Multidimensional Vulnerability Index

A/RES/78/322View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 18b Follow-up to and implementation of the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway and the Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, published in 2023.

What other versions does this mandate have?

2 versions · 2024–2025

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/80/146

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2025	A/RES/80/146	Multidimensional Vulnerability Index	241	8%Compare
2024	A/RES/78/322	Multidimensional Vulnerability Index	1,830	–

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

2 entities

Entity	(Sub-)Programme	Title	Total mandates cited	Expenditure
	Subprogramme 1	Macroeconomic policy, poverty reduction and financing for development	5
	Programme 8	Least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing states	15

Historical expenditure covers the complete programme or subprogramme, not this mandate. For an overview of all UN entities and programmes, see UN entities and programmes.

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

2 entities

Entity	(Sub-)Programme	Title	Total mandates cited	Expenditure
	Subprogramme 1	Macroeconomic policy, poverty reduction and financing for development	5	—
	Programme 8	Least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing states	15	—

Historical expenditure covers the complete programme or subprogramme, not this mandate. For an overview of all UN entities and programmes, see UN entities and programmes.

What subjects does this mandate have?

4 subjects

Developing Countries Indexes Resilience Small Island Developing States

What’s in this document?

33 operative paragraphs

Final report

Welcomes the work of the “High-level Panel on the Development of a Multidimensional Vulnerability Index for Small Island Developing States”, takes note of its final report, and decides to advance the multidimensional vulnerability index;

Scope

Notes that, although initially proposed by small island developing States, the multidimensional vulnerability index aims to capture exogenous vulnerabilities and lack of resilience to exogenous shocks of all developing countries, so as to ensure credibility and comparability, under the guidance provided in the report of the Secretary-General;

Applicability

Stresses that the use of the multidimensional vulnerability index is voluntary, guided by the specific needs of the end user and informed by national contexts;

Also stresses that the multidimensional vulnerability index should not be used directly or indirectly as a criterion to limit or hinder the ability of any developing country to access development cooperation, including through existing arrangements and practices;

Requests the entities of the United Nations development system, within their respective mandates and where applicable, to consider using the multidimensional vulnerability index, including the vulnerability-resilience country profiles, in their relevant programmes of work and reporting, focusing on the countries interested in its use, as a complement to existing measures;

Encourages the entities of the United Nations development system to gather data and lessons learned on early implementation of the multidimensional vulnerability index and to share this information, with a view to improving the index;

Notes the work of the international financial institutions, international organizations and multilateral development banks to consider structural vulnerability, and invites them to consider using the multidimensional vulnerability index, as appropriate, as a complement to their existing practices and policies, in line with their respective mandates;

Invites development partners to explore using the multidimensional vulnerability index, as a complement to existing policies, to inform their development cooperation policies and practices, taking into account the priorities of those countries interested in its use;

Custodianship and governance

Decides that the multidimensional vulnerability index will be maintained by:

A relevant existing United Nations entity, which will act as the secretariat of the multidimensional vulnerability index, and which will compute the index on a periodic basis, and fulfil other duties and responsibilities necessary and appropriate for the upkeep, maintenance, improvement of and reporting on the index, including the provision of capacity-building support to Member States;

An Independent Expert Advisory Panel, which will prepare recommendations on future technical updates to the multidimensional vulnerability index to reflect new and emerging concepts of structural vulnerability and lack of structural resilience and their associated indicators, as well as new data;

The Statistical Commission, which will provide technical reviews of future technical improvements to the multidimensional vulnerability index;

Also decides that the secretariat of the multidimensional vulnerability index will present a triennial report to the General Assembly, commencing at its eightieth session, under the relevant agenda sub-item, on future improvements to the index, informed by timely technical input and recommendations from the Independent Expert Advisory Panel and the Statistical Commission, respectively;

Further decides that the relevant existing United Nations entity, which will act as the secretariat of the multidimensional vulnerability index, and the members of the Independent Expert Advisory Panel will be appointed by the Secretary-General, in consultation with Member States, by no later than the end of the seventy-ninth session of the General Assembly;

Decides that the Independent Expert Advisory Panel will:

Comprise 15 independent experts, including a minimum of 5 from Member States, who will serve in their personal capacity, without remuneration, with a good mix of expertise, who are to be drawn from the fields of economic development, social development and environmental protection, in order to avoid the need to engage the assistance of consultants and so as to reflect an adequate geographical and gender balance;

Conduct its work virtually, as appropriate;

Comprise members who are appointed for a four-year term and are eligible for reappointment;

Also decides that the Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States of the Secretariat, within their respective mandates, should continue to act as interim secretariat for the multidimensional vulnerability index, until a relevant existing United Nations entity is appointed to act as the secretariat of the multidimensional vulnerability index by the Secretary-General;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that adequate resources are available to support the work on the multidimensional vulnerability index, including its periodic review, in particular for travel for the members of the Independent Expert Advisory Panel who are from developing countries, especially from least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States, when in-person meetings are needed;

Requests all entities involved with the multidimensional vulnerability index to ensure consistency and complementarity with existing intergovernmentally agreed arrangements for data, indicators, indices and metrics, and, as appropriate, those related to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;²

²Resolution 70/1.

Ways to further improve the multidimensional vulnerability index

Requests the Independent Expert Advisory Panel to recommend future improvements to the multidimensional vulnerability index triennially to ensure continued relevance, robustness and accessibility, and ensure that indicators for potential addition or removal adhere to the criteria for data sources recommended in the report of the High-level Panel to ensure the continued relevance and effectiveness of the index;

Requests the Statistical Commission to advance technical reviews on the future improvements to the multidimensional vulnerability index, including on the potential addition or removal of indicators, and to present recommendations triennially as needed;

Requests the Independent Expert Advisory Panel to also consider the data and lessons learned from the utilization of the vulnerability-resilience country profiles, as well as the initial application of the multidimensional vulnerability index within the United Nations system;

Invites the United Nations system to promote improved understanding of vulnerability and share data and lessons learned from the implementation of the multidimensional vulnerability index among stakeholders, encompassing the international financial institutions, including multilateral development banks, international organizations, research institutions, think tanks, civil society and the private sector, through specialized events, workshops, training sessions and online presentations;

Also invites the United Nations system to scale up capacity-building programmes for developing countries to improve their national statistical systems, including the ability to collect quality, accessible, timely, reliable, comparable data, including disaggregated data;

Vulnerability-resilience country profiles

Stresses that the vulnerability-resilience country profiles should be country-led and strictly voluntary;

Also stresses that the vulnerability-resilience country profiles may be taken into account to enhance, inform and contribute to national development plans and processes, including the development of United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks, as appropriate;

Requests the Secretary-General:

To develop an electronic handbook with guidance for developing vulnerability-resilience country profiles, based on the principles set out in the report of the High-level Panel, including a standard structure for the profiles to ensure consistency and comparability between them;

To pilot test the vulnerability-resilience country profiles in at least four interested developing countries from different regions with different contexts and features;

To conduct online workshops to familiarize developing countries with the development of vulnerability-resilience country profiles;