FINANCIAL BILL FOR DISASTERS SOARING, RELIEF FUNDS INADEQUATE FOR TASK OF ECONOMIC, SOCIAL REHABILITATION

Press Release
GA/EF/2889

FINANCIAL BILL FOR DISASTERS SOARING, RELIEF FUNDS INADEQUATE FOR TASK OF ECONOMIC, SOCIAL REHABILITATION

Speakers In Debate On Disaster-Reduction Decade Stress ‘Indissoluble’ Link of Prevention, Sustainable Development

It was wrong to believe that natural disasters were single physical events with catastrophic consequences; they were as much societal as physical events, the Director of the Disaster Reduction Division of the Department of Humanitarian Affairs told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) this morning as it considered the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR).

In 1998, natural disasters had caused economic losses amounting to $90 billion, stated Philippe Boulle. However, contributions for disaster reduction had only represented about two per cent of the total relief aid provided by donor countries. If those trends continued, no country in the world would be able to afford the cost of reconstruction of their economies and of their social fabric, if they were hit by a major hazard for which they were not at all prepared. Disaster reduction was a long-term activity which could not be installed overnight in a country or region. It required a truly global, interdisciplinary approach.

Speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 developing countries and China, the representative of Guyana said that the effect of natural disasters could be mitigated through a proactive and concerted approach with the involvement of all sectors in planning, preparedness, prevention, relief and rehabilitation. More importantly, the international community should treat the issue as a question of sustainable development rather than just a humanitarian concern. The international community was urged to increase its financial contributions to the Natural Disaster Reduction Trust Fund, and for the further development of and transfer of technology to developing countries. In addition, an inter-agency secretariat on natural disaster reduction should be established by 1 January 2000.

The Mexican representative, speaking on behalf of the Rio Group of Latin American countries, said that global experience over the Decade had highlighted the urgent need for moving from the reactive stage to placing greater emphasis on prevention. Latin America and the

Second Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/EF/2889 33rd Meeting (AM) 8 November 1999

Caribbean had recently suffered from great loss of life and material damage resulting from Hurricane Mitch and the El Niño phenomenon. In that context, it was important to establish, as soon as possible, an international centre for research on El Niño in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), the representative of Antigua and Barbuda said that island nations in the Caribbean were experiencing some of the worst storm seasons in history –- storms of increasing frequency and ferocity. The smallness and isolation of small island developing States (SIDS), combined with narrow resource bases and dependence on vulnerable sectors like agriculture and tourism, left those countries severely exposed. Avoiding or diminishing the impacts of natural disasters was an absolute imperative for those countries. Advanced early warning systems using satellite-derived data and Internet dissemination were essential, as was the need to train and improve capacities.

Clearly, the impact of the advocacy and capacity-building work of the Decade and its partners had not been as successful in some regions as in others, South Africa’s representative said. The comparison between the excellent work on the El Niño phenomenon, as opposed to the modest gains made on the African continent, served to underscore that point. His country would support efforts to arrange an African symposium to work towards a concrete African Plan of Action, which would set out realistic measures and policies to strengthen disaster reduction capacities at the local, national, subregional and regional levels in Africa.

Also this morning, the Committee heard the introduction of two draft resolutions by the representatives of Guyana, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, on women in development and high-level international intergovermental consideration of financing for development.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Finland (on behalf of the European Union and associated States), United States, Russian Federation, Norway, Bangladesh, Ecuador, Turkey, Colombia, Thailand, Jamaica, Nicaragua and San Marino. The representative of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Observer of Switzerland also addressed the Committee.

The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. to conclude its discussion of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction.

Committee Work Programme

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) met this morning to begin its consideration of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR)(1990-1999). It had before it the report of the Secretary-General on recommendations on institutional arrangements for disaster reduction activities of the United Nations system after the conclusion of the Decade (document A/54/136- E/1999/89), which is intended to contribute to the Economic and Social Council's deliberations on the future arrangements for natural disaster reduction within the United Nations system. It is composed of three sections -- the IDNDR mandate, achievements of the Decade and recommendations for the future. A list of regional and thematic IDNDR meetings held between June 1998 and June 1999 is annexed to the report.

According to the report, the strategic focus at the start of the Decade was on disaster reduction through the scientific understanding of natural disasters, the assessment of their damage potential and the mitigation and reduction of damage through technical assistance and technology transfer, education and training. The mid-term review introduced new strategies for the second half of the Decade. Thus, the Decade placed greater emphasis on social sciences and economics; focused on the development of public policy, including legislation and national policies for disaster reduction; intensified regional and subregional approaches; and shifted from emergency preparedness to the reduction of vulnerability and risk. Overall, more effort was put into the promotion of concrete applications of science and technology for disaster reduction.

