| United Nations | A/RES/36/225 |
General Assembly
Distr. GENERAL
17 December 1981
ORIGINAL:
ENGLISH
A/RES/36/225
17 December 1981
Strengthening the capacity of the United Nations system to respond
to natural disasters and other disaster situations
The General Assembly,
Recalling its resolutions 2816 (XXVI) of 14 December 1971, by
which it established the Office of the United Nations Disaster
Relief Co-ordinator, 3243 (XXIX) of 29 November 1974 on the
strengthening of that Office, 3440 (XXX) of 9 December 1975, in
which it provided, inter alia, for measures to be taken in support
of the activities of the Office, and 3532 (XXX) of 17 December 1975
on the financing of emergency relief assistance and technical
co-operation activities of the Office,
Recalling also its resolution 31/173 of 21 December 1976 on
financial arrangements for the Office of the United Nations Disaster
Relief Co-ordinator,
Recalling further the International Development Strategy for
the Third United Nations Development Decade,
Recalling the report of the United Nations Conference on the
Least Developed Countries containing the Substantial New Programme
of Action for the 1980s for the Least Developed Countries, in
particular the section concerning disaster assistance for least
developed countries,
Deeply concerned about the increasing number of natural
disasters and other disaster situations, the economic burden borne
by disaster-stricken and affected countries, particularly the
developing countries, and the disruption thereby caused to their
development process,
Also recalling its resolution 35/107 of 5 December 1980,
Further recalling Economic and Social Council resolution
1980/43 of 23 July 1980 regarding international efforts to meet
humanitarian needs in natural disaster and other disaster situations,
Fully cognizant of the sovereign interests and rights of
affected countries and of the primacy of their role in caring for
the victims of natural disasters and other disaster situations,
Anxious that the international community should respond
speedily and effectively to calls for emergency humanitarian
assistance,
Recognizing that the quality and appropriateness of material
and other assistance provided by the international community should
meet the particular needs of the populations of disaster-affected
areas,
Recognizing the contribution made by the United Nations system
to the relief of suffering and provision of humanitarian relief in
natural disasters and other disaster situations,
Recognizing that the primary responsibility of administration,
relief operations and disaster preparedness lies with the affected
countries and that the major part of the material assistance and
human effort in disaster relief comes from the Governments of those
countries,
Recognizing also the importance in international relief of the
contribution of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the
League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and appropriate
voluntary organizations,
Recognizing further that, in order to attain an effective
co-ordination system of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance,
it is essential to strengthen and improve the capacity and
effectiveness of the Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief
Co-ordinator and the United Nations system as a whole in order to
enable the Office to respond to natural disasters and other disaster
situations speedily, efficiently and effectively, and thereby ensure
prompt delivery of concerted relief,
Recognizing that a major constraint for the United Nations
system to respond effectively to natural disasters and other
disaster situations has been the shortage of resources,
1. Takes note of the reports of the Secretary-General and
other reports on international efforts to meet humanitarian needs in
emergency situations, as well as on measures for strengthening the
capacity of the United Nations system to respond to natural
disasters and other disaster situations and of the statement made by
the United Nations Disaster Relief Co-ordinator before the Second
Committee on 5 November 1981;
2. 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;
3. Reaffirms the mandate of the Office of the United
Nations Disaster Relief Co-ordinator, established by the General
Assembly in resolution 2816 (XXVI) as the focal point of the United
Nations system for disaster relief co-ordination and calls for
strengthening and improvement of the capacity and effectiveness of
the Office;
4. Endorses the approaches outlined by the
Secretary-General in his comments on the report of the Joint
Inspection Unit concerning the role of the Office of the United
Nations Disaster Relief Co-ordinator in the various phases of
disaster assistance;
5. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to take the
necessary steps to strengthen the management operations of the
Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Co-ordinator;
6. Stresses the need to take full advantage of information
provided by existing early-warning monitoring systems that have been
developed to strengthen the capacity of the United Nations system in
responding to natural disasters and other disaster situations and to
co-ordinate, as far as feasible and useful, all the relevant
early-warning systems, and stresses, to this effect, the capability
of the Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Co-ordinator in
information collection and dissemination should be further
strengthened and improved;
7. Urges the appropriate organs, organizations and bodies
of the United Nations system, including the United Nations
Children's Fund, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations, the World Health Organization, the Office of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the World Food Programme and
other appropriate bodies, to co-operate closely, in their respective
areas of competence, with the Office of the United Nations Disaster
Relief Co-ordinator in disaster relief activities and other disaster
situations, to respond effectively to the needs of the situation and
to comply promptly with the requests of disaster-affected countries;
