United Nations General Assembly A/RES/58/214 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)] 58/214. International Strategy for Disaster Reduction The General Assembly, Recalling its resolutions 44/236 of 22 December 1989, 49/22 A of 2 December 1994, 49/22 B of 20 December 1994, 53/185 of 15 December 1998, 54/219 of 22 December 1999, 56/195 of 21 December 2001 and 57/256 of 20 December 2002 and Economic and Social Council resolutions 1999/63 of 30 July 1999 and 2001/35 of 26 July 2001, and taking into due consideration its resolution 57/270 B of 23 June 2003 on integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic and social fields, Recalling also of the inclusion of the item “disaster management and vulnerability” in the multi-year programme of work of the Commission on Sustainable Development, 1 Emphasizing that disaster reduction, including reducing vulnerability to natural disasters, is an important element that contributes to the achievement of sustainable development, Noting the relevant provisions of the Ministerial Declaration of the Ministerial Conference of the Third World Water Forum, held in Kyoto, Japan, on 22 and 23 March 2003, on water-related disasters, 2 Reiterating that, although natural disasters damage the social and economic infrastructure of all countries, the long-term consequences of natural disasters are especially severe for developing countries and hamper the achievement of their sustainable development, Recognizing the urgent need to further develop and make use of the existing scientific and technical knowledge to reduce vulnerability to natural disasters, and emphasizing the need for developing countries to have access to technology so as to tackle natural disasters effectively, _______________ 1 See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2003, Supplement No. 9 (E/2003/29), chap. I, sect. A. 2 See A/57/785, annex. 03 50736