United Nations General Assembly A/RES/58/215 Distr.: General 27 February 2004 Fifty-eighth session Agenda item 94 (e) Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 23 December 2003 [on the report of the Second Committee (A/58/484/Add.5)] 58/215. Natural disasters and vulnerability The General Assembly, Recalling its decision 57/547 of 20 December 2002, Taking into account the Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development 1 and the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (“Johannesburg Plan of Implementation”), 2 Recognizing the need to continue to develop an understanding of, and to address, socio-economic activities that exacerbate the vulnerability of societies to natural disasters and to build and further strengthen community capacity to cope with disaster risks, Noting that the global environment continues to suffer degradation, adding to economic and social vulnerabilities, in particular in developing countries, Taking into account the various ways and forms in which all countries, in particular the more vulnerable developing countries, are affected by severe natural hazards, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and extreme weather events such as heatwaves, severe droughts, floods and storms, and El Niño/La Niña events, which have global reach, Expressing its deep concern at the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events and associated natural disasters, Expressing its deep concern also at the enormous negative impact of severe natural hazards, including extreme weather events and associated natural disasters, which continues to hinder social and economic progress, in particular in developing countries, Reiterating that, although natural disasters damage the social and economic infrastructure of all countries, the long-term consequences of natural disasters are _______________ 1 Report of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg, South Africa, 26 August-4 September 2002 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.03.II.A.1 and corrigendum), chap. I, resolution 1, annex. 2 Ibid., resolution 2, annex. 03 50742