and mitigation, as well as preparedness plans and programs. In addition, UNDP has joined other UN agencies in creating its own emergency unit to direct relief activities.

Humanitarian Assistance

Spurred in 1991 by the experience of the aftermath of the Gulf war and a devastating cyclone in Bangladesh, the United States and other countries focused attention throughout the year on resolving long-standing problems in disaster relief coordination. The result should be a greatly strengthened UN capacity for responding to emergencies, including improved logistical support from UNDRO to better coordinate the overall UN response.

During the early part of the year, donor countries, including the United States, and UN agencies circulated informal papers that recommended elements for change in the way the UN system responded to emergencies. Lengthy debate took place at the 1991 summer ECOSOC session in Geneva, and led to further discussion at the 46th UN General Assembly in New York. The Assembly formed a working group to draft a resolution outlining necessary changes, and, in December 1991, it adopted resolution 46/182, entitled "Strengthening of the coordination of humanitarian emergency assistance of the United Nations."

The resolution recommended designation by the Secretary General of a new high-level coordinator responsible for preventing, preparing for and responding to emergencies. The coordinator is to process requests for emergency assistance requiring a coordinated response; coordinate early warning systems; organize needs assessments missions; facilitate access by operational organizations to emergency areas; manage a central emergency revolving fund (to be established at a level of $50 million, through voluntary contributions); serve as a central focal point with governments and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs); and promote a smooth transition from relief to rehabilitation and reconstruction operations.

This high-level coordinator would combine some functions recently carried out by special representatives of the Secretary General in major and complex emergencies, as well as by the UN Disaster Relief Coordinator (the head of UNDRO). The resolution indicated that the high-level coordinator will be supported by a Secretariat based on a strengthened UNDRO which would also service an Inter-Agency Standing Committee. The Committee, to be called together in the event of a major emergency,

would include all operational UN organizations and would issue a standing invitation to the ICRC, IFRC, IOM and any relevant NGOs.

Relief and Assistance

Throughout the year, UNDRO was involved in relief and assistance activities in many areas affected by natural or manmade emergencies. New activities in response to relief needs were carried out in the Middle East/Persian Gulf, Ethiopia/Djibouti, Somalia (civil strife); Pakistan, Panama, U.S.S.R., Afghanistan, India, Yemen, Romania (earthquakes); Iran, Malawi, Uruguay, Jamaica, China, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Benin, Myanmar (formerly Burma), Romania, Cambodia (floods); Bangladesh, Maldives, Vietnam, Philippines, Samoa (cyclones); Peru, Colombia, Ecuador (cholera); and Philippines, Indonesia, Chile (volcanic eruption). Ongoing assistance was continued in Lebanon, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Persian Gulf region (all due to civil strife); Peru and Costa Rica (drought and earthquake).

Relief efforts in the Persian Gulf were closely linked with those of UNICEF, UNDP, WFP and UNHCR. In that emergency, UNDRO supported the Secretary General's Executive Delegate for humanitarian assistance to the Gulf by convening interagency meetings, holding public information sessions, issuing a consolidated appeal and providing periodic situation reports and financial statements on the UN relief effort. As lead agency for coordination, UNDRO worked closely with the UN agencies, local authorities and representatives of the international donor community to ensure unified action. The United States strongly supported this arrangement, and encouraged the UN agencies to utilize UNDRO's capabilities.

The Persian Gulf situation illustrated UNDRO's increasingly important role in international information exchange, one that will continue to grow with implementation of UN General Assembly resolution 46/182. UNDRO continued to develop its UN International Emergency Network (UNIENET), which provided background and operational disaster-related information to experts around the world. Subscribers included other UN agencies, governments and NGOs.

For disaster preparedness and prevention, UNDRO participated in and cosponsored studies, seminars, missions and projects dealing with seismic risk reduction, disaster mitigation, information systems development, tropical cyclones, mudflow prevention and disaster management training. During 1991, UNDRO carried out projects in disaster mitigation in 17 coun

tries plus the Caribbean and Mediterranean regions. Two interregional training seminars on disaster preparedness and geological/geophysical hazard assessment were held in the Soviet Union. Technical publications accompanied many of these programs.

UNDRO sponsored and participated in a number of international conferences. An International Search and Rescue Workshop, held in April in Austria, reviewed draft protocols for cooperation among search and rescue teams around the world. The inaugural meeting of the International Search and Rescue Advisory Committee (INSARAC) was held in Germany in December. In May, UNDRO helped organize the International Conference on Disaster Communications in Tampere, Finland— a follow-on to the UNDRO-sponsored Geneva Conference on Disaster Communications held in 1990.