8. Decides that, in response to a request for disaster
relief from a disaster-stricken State and, as necessary, in
particular in disaster-prone countries, the United Nations resident
co-ordinator shall, with the full concurrence, consent and
participation of the Government, convene meetings of the concerned
organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system to
plan, monitor and take immediate action to provide assistance; the
International Committee of the Red Cross, the League of the Red
Cross and Red Crescent Societies and appropriate voluntary
organizations may be invited to participate in such meetings with
the approval of the host country;
9. Decides that, following a request for disaster relief
from a disaster-stricken State and whenever required to deal
effectively with complex disasters and emergencies of exceptional
magnitude, the Secretary-General or his representative, who would
normally be the United Nations Disaster Relief Co-ordinator, shall
convene meetings of the concerned organizations of the United
Nations system in order to develop a concerted relief programme and
conduct ad hoc consultations with the heads or representatives of
the agencies concerned with disaster-relief questions, with a view
to ensuring speedy and efficient delivery of goods and services to
the disaster-stricken areas, and decides that these ad hoc
consultations should draw on information provided by the Government
concerned, as well as on the assessments of the United Nations
Disaster Relief Co-ordinator, the resident co-ordinator and
representatives of other United Nations organizations in the
countries concerned, and take into account advice offered by the
International Committee of the Red Cross, the League of Red Cross
and Red Crescent Societies and appropriate voluntary organizations
in the field; all agencies with responsibilities for natural
disasters and other disaster situations should be involved at the
appropriate level in such consultations;
10. Decides that, once it has been determined - on the basis
of the above-mentioned information and consultations - that an
exceptional or complex natural disaster or other disaster situation
requiring system-wide action exists, the Secretary-General shall
designate, at the international level, a lead entity from among the
United Nations organizations, agencies and bodies, including the
Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Co-ordinator, and, at
the country level, the appropriate entity of the United Nations
system to carry out relief operations, taking into account the
specific requirements of the situation and in consultation with the
host Government, and calls on all organs, organizations and bodies
of the United Nations system to co-operate closely with one another
in their relief operations;
11. Invites the Administrative Committee on Co-ordination to
examine urgently the role of the lead entity and participating
organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system in
complex disaster situations, taking into account decision 1981/2 of
the Administrative Committee on Co-ordination, and requests the
Secretary-General to submit a report, through the Economic and
Social Council at its second regular session of 1982, to the General
Assembly at its thirty-seventh session, on the deliberations of the
Committee;
12. Strongly calls upon all States to respond positively and
expeditiously to the Secretary-General's appeals for contributions
to meet natural disasters and other disaster situations;
13. Reiterates, in particular, its appeal in resolution
35/107 for increased contributions to the trust fund of the Office
of the United Nations Disaster Relief Co-ordinator, in particular to
the subaccount for humanitarian emergency relief;
14. Stresses in this regard the need to strengthen the
operational capacity and the human, material and financial resources
available to individual agencies and organizations, in order to
enable them to play their respective roles more promptly,
efficiently and effectively in natural disasters and other disaster
situations;
15. Requests all States to ensure a full flow of information
to the Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Co-ordinator,
especially regarding relief actions, and also to provide the United
Nations system with the necessary personnel and logistical support;
16. Urges Governments in disaster-prone countries to explore
further, with the assistance of the donors, appropriate organs,
organizations and bodies of the United Nations system, the
possibility of improving storage, communication and transportation
facilities, as well as measures to ensure disaster preparedness and
prevention;
17. Also urges the international community to assist
disaster-prone countries, upon their request, with the establishment
of effective national and early-warning systems, the development of
contingency plans for disasters and the strengthening of assessment
capacity for relief requirements and for distribution and monitoring
of relief supplies;
18. Calls upon organs, organizations and bodies of the
United Nations system involved in the provision of humanitarian
assistance and disaster relief to establish emergency units or focal
points if they are not already in existence;
19. Reaffirms the need for the international community to
respond fully to requests for emergency and humanitarian assistance,
in particular through increased financial contributions for affected
developing countries, bearing in mind the relevant provisions of the
International Development Strategy for the Third United Nations
Development Decade, the Substantial New Programme of Action for the
1980s for the Least Developed Countries, as well as those of the
trust fund of the Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief
Co-ordinator;
20. Requests the Secretary-General to submit a preliminary
progress report on the implementation of the present resolution to
the General Assembly at its thirty-seventh session through the
Economic and Social Council at its second regular session of 1982,
and a comprehensive report to the Assembly at its thirty-eighth
session through the Council at its second regular session of 1983.