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

A/RES/71/128View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 69a Strengthening of the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance of the United Nations, published in 2017.

What other versions does this mandate have?

27 versions · 2000–2025

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

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2025	A/RES/80/113	International cooperation on humanitarian assistance in the field of natural disasters, from relief to development	9,282	99%Compare
2024	A/RES/79/139	International cooperation on humanitarian assistance in the field of natural disasters, from relief to development	9,281	94%Compare
2023	A/RES/78/120	International cooperation on humanitarian assistance in the field of natural disasters, from relief to development	8,801	99%Compare
2022	A/RES/77/29	International cooperation on humanitarian assistance in the field of natural disasters, from relief to development	8,758	93%Compare
2021	A/RES/76/128	International cooperation on humanitarian assistance in the field of natural disasters, from relief to development	8,160	94%Compare

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

23 reports · 2002–2025

Year	Symbol	Title	Mandate resolution
2025	A/80/390	International cooperation on humanitarian assistance in the field of natural disasters, from relief to development report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/79/139
2024	A/79/369	International cooperation on humanitarian assistance in the field of natural disasters, from relief to development report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/78/120
2023	A/78/360	International cooperation on humanitarian assistance in the field of natural disasters, from relief to development report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/77/29
2022	A/77/361	International cooperation on humanitarian assistance in the field of natural disasters, from relief to development report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/76/128
2021	A/76/376	International cooperation on humanitarian assistance in the field of natural disasters, from relief to development report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/75/124

What subjects does this mandate have?

7 subjects

Aid Coordination Disaster Preparedness Disaster Prevention Disaster Relief Displaced Persons International Cooperation Natural Disasters

What’s in this document?

72 operative paragraphs

Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;⁷

⁷A/71/329.

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

Reaffirms the importance of implementing the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030,2 to ensure the substantial reduction of disaster risk and losses in lives, livelihoods and health and in the economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental assets of persons, businesses, communities and countries, and underlines the importance of tackling the underlying disaster risk drivers and of integrating a disaster risk reduction perspective into humanitarian assistance to prevent new and reduce existing disaster risk;

Encourages the United Nations to continue to increase its support for Member States in their prioritized implementation of the Sendai Framework, including through the revised United Nations Plan of Action on Disaster Risk Reduction for Resilience, to ensure that the implementation of the Sendai Framework most effectively contributes to a risk-informed and integrated approach to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,6 in particular through building resilience against disasters and supporting national and local preparedness and response capacities;

Emphasizes the need to promote and strengthen disaster risk reduction and preparedness activities at all levels, in particular in hazard-prone areas, and encourages Member States, the United Nations system and other relevant humanitarian and development actors to increase funding and cooperation for disaster risk reduction activities, including disaster preparedness;

Encourages Member States, in line with the call in the Sendai Framework, to promote disaster preparedness, response and recovery with a view to ensuring a rapid and effective response to disasters and to promoting international cooperation to build resilience and reduce disaster risk;

Also encourages Member States to provide dedicated financial contributions to disaster risk reduction, preparedness, response and recovery efforts in a harmonized, flexible and complementary approach that fully utilizes and helps to coordinate humanitarian and development funding options and potential;

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, as well as to incorporate a gender perspective into policies, planning and funding, 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 climate and extreme weather events, both of which amplify disaster risk, and in this regard encourages Member States, as well as relevant international, regional and subregional 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;

Urges the United Nations, relevant humanitarian and development organizations and other relevant stakeholders to strengthen the capacity and resilience of Member States, including through the application of new science and technology and through investments in the context of disasters and climate change;

Encourages Member States to address the humanitarian and development needs arising from natural disaster-induced displacement, including through national policies and resilience-building, and in this regard encourages Member States, supported by the United Nations, to develop national laws and policies on internal displacement, as appropriate, which address such displacement, detail responsibilities and measures to minimize the impact of disasters, protect and assist internally displaced persons following disasters and identify, promote and support safe, dignified and durable solutions, and in this respect encourages Member States to adopt standards, as appropriate, in line with the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement,⁸ the Framework on Durable Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee⁹ and the basic principles and guidelines on development-based evictions and displacement;¹⁰

⁸E/CN.4/1998/53/Add.2, annex.

