A/C.2/64/L.10
Sixty-fourth session
Second Committee
Agenda item 53 (c)
Sustainable development: International Strategy
for Disaster Reduction
Sudan:* draft resolution
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction
The General Assembly,
Recalling its resolutions 44/236 of 22 December 1989, 49/22 A of 2 December 1994, 49/22 B of 20 December 1994, 53/185 of 15 December 1998, 54/219 of 22 December 1999, 56/195 of 21 December 2001, 57/256 of 20 December 2002, 58/214 of 23 December 2003, 59/231 of 22 December 2004, 60/195 of 22 December 2005, 61/198 of 20 December 2006, 62/192 of 19 December 2007 and 63/216 of 19 December 2008 and Economic and Social Council resolutions 1999/63 of 30 July 1999 and 2001/35 of 26 July 2001, and taking into consideration its resolution 57/270 B of 23 June 2003 on the integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic and social fields,
Recalling also the 2005 World Summit Outcome,(1)
Reaffirming the Hyogo Declaration,(2) the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005- 2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters(3) and the common statement of the special session on the Indian Ocean disaster: risk reduction for a safer future,(4) as adopted by the World Conference on Disaster Reduction,
Reaffirming also its role in providing policy guidance on the implementation of the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits,
Expressing its deep concern at the number and scale of natural disasters and their increasing impact in recent years, which have resulted in massive loss of life and long-term negative social, economic and environmental consequences for vulnerable societies throughout the world and hamper the achievement of their sustainable development, in particular in developing countries,
Expressing its deep concern also at the increasing challenges posed to Member States and to the United Nations system by the combined impacts of current global challenges, including the global economic and financial crisis, climate change and the food crisis,
Emphasizing that disaster risk reduction, including reducing vulnerability to natural disasters, is an important cross-cutting element that contributes to the achievement of sustainable development,
Recognizing the clear relationship between development, poverty eradication, disaster risk reduction, disaster response and disaster recovery and the need to continue to deploy efforts in all these areas,
Recognizing also the urgent need to further develop and make use of the existing scientific and technical knowledge to build resilience to natural disasters, and emphasizing the need for developing countries to have access to appropriate, advanced, environmentally sound, cost-effective and easy-to-use technologies so as to seek more comprehensive solutions to disaster risk reduction and to effectively and efficiently strengthen their capabilities to cope with disaster risks,
Recognizing further that certain measures for disaster risk reduction in the context of the Hyogo Framework for Action can also support adaptation to climate change, and emphasizing the importance of strengthening the resilience of nations and communities to natural disasters through disaster risk reduction programmes,
Stressing the importance of advancing the implementation of the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development(5) and its relevant provisions on vulnerability, risk assessment and disaster management,
Recognizing the need to continue to develop an understanding of, and to address, socio-economic activities that exacerbate the vulnerability of societies to natural disasters and to build and further strengthen local authority and community capability to cope with disaster risks,
Having considered the recommendation of the Secretary-General regarding General Assembly resolution 54/219,(6)
Taking note of the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction launched in Manama, Bahrain, in May 2009,(7)
1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction;(8)
2. Recalls that the commitments of the Hyogo Declaration2 and the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters3 include the provision of assistance for developing countries that are prone to natural disasters and disaster-stricken States in the transition phase towards sustainable physical, social and economic recovery, for risk reduction activities in post-disaster recovery and for rehabilitation processes;
3. Welcomes the progress made in the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action, and stresses the need for a more effective integration of disaster risk reduction into sustainable development policies, planning and programming; for the development and strengthening of institutions, mechanisms and capacities to build resilience to hazards; and for a systematic incorporation of risk reduction approaches into the implementation of emergency preparedness, response and recovery programmes, as a means to achieve poverty eradication and internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals;
4. Calls upon the international community to increase its efforts to fully implement the commitments of the Hyogo Declaration and the Hyogo Framework for Action;
5. Invites Member States, the United Nations system, international financial institutions, regional bodies and other international organizations, including the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, as well as civil society, including non-governmental organizations and volunteers, the private sector and the scientific community, to increase efforts to support, implement and follow up the Hyogo Framework for Action, and stresses the importance in this regard of the continued cooperation and coordination of all stakeholders with respect to addressing effectively the impact of natural disasters;
6. Calls upon the United Nations system, and invites international financial institutions and regional and international organizations, to integrate the goals of, and take into full account, the Hyogo Framework for Action in their strategies and programmes, making use of existing coordination mechanisms, and to assist developing countries with those mechanisms to design and implement, as appropriate, disaster risk reduction measures with a sense of urgency;
7. Also calls upon the United Nations system and the donor community, and invites the international financial institutions and regional banks and other regional and international organizations, to support, in a timely and sustained manner, the efforts led by disaster-stricken countries for disaster risk reduction in post-disaster recovery and rehabilitation processes;
8. Recognizes that each State has the primary responsibility for its own sustainable development and for taking effective measures to reduce disaster risk, including for the protection of people on its territory, infrastructure and other national assets from the impact of disasters, including the implementation of and follow-up to the Hyogo Framework for Action, and stresses the importance of international cooperation and partnerships to support those national efforts;
