Main Submitter: United Kingdom Co-submitters: Germany, Russian Federation, Israel, United States Signatories: France, Canada
The Economic and Social Council, Highlighting the need for Member States to continue and strengthen cooperation on a global level between the international community and non-governmental organizations, Keeping in mind disaster resilience, with an emphasis on improving the affected country’s infrastructure, is crucial to making humanitarian aid effecting, Recognizing that resources to rebuild the affected countries must be done at a national, institutional and community level so as to ensure that local areas can build its own resilience in the future, Understanding that prediction and detection of disasters is crucial to boosting effectiveness of emergency humanitarian aid, Commending the courage and commitment of those who take part in emergency humanitarian operations, though they often face great personal danger, especially locally recruited volunteers, Recalling that one of the principles of the United Nations is to achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian character and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion, Recognizing that in event of natural disasters or emergency situations, the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence are given utmost consideration in the coordination of emergency humanitarian aid, Recalling the UN World Summit Outcome Document in 2005 on the Responsibility to Protect (R2P), Recalling the international humanitarian law of the Security Council which provides for the inclusion of international peacekeeping forces to protect civilians in an armed conflict in cases of humanitarian intervention, Reaffirms the responsibility to protect victims of natural disasters through using appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian and other possible means, Recognizing the benefit of international cooperation and engagement in the delivery of humanitarian assistance to maximize the efficiency of aid response, Realizing the need to provide greater protection to civilians in fragile and conflict-affected areas,
On Strengthening the Resilience of Aid 1.
Decides that investment in infrastructure, with an emphasis on shelter and medical facilities, which can withstand further environmental and weather shocks, is crucial in making the humanitarian aid endure;
2.
Reiterates that access shelter and medical facilities, including temporary housing and hospitals, will be done on the basis of need and cater for the most vulnerable groups;
3.
Underlines that community infrastructure, such as dams, with the purposes of providing necessities like fresh water and electricity, should be built in areas requiring humanitarian aid;
4.
Emphasizes the need to increase support for community and government capacity through strengthening appropriate institutions and structures, including the following; 4.1. Local law-enforcement agencies; 4.2. Anti-corruption monitors and measures; 4.3. Review mechanism of local disaster relief units;
5.
Resolves to develop regional resilience plans where appropriate, in regions where natural and man-made crises occur most often;
6.
Decides that humanitarian aid needs to be coupled with the training of national institutions to respond to further crises or enduring crises through provision of expertise;
7.
Reminds aid deliverers and relief organizations take into account the environmental situation and resource strains in the local environment so not as to exacerbate climatic crises, so that; 7.1. Excess waste material can be reduced; 7.2. Use of water resources in region to be closely rationed;
8.
Decides to increase funding to World Bank’s Global Fund for Disaster Risk Reduction in order to increase support for national governments, disaster management agencies and development strategies;
On the Coordination of Relief Efforts between National and International Bodies 9.
Reiterates the United Nations’ central role in managing multilateral humanitarian aid and leading relief efforts in disaster stricken areas;
10.
Decides that the United Nations will continue to be a forum where donor and recipient countries discuss the strategies and reforms for humanitarian aid use and distribution;
11.
Reaffirms the sovereignty of affected States and their primary role in the initiation, organization, co-ordination and implementation of humanitarian assistance within their respective territories;
12.
Stresses the cardinal importance in providing humanitarian assistance by intergovernmental
and non-governmental organizations co-operating with impartiality and acting on strict humanitarian motives; 13.
Invites all Member States who are under threat of crisis, to facilitate the work of organisations in implementing humanitarian assistance, in particular the supply of staple, or health care to victims of natural disasters, in need of immediate assistance;
14.
Encourages Member States to commit themselves to help countries in need of assistance build capacity to protect their populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity and to assisting those which are under stress before crises and conflicts break out;
15.
Appeals, therefore, to all States to give their support to these organizations working to provide humanitarian assistance, where needed, to the victims of natural disasters and similar emergency situations;
16.
Urges States in close proximity to areas of natural disasters or similar emergency situations, particularly in cases where emergency aid cannot be easily reached, to participate closely with the affected countries in an international effort;
17.
Urging the international community to increase financial aid and with developing countries to boost their capacity in disaster preparedness and resilience
18.
Implementing a compulsory percentage of GDP for developed countries to contribute as financial assistance to the government of developing countries for the development of disaster preparation measures;
19.
Forming partnerships and technological innovation between international countries to increase the speed and effectiveness of emergency responses;
20.
Applauds the work of organizations which coordinate these humanitarian aid donors, such as the Inter-Agency Standing Committee and the Emergency Relief Coordinate and resolves to continue support their efforts in streamlining and coordinating aid;
21.
Resolves to continue working through these agencies to promote greater professionalism and improve skills across the humanitarian sector, including the improvement of donor countries’ and recipient countries’ aid strategies and the methods used by Non-Government Organizations in distributing aid;
On the Need to Establish Early Response Systems 22.
