OEA/Ser.P AG/RES. 1803 (XXXI-O/01) 5 June 2001 Original: English OAS NATURAL DISASTER REDUCTION AND RESPONSE MECHANISM (Resolution adopted at the third plenary session, held on June 5, 2001; subject to review by the Style Committee) THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, HAVING SEEN: The Report of the Permanent Council and in particular the section on hemispheric security (AG/doc.3970/01); and The Report of the Secretary General on the implementation of the General Assembly resolution "OAS Natural Disaster Reduction and Response Mechanisms" [AG/RES. 1755 (XXX-O/00)] (CP/doc…./01); RECALLING: The General Assembly resolutions on OAS Natural Disaster Reduction and Response Mechanisms", AG/RES. 1682 (XXIX-O/99) and AG/RES. 1755 (XXX-O/00); The establishment of the Inter-American Committee on Natural Disaster Reduction (IACNDR) in 1999 through the above-cited resolution AG/RES. 1682 (XXIX-O/99); BEARING IN MIND: The agreements by the Heads of States and Government at the Third Summit of the Americas as set out in the Quebec City Plan of Action, in particular the sections on Disaster Management and Environmental Foundation for Sustainable Development, especially the commitments to develop, implement and sustain shared comprehensive disaster management strategies and programs to reduce the vulnerability of our populations and economies to natural and manmade disasters; and That the Heads of State and Government also recognized the need for protection of the environment and the sustainable use of natural resources as essential to prosperity and to the sustainability of our economies; KEENLY AWARE of the significant and positive impact that the reduction and prevention of natural disasters will have on the socioeconomic development of all member states; REITERATING the importance of reducing the vulnerability of our countries to natural hazards or disasters through the appropriate use of sustainable development practices as an element of sustained economic and social development; EMPHASIZING the importance of all member states giving committed and active support to the work of the IACNDR as it seeks to fulfill its role as the principal OAS forum charged with the task of providing the Permanent Council with "strategic thinking, recommendations on initiatives relating to natural disasters, and advice on methods of financing them, paying special attention to policies and programs designed to reduce the vulnerability of member states to natural disasters"; RECOGNIZING the value of coordinated endeavors and sharing of technical expertise and practical experience among public, private, national, intergovernmental and civil society organizations aimed at reducing natural disasters in the Americas; RECOGNIZING WITH SATISFACTION: That the Statutes of the IACNDR have been finalized, having been adopted by the Permanent Council through resolution CP/RES. 792/01 (1277/01); and That the OAS role in disaster reduction, preparations for disasters and disaster relief is being strengthened through the work being carried out by the IACNDR and the Permanent Council; and BEARING IN MIND the recommendations by the Permanent Council with respect to the Report of the IACNDR (CP/doc.3324/00 rev. 1), RESOLVES: 1. To adopt the recommendations by the Permanent Council with respect to the Report of the Inter-American Committee on Natural Disaster Reduction (IACNDR). 2. To urge member states to study and where appropriate to apply those IACNDR recommendations set out in its Report (CP/doc.3324/00 rev. 1) that specifically address member states. 3. To request the Permanent Council to continue studying, through the Committee on Hemispheric Security, the recommendations made by the IACNDR as set out in its said Report, with due consideration to the financial implications of any of these recommendations for the Organization, and to take any decisions and adopt any course of action it may deem fit with respect to the furtherance of those recommendations, no later than December 15, 2001. 4. To request the IACNDR to continue its work in accordance with the Statutes adopted by the Permanent Council and to report, through the Secretary General, to the Permanent Council prior to the next regular session of the General Assembly. 5. To renew its instructions to the Secretary General to support the work of the IACNDR both in his capacity as Chair of the IACNDR and through the internal General Secretariat committee on natural disasters, so as to assist the IACNDR in its activities and to secure the financial resources necessary for the functioning of the IACNDR. 6. To instruct the Secretary General to establish, in coordination with the IACNDR, an information network to exchange scientific and technical knowledge and experiences in order to strengthen coordination of national prevention and response agencies in natural disasters. 7. To request the Secretary General to convene, in accordance with the relevant mandates of the Third Summit of the Americas, a hemispheric meeting on disaster preparedness and mitigation prior to the thirty-second regular session of the General Assembly. 8. To instruct the Secretary General to cooperate with the Inter-American Development Bank in a feasibility study on measures to reduce the cost of catastrophic insurance within member states, in accordance with the relevant mandate of the Third Summit of the Americas, and to make this study available to the IACNDR for its consideration and further action. 9. To instruct the Permanent Council to report to the thirty-second regular session of the General Assembly on compliance with this resolution. 10. To request that the Secretary General transmit this resolution to all the members of the IACNDR.