⁹A/HRC/13/21/Add.4.

¹⁰A/HRC/4/18, annex I.

Calls upon Member States, the United Nations and humanitarian and development organizations to integrate the building of resilience and human mobility into relevant strategies, plans and legal frameworks, in particular regarding disaster risk management and climate change adaptation, as integral elements of sustainable development at the national and regional levels so as to help to prevent and mitigate displacement in the context of disasters and the effects of climate change, including in urban settings where displaced persons have particular needs, requirements and vulnerabilities, and to enhance cooperation and coordination, where appropriate, to comprehensively respond to such displacement, including by preventing, preparing for and addressing it;

Encourages Member States, the United Nations, relevant humanitarian and development organizations and other relevant stakeholders, as appropriate, to enhance understanding, analysis, monitoring and assessment of the dynamics and effects of displacement in the context of slow-onset disasters, gradual environmental degradation and climate change, and to strengthen the impartial and timely collection of data disaggregated by sex, age and disability and policy and operational responses in this regard;

Encourages Member States to strengthen operational and legal frameworks for international disaster relief and to adopt and implement national laws and regulations, as appropriate, to reduce the impact of the underlying drivers of disaster risk and vulnerability, and to adopt comprehensive rules and procedures for the facilitation and regulation of international disaster assistance, drawing, as appropriate, on the Guidelines for the Domestic Facilitation and Regulation of International Disaster Relief and Initial Recovery Assistance, and calls upon the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, relevant United Nations organizations and other partners for technical support in achieving these aims;

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 stakeholders, such as the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, municipalities, civil society and the private sector, 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;

Also reiterates the need to build the capacities of governments to manage and respond to disaster and climate risks, including by providing support for and strengthening national and, as appropriate, local preparedness and response capacities, and to build resilience, taking into account the differing needs of women, girls, boys and men of all ages;

Urges Member States to develop, update and strengthen early warning systems, disaster preparedness and risk reduction measures at all levels, in accordance with the Sendai Framework, 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 develop or enhance forecast-based preparedness systems and the coordination of existing networks, ensure that comprehensive procedures are in place and make resources available for actions in anticipation of natural disasters;

Also encourages Member States to consider elaborating and presenting to the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction secretariat their national platforms for disaster risk reduction in accordance with the Sendai Framework, and 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;

Encourages Member States and regional organizations to work together to strengthen regional cooperation to improve national and regional capacity to understand and reduce risks and prepare for and respond to disasters in support of national efforts, including by exchanging experiences and best practices;

Encourages Member States to move from reactive to more proactive risk-based, all-hazards and all-of-society approaches, such as the promotion of ex ante investments to prevent disaster risks and build resilience, the promotion of environmental and spatial measures and the integration of lessons from past disasters, as well as awareness of new risks, into future planning;

Encourages innovative practices that draw on the knowledge of people affected by natural disasters to develop locally sustainable solutions and to produce lifesaving items locally, with minimal logistical and infrastructure implications;

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 relevant stakeholders, including Member States, to take appropriate measures to reduce and discourage the sending of unsolicited, unneeded or inappropriate relief goods in response to disasters;

Encourages all Member States to facilitate, to the extent possible, the transit of emergency humanitarian assistance and development assistance and the entry of humanitarian personnel and supplies, 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;

Encourages Member States to put in place, as appropriate, customs measures to improve effectiveness in responding to natural disasters;

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 the 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 to the effectiveness of humanitarian assistance in supporting Member States, upon their request, and the United Nations system in preparedness and humanitarian response, and encourages the continued incorporation into this mechanism of experts from developing countries that are prone to natural disasters;

Also welcomes the important contribution of the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group to the effectiveness of international urban search and rescue assistance, and encourages Member States to continue to support the Advisory Group, in line with General Assembly resolution 57/150 of 16 December 2002;

Urges Member States, the United Nations system and other humanitarian actors to consider the specific and differentiated consequences of natural disasters in both 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;

Welcomes the continued efforts of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to build partnerships with regional organizations, traditional and non-traditional donors and the private sector, and encourages Member States and the United Nations system to continue to strengthen partnerships at the global, regional, national and local levels in support of national efforts in situations of natural disasters, in order to cooperate effectively in providing humanitarian assistance to those in need and ensure that their collaborative efforts adhere to the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence;

Recognizes that information and telecommunications technology can play an important role in disaster response, encourages Member States to develop emergency response telecommunications capacities, 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 Operations¹¹ to consider doing so;

¹¹United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 2296, No. 40906.

