Assistance in Cases of Natural Disaster and Other Disaster Situations

A/RES/2816(XXVI)No PDF available

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, published in 1972.

What other versions does this mandate have?

4 versions · 1972–1976

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/3440(XXX)

1976A/RES/3440(XXX)Assistance in cases of natural disaster and other disaster situationsLatestCompare with previous version
1974A/RES/3152(XXVIII)Assistance in cases of natural disaster and other disaster situationsCompare with previous version
1973A/RES/2959(XXVII)Assistance in cases of natural disaster and other disaster situationsCompare with previous version
1972A/RES/2816(XXVI)Assistance in cases of natural disaster and other disaster situations

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

What subjects does this mandate have?

14 topics

Appointment of Officials Budget Projections Cooperation Between Organizations Data Collection Disaster Preparedness Disaster Prevention Disaster Relief Disaster-Prone Areas Early Warning Systems Information Dissemination Inter-Agency Cooperation Natural Disasters Reconstruction Work Programme

What does this mandate say?

26 operative paragraphs

Calls upon the Secretary-General to appoint a Disaster Relief Co-ordinator, who will report directly to him and who will be authorized, on his behalf:

To establish and maintain the closest cooperation with all organizations concerned and to make all feasible advance arrangements with them for the purpose of ensuring the most effective assistance;

( b) To mobilize, direct and co-ordinate the relief activities of the various organizations of the United Nations system in response to a request for disaster assistance from a stricken State;

To co-ordinate United Nations assistance with assistance given by intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations, in particular by the International Red Cross;

To receive, on behalf of the Secretary-General, contributions offered to him for disaster relief assistance to be carried out by the United Nations, its agencies and programmes for particular emergency situations;

To assist the Government of the stricken country to assess its relief and other needs and to evaluate the priority of those needs, to disseminate that information to prospective donors and others concerned, and to serve as a clearing-house for assistance extended or planned by all sources of external aid;

To promote the study, prevention, control and prediction of natural disasters, including the collection and dissemination of information concerning technological developments;

To assist in providing advice to Governments on pre-disaster planning in association with revelant voluntary organizations, particularly with the League of Red Cross Societies, and to draw upon United Nations resources available for such purposes;

To acquire and disseminate information relevant to planning and co-ordinating disaster relief, including the improvement and establishment of stockpiles in disaster-prone areas, and to prepare suggestions to ensure the most effective use of available resources;

To phase out relief operations under his aegis as the stricken country moves into the stage of rehabilitation and reconstruction, but to continue to interest himself, within the framework of his responsibilities for relief, in the activities of the United Nations agencies

concerned with rehabilitation and reconstruction;

To prepare an annual report for the Secretary- General, to be submitted to the Economic and Social Council and to the General Assembly;

Recommends that the Disaster Relief Coordinator should be appointed by the Secretary-General normally for a term of five years and at a level comparable to that of an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations;

Endorses the Secretary-General's proposals for an adequate permanent office in the United Nations which shall be the focal point in the United Nations system for disaster relief matters;

Recommends that that office should be headed by the Disaster Relief Co-ordinator and located in Geneva, be a distinct element within the United Nations Secretariat and be augmented as necessary by short-term secondment of personnel for individual emergencies;

Requests the Secretary-General to prepare for the Economic and Social Council at its fifty-third session,

taking into account any relevant suggestions and the experience gained by the Disaster Relief Co-ordinator, a report on any further steps which may be required to enable the Disaster Relief Co-ordinator adequately to perform the functions entrusted to him under the present resolution;

Further endorses the plan for a roster of volunteers, to be drawn from experienced staff members of the United Nations system and interested nongovernmental organizations, who could be made available at very short notice;

Recommends that the Disaster Relief Coordinator should maintain contact with the Governments of States Members of the United Nations or members of specialized agencies or of the International Atomic Energy Agency concerning available aid in emergency situations, such as food supplies, medicines, personnel, transportation and communications, as well as advice to countries in pre-disaster planning and preparedness;

Invites potential recipient Governments:

To establish disaster contingency plans with appropriate assistance from the Disaster Relief Coordinator;

To appoint a single national disaster relief coordinator to facilitate the receipt of international aid in times of emergency;

( c) To establish stockpiles of emergency supplies, such as tents, blankets, medicines and non-perishable food-stuffs;

To make necessary arrangements for the training of administrative and relief personnel;

To consider appropriate legislative or other measures to facilitate the receipt of aid, including overflight and landing rights and necessary privileges and immunities for relief units;

To improve national disaster warning systems;

Invites potential donor Governments:

To respond promptly to any call by the Secretary-General or, on his behalf, by the Disaster Relief Co-ordinator;

( b) To consider and to continue offering on a wider basis emergency assistance in disaster situations;

( c) To inform the Disaster Relief Co-ordinator in advance about the facilities and services they might be in a position to provide immediately, including where possible relief units, logistical support and means of effective communication;

Decides to authorize the Secretary-General to draw on the Working Capital Fund in the amount of $200,000 for emergency assistance in any one year, with a normal ceiling of $20,000 per country in the case of any one disaster;

Further invites all organizations of the United Nations system and al_l other or~anizations_ involved to co-operate with the Disaster Rehef Co-ordmator.

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