A final assessment of the Decade, states the report, must take into account the possible evolution of disaster reduction in the twenty-first century. On the one hand, changes in the need for disaster reduction will be determined by the changing patterns of natural hazards, their future potential for association with technological disasters or political conflicts, and shifts in the socio-economic and demographic trends. On the other hand, new technological tools and their wider availability will potentially alter the nature of disaster reduction. Disasters occur when natural, technical and human-induced phenomena impact on vulnerable socio-economic systems. Human behaviour patterns can be influenced and therefore, vulnerability can be reduced. This makes disaster reduction not a random choice but a moral imperative. Also, the cost-effectiveness of disaster reduction makes it a strategic imperative as well.

According to the report, the Secretary-General believes that future arrangements must provide optimal conditions for the non-operational inter-agency nature of natural disaster advocacy. It should also facilitate the continuing dialogue with both the humanitarian assistance and sustainable development constituencies, and foster synergies and complementarity between the two. Further, it should afford high visibility for the goals of disaster reduction within the framework of the United Nations. The Secretary-General believes that these conditions are best realized by establishing an inter-agency task force on natural disaster reduction, and by placing the proposed inter-agency secretariat as a distinct entity integrated within the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, under the responsibility of the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs. The inter-agency secretariat would be financed from extrabudgetary resources, through a trust fund.

Also before the Committee is the report of the Secretary-General on activities of the IDNDR (document A/54/132-E/1999/80 and Add.1) on achievements in the implementation of the programme of the Decade. The Assembly had established both a clearly structured functional platform and institutional base, as well as a 10-year programme of action, guided by the overall objective of reducing -- through concerted international action -- loss of life, property damage and the social and economic disruption caused by natural disasters. It was built around five main goals. First, to improve the capacity of each country to mitigate the effects of natural disasters expeditiously and effectively, paying special attention to assisting developing countries in the assessment of disaster damage potential and in the establishment of early warning systems and disaster-resistant structures, when and where needed.

The second goal, the report continues, was to devise appropriate guidelines and strategies for applying existing scientific and technical knowledge, taking into account the cultural and economic diversity among nations. Third, to foster scientific and engineering endeavours aimed at closing critical gaps in knowledge to reduce loss of life and property. Fourth, to disseminate existing and new information related to measures for the assessment, prediction and mitigation of natural disasters. Finally, to develop measures for the assessment, prediction, prevention and mitigation of natural disasters through programmes of technical assistance and technology transfer, demonstration projects, and education and training, tailored to specific disasters and locations, and to evaluate the effectiveness of such programmes.

To evaluate progress in disaster reduction made by the Decade, identify trends in natural hazards likely to project related risks into the twenty-first century and shape future directions for sustained international and interdisciplinary commitment to disaster reduction, the Decade launched a 1998-1999 plan of action at the end of 1997, according to the report. The plan of action focused on concrete goals in the fields of continued advocacy, development of policies and coordination of institutional capacities. The report also includes information on selected activities at the regional level and of the United Nations agencies. The conclusions emanating from the implementation of the Decade's 10-year programme of disaster reduction cover the following areas: poverty; megacities and urban areas; communities; awareness; warnings; information; education and training; partnerships; risk management; health; climate variability; environment and ecosystems; research; land-use planning; building codes and practices; loss data; and framework.

The addendum to the report contains the final report of the Scientific and Technical Committee of the IDNDR. The Committee assesses progress during the Decade, and provides concluding observations about future needs as well as recommendations for arrangements to ensure continued international commitment for disaster prevention into the twenty-first century. It provides a summary review of salient developments in primary areas of disaster reduction. Also, it highlights how scientific knowledge and technical experience can best be utilized in conjunction with public policies to minimize social disruption and economic loss from natural and similar disasters which have an adverse effect on the environment.

However, the pace of implementation must be enhanced, says the report; as the subject becomes embedded in more professional disciplines and intersectoral forms of endeavour. The need is urgent as the costs of disaster consequences to societies around the world continue to rise, and as conditions of natural hazards are likely to produce more frequent and severe risks for the future. The need for sustained commitment to disaster prevention is universal and of importance to all societies, but the greatest impacts of natural hazards continue to fall on developing countries, countries in transition and the poor, wherever they may live. The report concludes that remarkable progress has been made in the acceptance of the desirability and feasibility of prevention policies, and numerous activities promote multidisciplinary commitments to effective disaster reduction.

Lastly, the Committee had before it the report of the Secretary-General on international cooperation to reduce the impact of the El Niño phenomenon (document A/54/135-E/1999/88). The Inter-Agency Task Force on El Niño, created in December 1997, has provided member agencies and their partner agencies outside the United Nations system with a platform for combining their efforts to improve understanding of the El Niño phenomenon, disseminating early warnings on the 1997-1998 event and channelling technical assistance and capacity-building resources to Member States threatened or affected by El Nino-related disaster impacts. While the unprecedented strength of the 1997-1998 El Niño event presented a great challenge to the disaster reduction community, it also provided new opportunities for international cooperation, spurred by an increasing scientific understanding of the climate system and new developments in climate observations technology and telecommunications.