Encourages the further use of space-based and ground-based remote-sensing technologies, including as provided by the United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER), as well as the sharing of geographical data, for the forecasting, 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;

Encourages Member States to provide all support necessary, on a voluntary basis, to UN-SPIDER, including financial support, to enable it to carry out its workplan for 2016–2017, and reiterates the importance of enhancing international coordination and cooperation at the global level in disaster management and emergency response through greater access to and use of space-based services for all countries and by facilitating capacity-building and institutional strengthening for disaster management, in particular in developing countries;

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, as appropriate, 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 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 that lead to targeted and more effective assistance, and taking into account the environmental impact;

Calls upon United Nations humanitarian organizations, in consultation with Member States, as appropriate, to strengthen the evidence base for effective 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;

Encourages Member States to take steps to develop or to improve data collection and analysis and to facilitate the exchange of relevant non-sensitive information with humanitarian and development organizations of the United Nations, including through shared platforms and a common approach, in order to inform policy and measures designed to address disaster risks and their consequences, to support preparedness efforts, including forecast-based action, and to improve the effectiveness of a needs-based humanitarian response, and encourages the United Nations system, as appropriate, and other relevant actors to continue to assist developing countries in their efforts to build local and national capacities for data collection and analysis;

Encourages Member States, regional organizations, the United Nations and humanitarian and development organizations to continue to improve the identification, mapping and analysis of risks and vulnerabilities, including the local impact of future disaster risk drivers, and the development and implementation of appropriate strategies and programmes to address them, and in this regard encourages all the relevant stakeholders to support Governments in capacity development, including at the regional and local levels, through the sharing of expertise and tools and the provision of necessary resources, as appropriate, to ensure that effective disaster management plans and capacities are in place in accordance with national priorities for disaster risk management;

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 to ensure that gender mainstreaming is better taken into account in all aspects of humanitarian responses and activities, including the analysis of allocations and programme implementation, and through greater use of the gender marker;

Encourages Member States, in cooperation with relevant United Nations humanitarian organizations, to promote women’s leadership, empowerment and full and effective participation in the planning and implementation of natural disaster response strategies, including through strengthening partnerships with, and building the capacities of, national and local institutions, including national and local women’s organizations and civil society actors, as appropriate;

Encourages Governments, local authorities, the United Nations system and regional organizations, and invites donors and other assisting countries, to address the vulnerabilities and capacities of women and girls through gender-responsive programming, including with regard to sexual and reproductive health needs and means to address sexual and gender-based violence and various forms of exploitation during emergencies and in post-disaster environments, and the allocation of resources in their disaster risk reduction, response and recovery efforts in coordination with the Governments of affected countries;

Emphasizes the importance of mainstreaming the perspective of persons with disabilities in disaster risk reduction, recognizes the importance of non-discrimination and their inclusive participation in and contribution to disaster risk reduction, preparedness, emergency response, recovery and transition from relief to development, as well as the implementation of policies and programmes that are inclusive of and accessible to persons with disabilities, recognizing that persons with disabilities are disproportionately affected in humanitarian emergencies and face multiple obstacles in accessing humanitarian assistance, and recalls the Charter on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action;

Encourages efforts to provide safe and enabling learning environments and access to quality education for all, especially for girls and boys, in humanitarian emergencies caused by natural disasters, including in order to contribute to a smooth transition from relief to development;

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;

Encourages the United Nations and humanitarian and development organizations to support national, subnational and local governments and communities in their responsibility to develop long-term strategies, forecast-based preparedness systems and multi-year operational plans for preparedness that are embedded within disaster risk reduction and resilience strategies in line with the Sendai Framework;

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 is an important step towards resilience-building and should receive further funding, and encourages the provision of timely, flexible and predictable funding for early recovery, including through established and complementary humanitarian and development instruments;

