UNITED NATIONS	HS
	Commission on Human Settlements	Distr. LIMITED HS/C/17/L.3/Rev.1 14 May 1999 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH

The Commission on Human Settlements,

Recalling General Assembly resolution 51/185 of 16 December 1996, which, inter alia, reaffirms that disaster prevention forms part of sustainable development plans of vulnerable countries and communities,

Recalling also resolution 16/3 of 6 May 1997 of the Commission on Human Settlements, requesting the strengthening of the Centre's disaster-management-oriented activities,

Further recalling paragraphs 170-176 of the Habitat Agenda, 1/ which guide United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) activities in the areas of disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness, and post-disaster rehabilitation,

Acknowledging the devastating effects of hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters, such as, inter alia, Hurricane George, Hurricane Mitch, el Niño-related floods, the earthquake in the coffee-growing belt of Colombia, the volcano eruption in Montserrat, and similar calamities in other parts of the world that struck several cities and rural areas, inter alia, in the Latin American and Caribbean region during 1998 and in 1999, which caused thousands of deaths, the displacement of people and the destruction of human settlements,

Noting with appreciation the actions undertaken by the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean to cope with the human settlement rehabilitation and reconstruction needs caused by those events,

Taking note also of the fact that the magnitude of the reconstruction and rehabilitation tasks following a disaster requires a sustained effort on the part of the Centre which surpasses the human resources available,

1. Requests the Executive Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) to take all possible measures to ensure that technical resources available within the global disaster-management programme at headquarters and regional offices, and within other relevant global programmes, be extended to address aspects of disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness and reconstruction of human settlements in the Latin American, Caribbean and other regions. These measures should be taken in coordination with relevant United Nations bodies, bilateral and multilateral donors and national efforts;

2. Invites all Governments in a position to do so, to increase their technical and financial support to the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) disaster-management activities;

3. Requests the Executive Director to report on the implementation of the present resolution to the Commission at its eighteenth session.