According to the report, the first intergovernmental seminar on the 1997-1998 El Niño event was held at Guayaquil, Ecuador, from 9 to 13 November 1998. In assessing the efficacy of disaster prevention on the basis of early warning information in various stages of the El Niño event, the seminar reached consensus on the need for more complete atmospheric and oceanographic monitoring to improve the modelling of El Niño and the precision of the forecasts. There was also agreement on the need to "socialize" the information disseminated. The Declaration of Guayaquil contained a number of recommendations on the way forward.

In view of the very serious potential for damage, both in terms of human suffering and economic losses, efforts should be made to intensify and/or extend observations of climate oscillation systems in the three large ocean basins, and to further develop existing El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) prediction skills, based on improved modelling. As compared with ENSO events in the past, there has probably never been as much information available at low cost, mainly as a result of the ever-increasing use of the Internet and the World Wide Web. Despite the existence of this rich source of information, it has not always been easily interpreted by user communities due to lack of processing and adaptation to their specific needs.

The Task Force has clearly shown the immense value of concerted action among United Nations system partners and their non-United Nations counterparts within the framework of IDNDR in advocacy, coordination of action and the wide dissemination of information. The Secretary-General invites the Economic and Social Council and the Assembly not only to safeguard appropriate successor arrangements for disaster prevention but also to ensure continuation of the work of the Task Force, which would probably be renamed the Inter-Agency Task Force on ENSO.

Also before the Committee was the report of the Secretary-General on IDNDR: successor arrangements (document A/54/497), which complements the other reports by the Secretary-General. It focuses on the specific arrangements that the Economic and Social Council requested the Secretary-General to put in place. In particular, it presents the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction which will serve as a framework for the future activities of the United Nations system in this area. It also describes the organizational measures to be taken to implement Economic and Social Council resolution 1999/63, including the establishment of an inter-agency task force and a secretariat which would be in place by 1 January 2000. The Secretary-General emphasizes the increasing vulnerability of societies to natural hazards, and the importance of adopting preventive strategies and practical measures to reduce the potential loss of human lives resulting from natural disasters.

According to the report, the Secretary-General appeals to all Governments, in particular Governments in a position to do so, to increase the level of their support to national, regional and international programmes for disaster reduction, and to establish a better balance between their expenditures on relief activities and those on prevention activities. Annexed to the report is the proposed secretariat for the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.

Draft Resolutions

The Committee was also expected to hear the introduction of two draft resolutions by Guyana, on behalf of the Group of 77 developing countries and China. By the terms of the text on women in development (document A/C.2/54/L.21), the Assembly would call for the speedy and effective implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and the relevant provisions contained in the outcomes of all other major United Nations conferences and summits and, in this regard, express the hope that the special session of the Assembly on questions and issues related to women scheduled for the year 2000 can take tangible and significant steps to enhance the effective participation of women in development. It would call on Governments to promote, inter alia through legislation, family-friendly and gender- sensitive work environments and also to promote the facilitation of breastfeeding for working mothers.

Further, the Assembly would call on the international community to implement policies to ensure the stabilization of capital flows in order to prevent excess volatility and economic disruption which have a disproportionately negative impact on women, and to enhance trade opportunities for developing countries in order to improve the economic conditions of women. It would also call on developed countries to strengthen their efforts to achieve, as soon as possible, the agreed target of 0.7 per cent of their gross national product for overall official development assistance (ODA) and, where agreed, within that target to earmark 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of gross national product for the least developed countries (LDCs), so as to enable the developing countries to implement strategies to eradicate poverty, promote productive employment and achieve gender equality. Further, the Assembly would call on the United Nations system to integrate gender mainstreaming into all its programmes and policies, including in the integrated follow up to United Nations conferences, in accordance with agreed conclusions 1997/2 on gender mainstreaming adopted by the Economic and Social Council at its substantive session of 1997.

The text on high-level international intergovernmental consideration of financing for development (document A/C.2/54/L.25), would have the Assembly decide to convene a high-level International Conference on Financing for Development, to be held in the year 2001, and would invite Member States to consider offering to host the International Conference on Financing for Development.

The Assembly would also decide to establish an open-ended intergovernmental Preparatory Committee to carry out the substantive preparations for the high-level International Conference. Further, it would decide to constitute a Bureau, with equitable representation from each region, to be presided by two Co-Chairman, and that the first organizational session of the Preparatory Committee would be held no later than early February 2000 to elect the Bureau, and, in this regard, requests the President of the General Assembly to begin consultations with Member States.

