International Cooperation on Humanitarian Assistance in the Field of Natural Disasters, From Relief to Development

A/RES/66/227No PDF available

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 70aStrengthening of the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance of the United Nations, published in 2012.

What other versions does this mandate have?

27 versions · 2000–2025

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/80/113

2025A/RES/80/113International cooperation on humanitarian assistance in the field of natural disasters, from relief to developmentLatestCompare with previous version
2024A/RES/79/139International cooperation on humanitarian assistance in the field of natural disasters, from relief to developmentCompare with previous version
2023A/RES/78/120International cooperation on humanitarian assistance in the field of natural disasters, from relief to developmentCompare with previous version
2022A/RES/77/29International cooperation on humanitarian assistance in the field of natural disasters, from relief to developmentCompare with previous version
2021A/RES/76/128International cooperation on humanitarian assistance in the field of natural disasters, from relief to developmentCompare with previous version

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

What subjects does this mandate have?

19 topics

Budget Contributions Capacity Building Climate Change Cooperation Between Organizations Development Disaster Preparedness Disaster Prevention Disaster Relief Disaster-Prone Areas Early Warning Systems Emergency Relief Gender Mainstreaming Humanitarian Assistance Humanitarian Emergencies Information Technology International Cooperation Natural Disasters Resources Mobilization Technical Cooperation

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

1 report of the Secretary-General submitted under this mandate, 2012.

2012A/67/363International cooperation on humanitarian assistance in the field of natural disasters, from relief to development report of the Secretary-General

Identified automatically from the metadata in each report’s UN Digital Library catalogue record.

What does this mandate say?

36 operative paragraphs

Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;

Expresses its deep concern at the increasing impact of natural disasters, resulting in massive losses of life and property worldwide, in particular in vulnerable societies lacking adequate capacity to mitigate effectively the long-term negative social, economic and environmental consequences of natural disasters;

Calls upon States to fully implement the Hyogo DeclarationError: Reference source not found and the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005–2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters,Error: Reference source not found in particular those commitments related to assistance for developing countries that are prone to natural disasters and for 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;

Calls upon Member States, the United Nations system and other relevant humanitarian and development actors to accelerate the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action, emphasizes the promotion and strengthening of disaster preparedness activities at all levels, in particular in hazard-prone areas, and encourages them to increase funding and cooperation for disaster risk reduction activities, including disaster preparedness;

Calls upon all States to adopt, where required, and to continue to implement effectively, necessary legislative and other appropriate measures to mitigate the effects of natural disasters and integrate disaster risk reduction strategies into development planning, and in this regard requests the international community to continue to assist developing countries as well as countries with economies in transition, as appropriate;

Acknowledges that climate change, among other factors, contributes to environmental degradation and to the increase in the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events, both of which amplify natural disaster risk, and in this regard encourages Member States, as well as relevant regional, subregional and international organizations, in accordance with their specific mandates, to support adaptation to the adverse effects of climate change and to strengthen disaster risk reduction and early warning systems in order to minimize the humanitarian consequences of natural disasters, including through the provision of technology and support for capacity-building in developing countries;

Welcomes the initiatives at the regional and national levels related to the implementation of the Guidelines for the Domestic Facilitation and Regulation of International Disaster Relief and Initial Recovery Assistance, as reported to the Thirty-first International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, held in Geneva from 28 November to 1 December 2011, and encourages Member States and, where applicable, regional organizations to take further steps to strengthen operational and legal frameworks for international disaster relief, taking into account the Guidelines, as appropriate;

Also welcomes the effective cooperation among the affected States, relevant bodies of the United Nations system, donor countries, regional and international financial institutions and other relevant organizations, such as the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and civil society, in the coordination and delivery of emergency relief, and stresses the need to continue such cooperation and delivery throughout relief operations and medium- and long-term rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts, in a manner that reduces vulnerability to future natural hazards;

Reiterates the commitment to support, as a matter of priority, the efforts of countries, in particular developing countries, to strengthen their capacities at all levels in order to reduce risks, prepare for and respond rapidly to natural disasters and mitigate their impact;

Urges Member States to develop, update and strengthen early warning systems, disaster preparedness and risk reduction measures at all levels, in accordance with the Hyogo Framework for Action, 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 continue to support national efforts in this regard;

Also urges Member States to improve their response to early warning information in order to ensure that early warning leads to early action, and encourages all stakeholders to support the efforts of Member States in this regard;

Encourages Member States to consider elaborating and presenting to the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction secretariat their national platforms for disaster reduction in accordance with the Hyogo Framework for Action, and also encourages States to cooperate with each other to reach this objective;

Recognizes the importance of applying a multi-hazard approach to preparedness, and encourages Member States, taking into account their specific circumstances, and the United Nations system to continue to apply the approach to their preparedness activities, including by giving due regard to, inter alia, secondary environmental hazards stemming from industrial and technological accidents;

Stresses that, to increase further the effectiveness of humanitarian assistance, particular international cooperation efforts should be undertaken to enhance and broaden further the utilization of national and local capacities and, where appropriate, of regional and subregional capacities for disaster preparedness and response, which may be made available in closer proximity to the site of a disaster, and more efficiently and at lower cost;

Also stresses, in this context, the importance of strengthening international cooperation, particularly through the effective use of multilateral mechanisms, in the timely provision of humanitarian assistance through all phases of a disaster, from relief and recovery to development, including the provision of adequate resources;

Encourages all Member States to facilitate, to the extent possible, the transit of emergency humanitarian assistance and development assistance, provided in the context of international efforts, including in the phase from relief to development, in full accordance with the provisions of resolution 46/182 and the annex thereto, and in full respect of the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence, and their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law;

