General Assembly Resolution 57/153

United Nations
A/RES/57/153

General Assembly

Resolution adopted by the General Assembly

[without reference to a Main Committee (A/57/L.64 and Add.1)]

57/153. Strengthening of the coordination of emergency
humanitarian assistance of the United Nations

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolution 46/182 of 19 December 1991 and the guiding principles contained in the annex thereto, other relevant General Assembly and Economic and Social Council resolutions and agreed conclusions of the Council,

Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General,¹

Taking note also of the note by the Secretary-General on enhancing the functioning and utilization of the Central Emergency Revolving Fund,² submitted pursuant to resolution 56/107 of 14 December 2001,

Stressing the need to address further the issues of funding, coordination and strategic planning in the context of natural disasters and complex emergencies, in particular in the transition from relief to development activities,

Deeply concerned about the aggravating effects that major diseases, in particular the human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) pandemic, cause in the context of natural disasters and complex emergencies,

Concerned at the need to mobilize adequate levels of financing for emergency humanitarian assistance,

Noting with interest the efforts of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee to develop the Plan of Action on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Humanitarian Crises,

Welcoming the efforts of Member States, with the facilitation of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of the Secretariat and in cooperation with the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group, to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the provision of international urban search and rescue assistance, and recalling its resolution 57/150 of 16 December 2002, entitled "Strengthening the effectiveness and coordination of international urban search and rescue assistance",

1. Welcomes the outcome of the fifth humanitarian affairs segment of the Economic and Social Council during its substantive session of 2002;

2. Also welcomes the progress made by the Emergency Relief Coordinator and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of the Secretariat in strengthening the coordination of humanitarian assistance of the United Nations;

3. Emphasizes the importance of the discussion of humanitarian policies and activities in the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council;

4. Calls upon relevant organizations of the United Nations system, other relevant international organizations, Governments and non-governmental organizations to cooperate with the Secretary-General and the Emergency Relief Coordinator to ensure timely implementation of and follow-up to resolutions and agreed conclusions of the humanitarian affairs segment of the substantive session of the Economic and Social Council;

5. Invites the Economic and Social Council to continue to consider ways to enhance further the humanitarian affairs segment of the future sessions of the Council, including through the adoption of negotiated outcomes of its deliberations;

6. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to inform Governments regularly about the use of the Central Emergency Revolving Fund and to report to the General Assembly at its fifty-ninth session on the utilization of the Fund;

7. Calls upon the relevant humanitarian and development organizations of the United Nations system, other relevant international organizations, including the Bretton Woods institutions, Governments and non-governmental organizations to review and work towards greater alignment of their planning and resource mobilization tools so as to facilitate the transition from relief to development, and to report to the Secretary-General on actions taken in this respect;

8. Requests the Secretary-General to address, as appropriate and in collaboration with relevant actors, in particular the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, ways and means of strengthening the humanitarian response and for the mobilization of greater resources in connection with emergency humanitarian assistance in areas with a high prevalence of major diseases, in particular HIV/AIDS, taking into account the impacts of major diseases, in particular HIV/AIDS, on vulnerable communities and the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS,3 and to report on actions taken in this respect;

9. Stresses the importance of the timely implementation of the Plan of Action on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Humanitarian Crises developed by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, and urges the Standing Committee to continue to refine the Plan and follow-up activities consistent with experience gained at the field level;

10. Commends the Emergency Relief Coordinator and his staff for their activities in emergency information management, and stresses that there is a need for national authorities, relief agencies and other relevant actors to continue to improve the sharing of relevant information related to natural disasters and complex emergencies, including on disaster response and mitigation, and to take full advantage of United Nations emergency information services, such as ReliefWeb and the Integrated Regional Information Network;

11. Emphasizes that coordination of humanitarian assistance within the United Nations system is a mandate of the Secretary-General, as reflected in resolution 46/182, and that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs should benefit from adequate and more predictable funding, and requests the Secretary-General to report on the progress made in this regard;

12. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its fifty-eighth session, through the Economic and Social Council at its substantive session of 2003, on the progress made in strengthening the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance of the United Nations, including the implementation of and follow-up to Economic and Social Council resolution 2002/32 of 26 July 2002 and the present resolution.

75th plenary meeting
16 December 2002
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1 A/57/77-E/2002/63.
2 A/57/613.
3 Resolution S-26/2, annex.