Further, the Assembly would request the Secretary-General and the Bureau to submit proposals to the Preparatory Committee at a resumed organizational session, in close consultation with Member States and all stakeholders, on the modalities of participation of the latter in the preparatory process and the International Conference, including within the context of paragraph 20 of the report of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group of the General Assembly on Financing for Development, and paragraphs 17 and 18 of Economic and Social Council resolution 1999/51.

Furthermore, the Assembly would decide that the resumed organizational session of the Preparatory Committee will be held in March/April 2000 to consider the following, on the basis of chapter IV of the report of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group of the General Assembly on Financing for Development and on proposals to be submitted by the Secretary-General and the Bureau: a. the timing, duration and format of the International Conference; b. clarification and finalization of the agenda; c. Modalities of participation of institutional stakeholders, within and outside the United Nations system, notably the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other relevant entities; d. Modalities of participation of other stakeholders, notably non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector; e. The programme of work of the Preparatory Committee.

Also, the Assembly would call on the regional commissions, regional banks and other relevant regional entities to provide inputs for consideration by the Preparatory Committee, and would request the same from the UNCTAD. Further, the Assembly would request the Secretary-General, in close consultation with all Member States, to provide the Preparatory Committee and the International Conference with an adequately staffed secretariat under his authority, headed by a high-level personality, and with requisite resources, and also requests the Secretary-General to inform the Preparatory Committee at its first organizational session on the action taken in this regard. It would also request the Secretary-General to report to the Assembly at its fifty-fifth session on the implementation of the present resolution and on the overall preparations for the International Conference on Financing for Development.

Introduction of Draft Resolutions

DONNETTE CRITCHLOW (Guyana), speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, introduced the draft resolution on women in development. She said that gender equality was fundamental to the achievement of sustainable development. However, some women were unable to achieve their full potential and thus contribute to development. The Group was submitting the text taking those issues under consideration.

GEORGE TALBOT (Guyana), also speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, introduced the draft resolution on high-level international intergovernmental consideration of financing for development. Over the past two years, he said, the General Assembly and the Second Committee had been fully seized of the issue of financing for development and had made appreciable progress together, notably in the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group, for laying the basis for further deliberations on the issue. The Working Group had provided an important framework for further decision-making on the question, particularly on the form, agenda and preparatory process for the event. The present text sought to build on that progress.

Introduction of Reports

PHILIPPE BOULLE, Director of the Disaster Reduction Division of the Department of Humanitarian Affairs, introduced the reports of the Secretary-General on the Implementation of Economic and Social Council resolution 99/63 on successor arrangements to the IDNDR (Document A/54/497) and on International cooperation to reduce the impact of the El Niño Phenomenon (Document A/54/135). He said that after 10 years of the IDNDR, the view that natural disasters were single physical events with catastrophic consequences was wrong -- disasters, in our complex world, were as much societal as physical events. The effects of disasters caused serious damage to the social and economic infrastructure of developing countries in particular, and thus hampered their sustainable development processes.

Disaster reduction was a long-term activity which could not be installed overnight in a country or region, he said. Land-use planning policies, building codes, flood-control management and climate and weather monitoring took time to put in place. In 1998, natural disasters had caused economic losses amounting to $90 billion. However, contributions for disaster reduction had only represented about two per cent of the total relief aid provided by donor countries. If those trends continued, no country in the world would be able to afford the cost of reconstruction of their economies and of their social fabric, if they were hit by a major hazard for which they were not at all prepared.

A truly global, interdisciplinary way of thinking about the problem was needed, he said. Within the context of IDNDR, some initiatives were undertaken, such as the Risk Assessment Tools for Diagnosis of Urban Areas against Seismic Disasters (RADIUS), the Early Warning Action Plan for the Future, and the Inter- Agency Task Force on El Niño. That taskforce brought together all relevant sectors inside and outside the United Nations system that provided the necessary scientific, technical or operational expertise.

The goals of the Inter-Agency Task Force for Disaster Reduction would be to devise strategies and policies for the reduction of natural hazards, identify gaps in existing policies and programmes, ensure complementarity of action by agencies, provide policy guidance to the secretariat and convene ad hoc meetings of experts on disaster reduction-related issues. It was of the greatest importance to ensure that the Task Force covered all members of the global disaster reduction constituencies, and should include organizations of the United Nations system, members of civil society, in particular from the scientific community and regional representatives.