Urges Member States, the United Nations and humanitarian and development organizations to prioritize risk management and shift towards an anticipatory approach to humanitarian crises in order to prevent and reduce human suffering and economic losses;

Notes the appointments of the Special Envoys on El Niño and Climate by the Secretary-General and their role in calling attention to the severe short- and long-term impacts of the 2015/16 El Niño/La Niña phenomenon, and looks forward to further work in this regard;

Encourages interested Member States, with the support of the United Nations development system, to develop integrated, coherent and comprehensive government-led strategies to mitigate the adverse impacts of the El Niño/La Niña phenomenon, support efforts to build resilience to this phenomenon and collaborate in support of affected countries;

Encourages Member States and the United Nations to enhance the use of common risk analysis, including the use of the Index for Risk Management, to establish the evidence base for short-, medium- and long-term planning and joint strategies for disaster and climate risk management, capacity development and resilience-building, allowing for greater prioritization of resources where the risk is greatest;

Encourages the United Nations and humanitarian and development organizations to work towards a common understanding of underlying risks, clarify roles and responsibilities according to their respective mandates and establish joint objectives and programmes informed by affected people, data and analysis to strengthen coordination, collaboration and coherence among short-, medium- and long-term activities to progressively reduce needs and vulnerability, build resilience and manage the risk related to climate change and of disasters and development setbacks over multi-year planning cycles, including through integrating risk management into national sustainable development plans and ensuring the connectivity of humanitarian plans with the longer-term sustainable development priorities of Member States, with a view to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals;6

Stresses the need to strengthen resilience at all levels, and in this regard encourages Member States, the United Nations system and other relevant actors to support efforts, as appropriate, to integrate resilience into humanitarian and development programming, and encourages humanitarian and development actors to pursue, where appropriate, common resilience and risk management objectives, achievable through joint analysis, planning, programming and funding;

Calls upon Member States, the United Nations and humanitarian organizations to provide emergency assistance in ways that are supportive of recovery and long-term development, as appropriate, including by prioritizing humanitarian tools that strengthen resilience and support livelihoods, such as, but not limited to, cash transfers, vouchers, local procurement of food and services and social safety nets;

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 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;

Encourages Member States, the United Nations and humanitarian and development organizations to identify ways to improve the current financing architecture in order to better provide coherent, predictable and flexible longer-term funding for risk management in multi-year strategies and forecasting, in particular preparedness, on the basis of a global assessment of risk, allowing for better prioritization of resources where the risk is greatest;

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 important achievements of the Central Emergency Response Fund in ensuring a more timely and predictable response to humanitarian emergencies, stresses the importance of continuing to improve the functioning of the Fund, and in this regard encourages the United Nations funds and programmes and the specialized agencies to review and evaluate, where necessary, their partnership policies and practices in order to ensure the timely disbursement of funds from the Fund to implementing partners in order to ensure that resources are used in the most efficient, effective, accountable and transparent manner possible;

Calls upon all Member States, and invites the private sector and all concerned individuals and institutions, to consider increasing their voluntary contributions to the Central Emergency Response Fund, and to continue to reinforce and strengthen the Fund as the global emergency response fund, and emphasizes that contributions should be additional to current commitments to humanitarian programming and should not be to the detriment of resources made available for international cooperation for development;

Invites Member States, the private sector and all other relevant stakeholders to harness their differentiated skills, capacities and resources, and also to consider voluntary contributions to humanitarian funding mechanisms;

Strongly encourages giving appropriate consideration to disaster risk reduction and the building of resilience to disasters as integral elements of sustainable development and in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development¹² and promoting a complementary and coherent approach between these agendas and the Sendai Framework;

¹²Resolution 69/313, annex.

Strongly encourages all relevant actors to work to ensure a comprehensive, coherent, systematic and people-centred approach to managing risks, including through, as appropriate, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Sendai Framework, the Paris Agreement3 and the New Urban Agenda;5

Notes the first World Humanitarian Summit, held in Istanbul, Turkey, on 23 and 24 May 2016, and takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on the outcome of the World Humanitarian Summit;¹³

¹³A/71/353.

Requests the Secretary-General to continue to improve the international response to natural disasters and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its seventy-second 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.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What other versions does this mandate have?

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

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