9. Also recognizes the efforts made by Member States to develop national and local capacities to implement the Hyogo Framework for Action, including through the establishment of national platforms for disaster reduction, and calls upon the donor community to dedicate substantially more funds to increase investment for strengthening resilience to disasters;
10. Further recognizes the importance of coordinating adaptation to climate change with relevant disaster risk reduction measures, invites Governments and relevant international organizations to integrate these considerations in a comprehensive manner into, inter alia, development plans and poverty eradication programmes and, in least developed countries, National Adaptation Programmes of Action, and invites the international community to support the ongoing efforts of developing countries in this regard;
11. Urges Member States to continue to develop, update and strengthen disaster preparedness and risk reduction measures at all levels, taking into account their own circumstances and capacities and in coordination with relevant actors, as appropriate, and encourages the international community and relevant United Nations entities to give increased priority to supporting national efforts in this regard;
12. Welcomes the regional and subregional initiatives developed in order to achieve disaster risk reduction, and reiterates the need to further develop regional initiatives and risk reduction capacities of regional mechanisms where they exist and to strengthen them and encourage the use and sharing of all existing tools, and invites regional commissions to support the efforts of Member States in this regard;
13. Calls upon the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery to continue to support the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action;
14. Encourages the secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction to continue to develop improved methods for predictive multi-risk assessments, including on the economics of disaster risk reduction and socio-economic cost-benefit analysis of risk reduction actions at all levels;
15. Calls upon the international community to support the development and strengthening of institutions, mechanisms and capacities at all levels, in particular at the community level, that can systematically contribute to building resilience to hazards;
16. Encourages Member States to increase their commitment to the effective implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action by strengthening their participation in the Strategy system, including national and regional platforms, thematic technical platforms and the midterm review process, as well as the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction;
17. Takes note with appreciation of the convening of the second session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, on the theme "Disasters, poverty and vulnerability", held in Geneva from 16 to 19 June 2009, as an important forum for Member States and other stakeholders to assess progress made in the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action, enhance awareness of disaster risk reduction, share experiences and learn from good practices;
18. Recognizes the importance of integrating a gender perspective and empowering and engaging women in the design and implementation of all phases of disaster management, as well as in risk reduction strategies and programmes, and encourages the secretariat of the Strategy to continue to increase the promotion of gender mainstreaming and empowerment of women;
19. Expresses its appreciation to those countries that have provided financial support for the activities of the Strategy by making voluntary contributions to the United Nations Trust Fund for Disaster Reduction;
20. Encourages the international community to continue providing adequate voluntary financial contributions to the Trust Fund in the effort to ensure adequate support for the follow-up activities to the Hyogo Framework for Action, and encourages Member States to make multi-annual, unearmarked contributions as early in the year as possible;
21. Encourages also Governments, multilateral organizations, international and regional organizations, international and regional financial institutions, the private sector and civil society to systematically invest in disaster risk reduction with a view to implementing the objectives of the Strategy;
22. Stresses the importance of disaster risk reduction and subsequent increased responsibilities of the secretariat of the Strategy, and reiterates its request to the Secretary-General to explore all means of securing additional funding to ensure predictable and stable financial resources for the operation of the secretariat;
23. Encourages Member States to integrate early warning systems into their national disaster risk reduction strategies and plans, encourages the creation of an international early warning system, and urges the donor community to provide the necessary resources to that end;
24. Stresses the need to foster better understanding and knowledge of the causes of disasters, as well as to build and strengthen coping capacities through, inter alia, the transfer and exchange of experiences and technical knowledge, educational and training programmes for disaster risk reduction, access to relevant data and information and the strengthening of institutional arrangements, including community-based organizations;
25. Emphasizes the need for the international community to maintain its focus beyond emergency relief and to support medium- and long-term rehabilitation, reconstruction and risk reduction, and stresses the importance of implementing programmes related to the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and disaster risk reduction management in the most vulnerable regions, particularly in developing countries prone to natural disasters;
26. Stresses the need to address risk reduction of and vulnerabilities to all natural hazards, including geological and hydrometeorological hazards, in a comprehensive manner;
27. Takes note of the global initiative of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction to secure the safety of schools and hospitals, in particular by investing in actions to undertake national assessments of the safety of existing education and health facilities by 2011 and to develop and implement, as appropriate, concrete action plans for safer schools and hospitals by 2015, and encourages Member States to report on this on a voluntary basis;
28. Decides to designate 13 October as the date to observe the International Day for Disaster Reduction;
29. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session a report on the implementation of the present resolution, under the item entitled "Sustainable development".
Notes
* On behalf of the States Members of the United Nations that are members of the Group of 77 and China.
(1) See resolution 60/1.
(2) A/CONF.206/6 and Corr.1, chap. I, resolution 1.
(3) Ibid., resolution 2.
(4) A/CONF.206/6 and Corr.1, annex II.
(5) Report of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg, South Africa, 26 August-4 September 2002 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.03.II.A.1 and corrigendum), chap. I, resolution 2, annex.
(6) See A/63/351.
(7) 2009 Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction: Risk and Poverty in a Changing Climate (United Nations, 2009).
(8) A/64/280.