DONNETTE CRITCHLOW (Guyana), speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 developing countries and China, said that 90 per cent of disaster victims worldwide lived in developing countries. A single natural disaster could eliminate years of economic growth and result in tremendous human loss and suffering. Natural disasters struck with increasing frequency and severity, yet the contribution of the international community to emergency aid funds had decreased significantly in comparison to previous decades. The effect of natural disasters could be mitigated through a proactive and concerted approach with the involvement of all sectors in planning, preparedness, prevention, relief and rehabilitation, she said. More importantly, that issue should be treated by the international community as a question of sustainable development rather than a humanitarian concern. Very limited financial resources were hampering advancement and effectiveness of disaster reduction efforts of developing countries, such as the International Decade of Natural Disaster Reduction committees.

An inter-agency secretariat on natural disaster reduction should be established by 1 January 2000, she said, and urged the international community to increase its financial contributions to the Natural Disaster Reduction Trust fund, and for the further development of and transfer of technology to developing countries with respect to disaster reduction. She also requested that the Secretary-General take all action necessary for the establishment of the International Research Centre on the El Niño Phenomenon in Ecuador, and urged the international community to provide financial, technical and scientific assistance so that the effects of that phenomenon would not again impact so severely upon its victims.

Statements

AIRA PAIVOKE (Finland), speaking on behalf of the European Union, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Cyprus and Malta, said that the Union agreed with the four main goals expressed in the Secretary-General’s report for the implementation of International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR). For it to be effective, it needed a well informed public as well as full commitment by authorities at all levels. The ISDR should and would serve as a platform for cooperation to achieve cost-effective and complementary efforts in prevention of disaster and mitigation of its impact.

She said that the successor arrangements of the Decade should remain under the direct authority of the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, and should draw on the experiences and lessons learned from the Decade. They should also be designed to develop and foster those synergies which were already built during the Decade, and keep the natural disaster reduction issue as an integral part of questions of overall development in the economic and social fields. An important link in that respect was the involvement and support of the United Nations Resident Coordinators at the country level. There still remained details to be worked out, such as how to accommodate the participation of interested Governments and individual experts. The successful functioning of the Task Force for Disaster Reduction was key in implementing the Strategy, as it was the main policy-making body and guidance provider to the Secretariat.

SIM FARAR (United States) said that as a result of the IDNDR, the international community was increasingly aware that natural disasters were a major threat to social and economic stability, and that disaster prevention was the main long-term solution to that threat. The United States hoped to increase long-term partnerships between and among governments, NGOs and the private sector, in developing and industrialized countries, in preventing and mitigating natural disasters.

He said that the growing impact of natural disasters demonstrated the need to further advance mitigation, through well-coordinated activities in the areas of advancing the frontiers of hazard mitigation science and technology, implementing programmes of education and training, monitoring hazards phenomena and providing early warning where possible, and promoting and implementing mitigation as an integral part of economic development. Addressing the scourge of the natural disasters that had afflicted humankind for countless generations was a worthy goal for a new era.

VASSILI NEBENZIA (Russian Federation) said that in 1998 more than 50,000 people died as a result of natural disasters, and the economic damage amounted to about $100 billion. Taking into account the wide experience accumulated by the United Nations during the Decade in the field of prevention and reduction of natural disasters, it was necessary to preserve that area of United Nations activities after 2001. Also, it was important to put greater emphasis on prevention and reduction of natural disasters and environmental and technological catastrophes, take comprehensive measures as an indispensable component of the sustainable development strategy, and assist in strengthening regional, subregional and national capacities in that field.

He reiterated his country’s support for the Economic and Social Council resolution on the Decade follow-up, adopted in July, with regard to institutional support of United Nations activities in the field. As the world was increasingly jeopardized by large-scale natural disasters and environmental and technological catastrophes, there was a growing need to involve new technologies in the resolution of issues related to prevention and elimination of the consequences of catastrophes. There was also the need to unite efforts of the international community, to exchange information, experiences and the results of scientific and applied research, to train personnel, as well as to involve existing national structures charged with responding to emergency situations.

MAURICIO ESCANERO (Mexico), speaking on behalf of the Rio Group of Latin American Countries, said that the global impact of natural disasters had recently increased with regard to the amount of people affected and the magnitude of damage done, as well as in their far-reaching economic and social repercussions. Global experience over the Decade had highlighted the urgent need for moving from the reactive stage to placing greater emphasis on prevention. To that end, the Foreign Ministers of the Rio Group, meeting in May in Mexico, felt it was important to launch regional cooperation and technical activities for natural disaster reduction. They had agreed that experts in the region would work on proposals for specific actions to contribute to risk reduction. At a recent summit in Rio de Janeiro, representative from Latin America and the Caribbean and the European Union agreed to develop a cooperation programme in the field of natural disaster reduction. They decided to establish an adequate system to take advantage of international assistance in all phases -– prevention, mitigation and rehabilitation and reconstruction.