Resolves to establish early warning measures in natural disaster stricken areas where such measures are not already in place, to provide the following pre-disaster services; 22.1. Observing and recording signs of impending natural disasters; 22.2. Providing risk knowledge and recognition; 22.3. Dissemination of warning to local populace; 22.4. Create early plans for appropriate disaster response;
23.
Resolves that the funding and provision of technical assistance and maintenance for such mechanisms to be provided by the United Nations Development Program;
24.
Stressing the importance and understanding of the magnitude of effects of climate change through; 24.1. Publishing of extensive studies to governments of high polluting countries; 24.2. Promote education to children regarding global impacts of climate change;
25.
Prioritizing the effectiveness and efficiency of coordination between humanitarian and military actors in natural disaster preparedness;
26.
Requesting the international community, in particular the developed countries, to aid in providing appropriate resources and access to and sharing of technology, after being mutually agreed, to developing countries vulnerable to natural hazards 26.1. Measures include strengthening of infrastructure for earthquake resistance; 26.2. Aid in constructing early warning systems in developing countries prone to natural disasters;
27.
Encouraging the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to address the effects of climate change, focusing on developing countries that are particularly vulnerable, in accordance with the provisions of the Convention;
28.
Encouraging the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to continue to assess the adverse effects of climate change on the socio-economic and natural disaster reduction systems of developing countries;
29.
Recognizing that each State has the primary responsibility for its own sustainable development and for taking effective measures to reduce disaster risk,including for the protection of people on its territory, infrastructure and other national assets from the impact of disaster, also stressing the importance of regional and international cooperation and partnerships to support those national efforts;
On the Protection of Humanitarian Aid and Space* 30.
Resolves to continue working closely with the Security Council to coordinate peacekeeping troops missions in conflict-affected areas where protection of civilians and of the humanitarian aid is needed;
31.
Decides that humanitarian spaces in disaster and conflict-affected areas should be expanded to accommodate more vulnerable groups and be better protected;
32.
Stresses the need to evaluate the role of peacekeeping forces in emergency humanitarian operations given evidence of inefficiency in transportation methods and ineffective use of resources;
33.
Calls for change in funding for Peacekeepers’ involvement in emergency humanitarian operations to solve a bigger problem of the scarcity of humanitarian funds, to eliminate the current competition between military operations and humanitarian assistance;
34.
Suggests that peacekeeping units should be primarily deployed to augment civil manpower and extraordinary services should be provided temporarily with aims to transition those jobs, if possible to capable victims of the emergency crisis as alternative work opportunities in the long- term;
35.
Discourages the use of peacekeeping units as a substitute for civilian workers, as this is an unsuitable role for the military and is inefficient;
36.
Suggests that when peacekeeping forces take up police and security roles in emergency humanitarian intervention, that they first go through proper training and subordination to civilian authority and encourages that local military take up this role as foreign forces in the same position may be seen as provocation;
37.
Proposes that governments release personnel to special relief units, seeing the benefits of secondment;
38.
Emphasizes that as violence against women and girls are alarmingly prevalent in conflict-affected areas, deployed peacekeeping forces should pay a specific focus in protecting women and girls;
39.
Decides that appropriate funds should be allocated to security management costs of humanitarian space;
40.
Stresses the importance of deliverers of humanitarian aid to carry out proper risk assessments and put in place security risk mitigation measures;
On the Need to Innovate in Emergency Humanitarian Response 41. 42.
Decides to increase funding for the Humanitarian Innovation Fund; Decides to establish a Committee on Humanitarian Research and Innovations employed in Humanitarian Aid under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council as an expert body composed of members serving in their personal capacity, with the following functions; 42.1. Identify gaps in humanitarian and resilience knowledge-base; 42.2. In light of the increasingly devastating humanitarian emergency situations due to climate change and also the geopolitical complexities in conflict-caused humanitarian crises, to find new and effective methods to deliver aid; 42.3. Examine the innovative use of new technologies in helping a post-disaster or conflict-affected areas in recovering, in particular to improve the livelihoods of the local populace;
On Accountability and the Effective Use of Aid 43.
Resolves to undertake greater disaster impact assessments where humanitarian aid is delivered so that vulnerable groups, particularly women, children, the elderly and the disabled, can be better protected and enjoy secure access to the needed portion of aid;
44.
Decides to undertake impact assessments on governments’, NGOs’ and intergovernmental agencies’ humanitarian aid work in disaster and conflict-affected areas;
45.
Resolves to create a single set of common accountability standards among international aid agencies and national aid agencies in order to better protect the vulnerable populace at all points of the humanitarian aid process;
46.
Encourages agencies to review their humanitarian aid work in light of the impact assessments;
47.
Congratulates the International Aid Transparency Initiative on its aim to improve the accessibility of information for aid beneficiaries and work against the misuse and corruption of humanitarian aid;
48.
Continues to encourage aid recipient countries to participate in the feedback and evaluation of the use of humanitarian aid and methods employed by aid distributors;
On the Need for the Economic and Social Council to Remain Actively Seized on this Matter 49.
Resolves to continue revising and evaluating the Economic and Social Council’s Protocol for Emergency Humanitarian Assistance as the nature of humanitarian emergencies change and become increasingly complex.