Reaffirms the leading role of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of the Secretariat as the focal point within the overall United Nations system for advocacy for and coordination of humanitarian assistance among United Nations humanitarian organizations and other humanitarian partners;

Welcomes the important contribution of the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination system and the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group to the effectiveness of humanitarian assistance, and the support provided to the coordination of national and international response in the field, and encourages the continued incorporation of experts from developing countries that are prone to natural disasters into those mechanisms;

Urges Member States, the United Nations system and other humanitarian actors to consider the specific and differentiated consequences of natural disasters both in rural and urban areas when designing and implementing disaster risk reduction, prevention and mitigation, preparedness, humanitarian assistance and early recovery strategies, giving special emphasis to addressing the needs of those living in rural and urban poor areas prone to natural disasters;

Recognizes that information and telecommunication technology can play an important role in disaster response, encourages Member States to develop emergency response telecommunication capacities and encourages the international community to assist the efforts of developing countries in this area, where needed, including in the recovery phase, and in this regard encourages Member States that have not acceded to or ratified the Tampere Convention on the Provision of Telecommunication Resources for Disaster Mitigation and Relief Operations to consider doing so;

Encourages the further use of space-based and ground-based remote-sensing technologies, including as provided by UN-SPIDER, as well as the sharing of geographical data, for the prevention, mitigation and management of natural disasters, where appropriate, and invites Member States to continue to provide their support to the consolidation of the United Nations capability in the area of satellite-derived geographical information for early warning, preparedness, response and early recovery;

Recognizes the opportunities for new technologies, when utilized in a coordinated fashion and based on humanitarian principles, potentially to improve the effectiveness and accountability of humanitarian response, and encourages Member States, the United Nations and its humanitarian partners to consider engaging, inter alia, with the volunteer and technical communities in order to make use of the variety of data and information available during emergencies and disaster risk efforts;

Encourages Member States, relevant United Nations organizations and international financial institutions to enhance the global capacity for sustainable post-disaster recovery in areas such as coordination with traditional and non-traditional partners, identification and dissemination of lessons learned, development of common tools and mechanisms for recovery needs assessment, strategy development and programming, and incorporation of risk reduction into all recovery processes, and welcomes the ongoing efforts to this end;

Encourages Member States and the United Nations system to support national initiatives that address the possible differentiated impacts of natural disasters on the affected population, including through the collection and analysis of data disaggregated, inter alia, by sex, age and disability, using, inter alia, the existing information provided by States, and through the development of tools, methods and procedures that will result in more timely and useful initial needs assessments;

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, and make further progress towards, common humanitarian needs assessments, to assess their performance in assistance and to ensure the most effective use of humanitarian resources by these organizations;

Stresses the importance of the full and equal participation of women in decision-making and of gender mainstreaming in developing and implementing disaster risk reduction, preparedness, response and recovery strategies, and in this regard requests the Secretary-General to continue ensuring that gender mainstreaming is better taken into account in all aspects of humanitarian responses and activities;

Encourages Member States and relevant regional and international organizations to identify and improve the dissemination of best practices for improving disaster preparedness, response and early recovery and to scale up successful local initiatives, as appropriate;

Requests the United Nations humanitarian and development organizations to improve their coordination of disaster recovery efforts, from relief to development, inter alia, by strengthening institutional, coordination and strategic planning efforts in disaster preparedness, resilience-building and recovery, in support of national authorities, and by ensuring that development actors participate in strategic planning at an early stage;

Calls upon the United Nations system and other humanitarian actors to improve the dissemination of tools and services to support enhanced disaster risk reduction, in particular preparedness, and early recovery;

Calls upon relevant United Nations humanitarian and development organizations, in consultation with Member States, to strengthen tools and mechanisms to ensure that early recovery needs and support are integrated into the planning and implementation of disaster preparedness, humanitarian response and development cooperation activities, as appropriate;

Encourages the United Nations system and humanitarian organizations to continue their efforts to mainstream early recovery into humanitarian programming, acknowledges that early recovery should receive further funding, and encourages the provision of timely, flexible and predictable funding for early recovery, including through established humanitarian instruments;

Encourages the United Nations system and other relevant humanitarian and development actors to support humanitarian coordinators and resident coordinators, in order to strengthen their capacity, inter alia, to support the host Government in implementing preparedness measures and to coordinate preparedness activities of country teams in support of national efforts, and also encourages the United Nations system and other relevant humanitarian actors to further strengthen the ability to quickly and flexibly deploy humanitarian professionals to support Governments and country teams in the immediate aftermath of a disaster;

Emphasizes the need to mobilize adequate, flexible and sustainable resources for recovery, preparedness and disaster risk reduction activities in order to ensure predictable and timely access to resources for humanitarian assistance in emergencies resulting from disasters associated with natural hazards;

Welcomes the achievements of the Central Emergency Response Fund and its contribution to the promotion and enhancement of early humanitarian response, calls upon all Member States and invites the private sector and all concerned individuals and institutions to consider increasing voluntary contributions to the Fund, including, when possible, through multi-year and early commitments, 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;

Invites Member States, the private sector and all concerned individuals and institutions to consider voluntary contributions to other humanitarian funding mechanisms;

Requests the Secretary-General to continue to improve the international response to natural disasters and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session, and to include in his report recommendations on how to ensure that humanitarian assistance is provided in ways supportive of the transition from relief to development.

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Who created this mandate?

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What does this mandate say?

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