Latin America and the Caribbean had recently suffered from great loss of life and material damage resulting from Hurricane Mitch and the El Niño phenomenon, he said. The current General Assembly should take the step forward in complying with past Assembly and Economic and Social Council resolutions in the field. The Group felt that it was important to establish, as soon as possible, an international centre for research on El Niño in Guayaquil, Ecuador. In creating an integrated international structure to deal with natural disasters, the United Nations was called on to play a fundamental role. It was urgent to have directories of national organizations of civil protection and inventories of materials to assist in dealing with natural disasters.

OLE PETER KOLBY (Norway) said that one of the most important lessons learned from dealing with the effects of natural disasters over the last decade was that coordination between all actors was essential. That was especially important in the field, when disasters struck and the international community had to respond immediately to save lives. However, close coordination was also vital in the planning process and in efforts to prevent disasters. The best results could only be achieved if everyone took on a share of the responsibility and joined in alliances and partnerships at all levels.

Changes in the need for disaster reduction would be determined by the changing patterns of natural hazards, he continued. On the other hand, new technological tools and their wider availability would potentially alter the nature of disaster reduction. While many lives had already been saved through improvements in monitoring, analytical and communications systems, further advances were possible and should be pursued. There was a need for increased information exchange, improved early warning capacities, technology transfer and cooperation among all countries, paying particular attention to the most vulnerable and affected.

In that context, he stressed the need for studies and measures to gain better understanding of the El Niño phenomenon. The international cooperative framework for disaster reduction should be maintained and strengthened. It should ensure partnership and synergy among all elements of risk management and disaster reduction, and should continue to promote a shift from a mentality of reaction to a culture of prevention.

SYED RAFIQUL HAQUE (Bangladesh) said that vulnerability to disasters could be greatly reduced through anticipatory preparedness, forecasts and quick and timely information dissemination of an impending disaster. Insufficient investment in disaster reduction led to much higher cost for humanitarian assistance and reconstruction in the wake of natural disasters. Disaster reduction investment was more cost-effective than the response in its aftermath.

He said that in the IDNDR, some goals had been achieved, like the establishment of national IDNDR committees, better threat assessment and a better understanding that natural disaster mitigation should become an integral part of overall development strategy. There was a distinct need to preserve the United Nations system’s ability to support disaster reduction efforts in Member States. A number of well thought-out steps should now be identified and implemented, to sustain the momentum generated by the Decade. There should be sufficient resource commitments on the part of development partners to derive the benefits from the wisdom gained in the Decade.

MARIO ALEMAN (Ecuador) said that natural disasters had had social and environmental effects on many regions of the world, in both rich and poor countries, but their effects had been greatest in developing countries. In Ecuador, great efforts had been made to overcome the impact of the last El Niño, but it had put the Country’s development back fifteen years. In the next millennium, the United Nations should continue to be the central platform for dealing with natural disasters, with interdisciplenary strategies to meet the goals of economic growth and sustained development. The establishment of an inter- institutional secretariat as an autonomous coordination centre, under the direct authority of the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, would be welcome.

He said that Ecuador had had the honour on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, of coordinating negotiations on previous resolutions on international coordination to reduce the impact of the El Niño phenomenon. Work on El Niño within the United Nations system had made it possible to come up with studies and scientific understanding of the phenomenon. The creation of an international centre to study the El Niño phenomenon was called for. It would coordinate all efforts to mitigate the future international impact of El Niño. He hoped that the United Nations and the international community would support the establishment of such a centre.

JENO C. A. STAEHELIN, Observer of Switzerland, said that the Decade had allowed the international community to take stock of the impact of natural disasters in terms of human suffering, as well as the cost in responding to such disasters and emergencies. The Decade had also helped to generate awareness of the need for governmental preventive measures to be put into place. Switzerland attributed much importance to the continuation of the important work carried out during the Decade.

In July, during the substantive segment of the session of the Economic and Social Council, his country had indicated that the mandate given to the Decade was still relevant, and that a coordinated system should be set up within the United Nations system. The establishment of a coordinated system would facilitate natural disaster reduction and mitigate the effects. That structure should take into account the national and international dimensions of natural disasters and the need for a defined long-term approach, and should function as a skills-based structure and the inter-agency focal point for natural disaster reduction.

Switzerland believed that, with regard to the composition of the special inter-agency team, the nominations of representatives of civil society should be carried out by the scientific communities of respective countries. In addition, the composition of the secretariat should take into consideration the diversity of United Nations members. His country held high esteem for the International Strategy for Natural Disaster Reduction and recognized the value of the work carried out by the Decade. As of 1990, it had staunchly supported the Decade in the form of financial contributions and the availability of international staff.

PATRICK ALBERT LEWIS (Antigua and Barbuda), speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), said that island nations in the Caribbean were experiencing some of the worst storm seasons in history –- storms of increasing frequency and ferocity. Island countries were prone to extremely damaging natural disasters, whether hurricanes, cyclones, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, droughts, floods or landslides. The smallness and isolation of small island developing States (SIDS), combined with narrow resource bases and dependence on vulnerable sectors like agriculture and tourism, left those countries severely exposed.

