A/RES/59/212 Taking into account the outcome of the Second International Conference on Early Warning, held in Bonn, Germany, from 16 to 18 October 2003, under the auspices of the United Nations, Welcoming the efforts undertaken in preparation for the World Conference on Disaster Reduction, to be held in Kobe, Japan, from 18 to 22 January 2005, and underlining the importance of this conference in the promotion of new efforts in the field of disaster risk reduction, Noting the critical role played by local resources, as well as by existing incountry capacities, in natural disaster response and risk management, Recognizing the significant role played by national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, as part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, in disaster preparedness and risk reduction, disaster response, rehabilitation and development, Emphasizing the importance of raising awareness among developing countries of the capacities existing at the national, regional and international levels that could be deployed to assist them, Noting the lack of progress made in finalizing the establishment of the Directory of Advanced Technologies for Disaster Response as a new part of the Central Register of Disaster Management Capacities 1 as requested in its resolution 58/25 of 5 December 2003, Emphasizing the importance of international cooperation in support of the efforts of the affected States in dealing with natural disasters in all their phases, including prevention, preparedness, mitigation and recovery and reconstruction, and of strengthening the response capacity of affected countries, Recognizing that efforts to achieve economic growth, sustainable development and internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals, can be adversely affected by natural disasters, and noting the positive contribution that those efforts can make in strengthening the resilience of populations to such disasters, Welcoming the efforts of Member States, with facilitation by 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, in this context noting its resolution 57/150 of 16 December 2002 entitled “Strengthening the effectiveness and coordination of international urban search and rescue assistance”, Encouraging, in this regard, efforts aimed at strengthening the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group and its regional groups, particularly through the participation in their activities of representatives of a larger number of countries, Mindful of the effects that shortfalls in resources can have on the preparedness for and response to natural disasters, and underscoring, in this regard, the need to gain a more precise understanding of the impact of levels of funding on natural disaster response, _______________ 1 2 Available from http://ocha.unog.ch/cr/.