The General Assembly,
Reaffirming its resolution 46/182 of 19 December 1991 and the annex thereto, in particular the section on the guiding principles, as well as those sections concerning prevention, preparedness, stand-by capacity, consolidated appeals, coordination, cooperation and leadership and continuum from relief to rehabilitation and development,
Deeply concerned about the magnitude and ruinous effects of disasters and emergency situations, which call, inter alia, for more international cooperation to mitigate the human suffering of their victims and to expedite the rehabilitation and reconstruction processes,
Underlining the need for an adequate, coordinated and prompt response by the international community to disasters and emergency situations,
Noting the increasing number and complexity of disasters and humanitarian emergencies,
Also underlining the need for availability of adequate financial resources to ensure a prompt response by the United Nations to humanitarian emergency situations,
Welcoming the establishment of the Department of Humanitarian Affairs and the appointment of an Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, as envisaged in resolution 46/182,
Emphasizing the importance of the primary role of the Emergency Relief Coordinator, including with the support of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, in ensuring better preparation for, as well as rapid and coherent response to, natural disasters and other emergencies, in particular emergencies involving the supply of food, medicines, shelter and health care, taking into account the need to promote, in close collaboration with concerned agencies and international financial institutions, a smooth transition from relief to rehabilitation, reconstruction and development,
Stressing the need for adequate protection of personnel involved in humanitarian operations, in accordance with relevant norms and principles of international law and within the context of General Assembly resolution 47/120 of 18 December 1992,
Encouraging the Secretary-General to continue discussions with Governments and the organizations of the United Nations system on various issues related to United Nations involvement in complex and dangerous emergencies in terms of the measures set forth in paragraph 76 of his report,
1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;
2. Emphasizes the leadership role of the Secretary-General in ensuring the rapid and coordinated response of the United Nations system to humanitarian emergencies, including in mobilizing the necessary resources, and invites all concerned operational organizations and agencies to continue to extend their full support for the full implementation of General Assembly resolution 46/182;
3. Invites those States in a position to do so to consider increasing the resources of the Central Emergency Revolving Fund based on voluntary contributions, in order to assist further the United Nations system in its efforts to respond rapidly to humanitarian emergencies, and calls upon those that have already pledged contributions to the Fund urgently to fulfil their commitments;
4. Calls upon potential donors to adopt the necessary measures to increase and expedite their contributions, including setting aside, on a stand-by basis, financial and other resources that can be disbursed quickly to the United Nations system in response to the consolidated appeals of the Secretary-General;
5. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to examine all possible ways and means to provide adequate qualified personnel and administrative resources to the Department of Humanitarian Affairs from within existing resources of the regular budget of the United Nations and, where appropriate, through the secondment of national humanitarian disaster relief experts;
6. Also requests the Secretary-General, in his annual report on the coordination of humanitarian emergency assistance, to review the effectiveness and achievements of the new institutional arrangements of the United Nations humanitarian assistance system, including the arrangements for the functioning between Headquarters offices and at the field level, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 46/182, as well as the progress made in the implementation of that resolution and the present resolution and to make appropriate recommendations as to how to give full effect to the provisions of these resolutions;
7. Further requests the Secretary-General, after consultations with Governments and United Nations organs and specialized agencies, to report on arrangements between the United Nations and interested Governments and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations that would enable the United Nations to have more expeditious access, when necessary, to their emergency relief capacities, including food reserves, emergency stockpiles and personnel, as well as logistical support;
8. Requests the Secretary-General, after consultations with Governments, to report on ways and means to improve further United Nations capability in the areas of prevention and preparedness in relation to natural disasters and other emergencies, in particular emergencies involving food, medicines, shelter and health care, as provided for in General Assembly resolution 46/182;
9. Also requests the Secretary-General to explore the possibilities, advantages and disadvantages of the establishment of warehouses for emergency items at the regional as well as global levels, taking into account existing facilities, and to report thereon in his next annual report;
10. Further requests the Secretary-General to submit his annual report on the coordination of humanitarian emergency assistance to the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session and to present an oral report to the Economic and Social Council at its substantive session of 1993.
93rd plenary meeting
22 December 1992