For island nations, avoiding or diminishing the impacts of natural disasters was an absolute imperative, he said. Advanced early-warning systems using satellite-derived data and Internet dissemination were essential, as was the need to train and improve capacities. Greater efforts to establish contingency planning and other preparedness measures for disaster-prone countries were also of great importance. Active cooperation at all levels; national, regional and international, particularly for early response mitigation and rehabilitation, was vital.

FEZA OZTURK (Turkey) said that disaster mitigation was the wide range of interconnected activities which, when mainstreamed into all aspects of a society’s development, collectively reduced its vulnerability to risk. Those aspects ranged from building codes to drawing up and committing to nationwide contingency plans. The effectiveness of the legal basis of the building codes and the stringency with which they were applied, were as important as having reliable codes.

The earthquake which struck Turkey last August had demonstrated serious insufficiencies in the levels of preparedness of the country, he said. While it was true that the magnitude of the earthquake -- its duration, and the fact that its epicentre was in a densely populated area all conspired to make it difficult for any level of preparedness to cope with the disaster -- the calamity could have been met with less dire consequences. That would have meant a stricter implementation of building codes and better articulated emergency plans. It would also have meant more resources being allocated to disaster mitigation, emergency search and rescue efforts, and rehabilitation schemes.

The United Nations must continue to offer both organizational and material support to Member States, given the fact that natural disasters kept claiming lives and destroying property in all corners of the globe, he said. Also, he expressed pleasure at having received overwhelming support for the Turkish-Greek draft resolution on cooperation in establishing a joint emergency response capability, to complement the Organization’s present humanitarian and emergency response systems.

ALFONSO VALDIVIESO (Colombia) said that his country had adopted a permanent strategy of prevention to respond to the urgent needs of facing, in an organized manner, the uncountable social and economic problems caused by natural disasters that had hit Colombia during the last decades. In 1997, the Government had adopted the National Plan on Natural Disaster Prevention, which contained policies, actions and programmes, with sectoral as well as national, regional and local characteristics. The Plan included financial, educational and research aspects in the field of disaster prevention. Domestic efforts had been supplemented through the implementation of international cooperation programmes.

The reduction of natural disasters should be maintained under the study of environment and sustainable development issues, he said, as the relationship between natural disasters and sustainable development was evident. Also, it should be an integral part of the sustainable development strategies designed by the United Nations and other international organizations. “Therefore, the more we invest in prevention, the less we will pay for humanitarian assistance and reconstruction.” Colombia supported the establishment of a United Nations task force to work, in cooperation with regional representatives and members of the scientific and technical community, on a permanent basis, on matters related to natural disaster reduction. The task force should provide guidelines on how to implement the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.

CHUCHAI KASEMSARN (Thailand) said that it was vital to sustain the momentum of the progress generated by the IDNDR and to follow up all the initiatives developed in the past 10 0years. Thailand’s disaster strategies, incorporated into its current five-year National Economic and Social Development Plan, encompassed training of volunteers, dissemination of information and inclusion of the issue in the school curricula. The strategy also aimed at promoting the participation and involvement of local authorities and communities, with a view to better coordination and more efficient implementation of the action plan and disaster relief.

He said that his country’s concern with disaster management and prevention extended to the international sphere. It would co-sponsor the resolution jointly initiated by Greece and Turkey on Emergency Response to Disasters. Natural and man-made disaster mitigation and reduction required collective efforts because they posed a common threat to humankind. The means to mitigate their impact on a greater number of people and a larger number of countries were available. It was to be hoped that the appropriate technology could be harnessed and a strong spirit of international and regional cooperation cultivated, so as to keep to a minimum the devastating consequences of natural disasters.

D.D.C. DON NANJIRA, Representative to the United Nations of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), said that this morning’s debate had hammered home the imperative of prevention. Practically every speaker had mentioned prevention. Another imperative was that of ownership. It was better to turn fish- eaters into competent fisherman than to give them fish to eat. Complete involvement of the local communities was of the utmost importance. Seventy-five per cent of natural disasters were climate- and weather-related.

As the authoritative and informed scientific voice for meteorology, the WMO played an active role in international efforts to reduce and prevent the negative effects of natural disasters. The WMO’s actions and contributions to the cause of natural disaster preparedness, mitigation and prevention had included capacity- building through training, seminars and education for disaster-prone countries, institutions and peoples, and staging of activities to promote public awareness of the importance of disaster prevention. Implementation of the Economic and Social Council and General Assembly resolutions on natural disaster reduction, including resolutions on the El Niño and La Niña phenomena, were also part of its work.

