GA/11038
Sixty-fifth General Assembly
Plenary
66th & 67th Meetings (AM & PM)
Assembly Adopts Resolutions on Haiti, Humanitarian Personnel Safety, Assistance to Palestinian People, Minimizing Effects of Chernobyl Disaster
The surge in demand for humanitarian assistance in often high-risk environments - geared to support the growing numbers affected by the increase in frequency, scale and scope of emergencies - required effective, sustained and well-financed intervention by the international community, said delegates today during the General Assembly's annual wide-ranging debate on strengthening the United Nations coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance.
The meeting culminated in the consensus adoption of six draft resolutions spanning a broad agenda, from enhancing the safety and security of humanitarian personnel to enhancing assistance to the Palestinian people, to the international response to the massive earthquake in Haiti and the Chernobyl disaster.
During the day-long debate, many delegates recalled the earthquake that had struck Haiti on 12 January, devastating the island and affecting millions of people. Several noted that the humanitarian situation in Haiti was now worsening as Hurricane Tomas and a rapidly expanding cholera epidemic battered the island. " Haiti needs our renewed and continued support," one speaker said, calling on the Assembly to adopt a draft resolution to that effect.
By adopting a text focused on humanitarian assistance for Haiti, the Assembly noted the huge loss of human life and the large number of people wounded and affected by the severe impacts of the disaster on, among other areas, food security and the education, shelter and health, as well as of the continued needs arising from the vulnerability of the affected populations. It also recognized the continued need for international support to address the humanitarian emergency in Haiti, and called on Member States, the United Nations system and relevant humanitarian organizations to continue to cooperate with the Haitian Government for the provision of humanitarian assistance to the affected population.
In a related resolution, the Assembly expressed its deep regret at the number of persons killed, missing and negatively affected as a result of the hurricane, which struck the islands nations on 30 and 31 October and Haiti on 5 and 6 November, and appealed to all Member States and all organs and bodies of the United Nations system, as well as international financial institutions and development agencies, to provide speedy support for the relief, rehabilitation, reconstruction and assistance effort for Haiti, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and other affected countries. It encouraged the Governments of those countries, in conjunction with relevant partners, to develop further strategies aimed at preventing and mitigating natural disasters.
By a text on strengthening the Organization's humanitarian assistance, the Assembly expressed its deep concern about the humanitarian impact of current global challenges and crises, and emphasized the need to mobilize adequate, predictable, timely and flexible resources for such assistance based on and in proportion to assessed needs, with a view to ensuring fuller coverage of all sectors and across humanitarian emergencies, and recognizing, in that regard, the achievements of the Central Emergency Response Fund.
Recognizing the largely civilian character of relief work, the Assembly condemned the increasing number of deliberate threats and violent attacks against humanitarian personnel and facilities and the negative implications for the provision of assistance to populations in need. It recognized the high numbers of persons affected by humanitarian emergencies and the importance of the Geneva Conventions of 1949, "which include a vital legal framework for the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, including the provision of humanitarian assistance".
