciation the effective responses of the Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Co-ordinator to recent major disasters,

Recognizing that shortage of resources has been a constraint on an effective response of the United Nations to disaster situations,

1. Takes note with appreciation of the comprehensive report of the Secretary-General on strengthening the capacity of the United Nations system to respond to natural disasters and other disaster situations, which is complemented by his report on the work of the Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Co-ordinator;

2. Notes with particular interest the observations and conclusions of the Secretary-General relating to the transportation, more rapid delivery and distribution of relief supplies, reconstruction and rehabilitation, and the need for evaluation procedures to assess the way in which the Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Co-ordinator and the international community as a whole have dealt with the mobilization and provision of disaster relief in particular cases;

3. Recognizes the importance of disaster preparedness and prevention activities, and calls upon the Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Co-ordinator, Governments and agencies involved to ensure that due priority attention is given to them;

4. Reaffirms the sovereignty of individual Member States, recognizes the primary role of each State in caring for the victims of disasters occurring in its territory, and stresses that all relief operations should be carried out and co-ordinated in a manner consistent with the priorities and needs of the countries concerned;

5. Stresses that the material and other assistance provided by the international community should be appropriate to the particular needs of the populations of disaster-affected areas;

6. Repeats its call to all Governments and relevant organs and organizations to co-operate with the Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Co-ordinator and to improve in particular their flow of information on relief assistance, action, plans and needs;

7. Requests the Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Co-ordinator to continue and improve further the flow of information to Governments, organizations and agencies concerned so that a more complete picture of relief activities, assistance received and further requirements may be provided to all concerned;

8. Recommends that the General Assembly should authorize the Secretary-General to permit the Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Co-ordinator to respond, within existing resources, to requests for emergency disaster assistance up to a total of $600,000 in any one year;

9. Appeals to Governments to consider the possibility of urgent voluntary contributions, channelled directly or through the Trust Fund of the Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Co-ordinator, to enable the Office to cover, inter alia, the unforeseen expenses in connection with disaster relief operations;

10. Requests the Secretary-General, in consultation with Governments and appropriate agencies, to submit to the General Assembly at its thirty-ninth session, through the Economic and Social Council at its second regular session of 1984, specific proposals to follow up conclusions and problems identified in his comprehensive report, taking into account the views and observations expressed during the second regular session of 1983 of the Council.