He said that the WMO would continue to undertake and perform natural disaster reduction activities in Member States, and to collaborate with interested and concerned United Nations systems and other entities. Those activities would include: provision of tropical cyclone forecasting and warning services; continuing the benefits attained through IDNDR; and assisting national meteorological and hydrological services in executing their roles in disaster reduction and prevention, through training and improved capacities in public weather services and projects; and maintaining close cooperation with the IDNDR secretariat, and coordination with the IDNDR disaster mitigation efforts to save lives and property of populations around the globe.

PATRICIA DURRANT (Jamaica) said that although the Decade might have ended, the occurrence and impact of natural disasters had not. The successor arrangements were therefore a recognition of the need to continue focusing on natural disaster preparedness, reduction and awareness. It was also a recognition of the fact that disasters should be fully integrated into the sustainable development strategies of the United Nations and other international organizations. Jamaica fully supported the establishment of the inter-agency task force in January 2000, and was pleased that the existing inter-agency secretariat function would be maintained and would be the focal point for the task force. She hoped that the trust fund would receive the requisite contributions to ensure that the secretariat would continue its work effectively. Cooperation and the provision of resources was one of the means for promoting and ensuring long-term sustainability, equipping developing countries to deal with the effects of disasters.

Jamaica’s development had been strongly affected by natural disasters over its entire history, she said. Its efforts to address the problems resulting from disasters had evolved out of a realization that losses due to disasters might have been reduced if available technology and scientific data had been used optimally, if engineering standards had been rigidly enforced and if there had been greater appreciation of vulnerabilities at the local and national levels. Against the background of national and regional action, Jamaica saw a continued, prominent and complementary role for the United Nations system in natural disaster preparedness, mitigation and reduction. It was crucial that the Task Force continue the global progress on disaster reduction. It was also crucial that global efforts at disaster reduction be pursued, in light of the potential increase in the magnitude of disasters due to the effects of climate change.

HAIKO ALFELD (South Africa) said that his country had changed its approach to natural disasters from a reactive one to one based on prevention, vulnerability reduction, mitigation and preparedness. Clearly, the impact of the advocacy and capacity-building work of the IDNDR and its partners had not been as successful in some regions as in others. The comparison between the excellent work on the El Niño phenomenon, as opposed to the modest gains made on the African continent, served to underscore that point.

Several African countries had managed to initiate wide-ranging disaster reduction policies and strategies, he said. However, huge gaps remained, particularly with regard to the establishment of regional and subregional approaches. His country would support efforts to arrange an African symposium to work towards a concrete African plan of action. The plan would set out realizable, realistic measures and policies to strengthen disaster reduction capacities at the local, national, subregional and regional levels in Africa.

ALFONSO ORTEGA URBINA (Nicaragua) said that his country was one of the Central American nations most frequently affected by natural disasters. He was grateful for the opportune assistance provided by the United Nations in mitigating the effects of Hurricane Mitch. The effects of natural disasters impacted most severely on the economically deprived sectors of society, affecting housing and agriculture -- the basis of Nicaragua’s economy. Natural disasters, including Hurricane Mitch, had thrown the country’s economy back many years and had brought a halt to the development process. Nicaragua supported the ideas that emerged from the International Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction, held in Yokohama in 1994, especially on the indissoluble link between natural disaster reduction and sustainable development.

His country was inadequately prepared to mitigate the effects of natural disasters, and therefore unable to guarantee better living standards for its people, he continued. Climate change had led to drought and torrential rain, and Nicaragua was doing all it could to respond to such situations. Better technology, increased knowledge and improved early-warning systems were needed. In addition, the cooperation of the international community, which possessed that type of technology, was necessary.

ENRICA TADDEI (San Marino) said that in 1998 the world experienced a wide range of natural disasters, from earthquakes to floods, from hurricanes to storms. Those disasters could hardly be called "natural", since most of them were in fact man-made. If man played a part in causing or worsening the effect of natural disasters, he could also have a role in preventing them or mitigating their effects. Even though disasters did not occur only in poor countries, the poor were the ones who suffered the most, since disasters contributed to exacerbate poverty. A holistic approach should be adopted. Disaster reduction strategies should be combined with poverty alleviation and social and economic development. The project launched by the United Nations Educational and Scientific Organization (UNESCO) project in 1997 in the Philippines showed that in creating a culture of disaster prevention, it was necessary to involve the general public, not only the scientific community. The delegation of Mexico had proposed national listings of civil-protection organizations, with updated inventories of available resources to help in disasters, and handbooks on the effective management of international cooperation. Expressing support for that proposal, he said that that was what the United Nations was called to do in the matter. Cooperation among States concerned was also essential. Preventing and mitigating the effects of natural disasters was a task involving efforts by the international community as a whole.

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