National Emergency Relief Services

In October 1991, UNDRO hosted the fourth meeting of Officials in Charge of National Emergency Relief Services (NERS IV). Mrs. Marilyn Quayle headed the U.S. Delegation. NERS IV provided another useful forum for discussion of technical cooperative efforts and UNDRO's role in the international relief scene. Key issues addressed in the meeting included the strengthening of UNDRO (prologue to the General Assembly debate), the status of the UNDP/UNDRO Disaster Management Training Program, telecommunications, search and rescue, stockpiles, early warning systems, NGO cooperation and the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR). The U.S. Delegation reiterated previous offers to provide shortterm advisors to assist in disaster relief field operations.

Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction

UN General Assembly resolution 44/236 of 1989 proclaimed the 1990s as the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR) and adopted an International Framework for Action for the Decade. The International Framework called on governments to participate in concerted international action and to formulate policy measures, including the establishment of "national committees," to fulfill Decade goals and objectives. IDNDR goals included improving country capacity to mitigate the effects of natural disasters; devising guidelines and strategies for applying scientific/technical knowledge; and disseminating technical information and developing measures for assessment, prediction and mitigation of natural disasters,

including technology transfer, demonstration projects and training.

The person responsible for coordinating Decade activities is the IDNDR Director, assisted by a Special High-Level Council, a Scientific and Technical Committee and a small secretariat. Funding for all three groups comes from the IDNDR Trust Fund, which receives voluntary contributions from governments or international organizations.

The Scientific and Technical Committee (STC) held its first two sessions in March (Germany) and September (Guatemala), and the United States participated in both. This experts committee reviewed over 100 project proposals to develop a program plan for the Decade. At the second session the STC reviewed the work of national IDNDR committees, invited the General Assembly to endorse the natural disaster reduction targets it adopted for the Decade, and called for a world conference on natural disaster reduction for 1994.

In September the IDNDR announced the composition of the Special High-Level Council, which included Mrs. Marilyn Quayle among its 12 members. At the inaugural session of the Council on IDNDR Day, October 9, in New York, Mrs. Quayle stressed the importance of private sector involvement in disaster reduction, particularly from the corporate world. She also noted the utility of the Council in assisting coordinative relief and reduction efforts. The Council produced a declaration that called on academia, voluntary organizations, commerce and industry as well as governments to contribute to disaster mitigation. It urged countries to form national IDNDR committees and to include disaster mitigation in their development plans. Those countries with resources are asked to help less affluent countries and to contribute to support of the IDNDR.

The United States cosponsored General Assembly resolution 46/149, adopted in December, which endorsed the High-Level Council's Declaration and the Scientific and Technical Committee's proposal for the 1994 conference, and reiterated appeals to donors for contributions to the IDNDR Trust Fund.

UN High Commissioner For Refugees

The mandate of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), organized in 1951, provides for the legal protection of, and material assistance to, refugees, and promotes permanent solutions for refugee problems. Such responsibilities are carried out on behalf of persons outside their country of

nationality because of a well-founded fear of persecution by reason of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion and, because of such fear, are unable or unwilling to avail themselves of the protection of the government of that country. The international protection of refugees includes ensuring that they are granted (political) asylum, that those who wish to return voluntarily to their country of origin may do so without penalty for having fled, and that no refugee is forcibly returned to his/her country of origin. The UNHCR also is concerned with providing basic care and maintenance for refugees, including meeting emergency needs, and with protecting the refugees' right to work, to practice their religion and to receive social benefits under the law.

The Executive Committee of the UNHCR meets annually in Geneva to review its work and approve the budget. The current High Commissioner is Sadako Ogata (Japan).

General Assembly Issues

Four resolutions were introduced in the Third Committee: "Assistance to refugees, returnees and displaced persons in Africa," "Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees," "International Conference on Central American Refugees" and "Enlargement of the Executive Committee of the Program of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees." All four were adopted without a vote. The United States cosponsored the first two and joined consensus on the others.

Passage of resolution 46/108 on "Assistance to refugees, returnees and displaced persons in Africa" was significant. It covered refugee-related issues in Liberia, Somalia, Chad, Djibouti, Malawi, Sudan, Ethiopia and southern Africa, requesting the Secretary General prepare a comprehensive report on these issues for the next General Assembly. In previous years the Third Committee dealt with these issues by adopting multiple separate resolutions requesting multiple separate reports. The United States has always held that combining these resolutions would improve UN efficiency by reducing duplication in the workload.

Reflecting growing UNHCR emphasis on repatriation programs for refugees, resolution 46/106 on the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees stressed the importance of addressing root causes of refugee movements in the effort for durable solutions to refugee problems. The resolution also endorsed several actions taken by the Executive Committee of UNHCR during 1991, including creation of a new position of