United Nations General Assembly A/RES/59/232 Distr.: General 22 February 2005 Fifty-ninth session Agenda item 85 (c) Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 22 December 2004 [on the report of the Second Committee (A/59/483/Add.3)] 59/232. International cooperation to reduce the impact of the El Niño phenomenon The General Assembly, Recalling its resolutions 52/200 of 18 December 1997, 53/185 of 15 December 1998, 54/220 of 22 December 1999, 55/197 of 20 December 2000, 56/194 of 21 December 2001 and 57/255 of 20 December 2002 and Economic and Social Council resolutions 1999/46 of 28 July 1999, 1999/63 of 30 July 1999 and 2000/33 of 28 July 2000, Noting that the El Niño phenomenon has a recurring character and that it can lead to extensive natural hazards with the potential to seriously affect humankind, Reaffirming the importance of developing strategies at the national, subregional, regional and international levels that aim to prevent, mitigate and repair the damage caused by natural disasters that result from the El Niño phenomenon, Noting that technological developments and international cooperation have enhanced the capabilities for the prediction of the El Niño phenomenon and thereby the potential for the preventive actions that may be taken to reduce its negative impacts, 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 in particular paragraph 37 (i) thereof, 1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, 3 in particular the section entitled “International cooperation to reduce the impact of the El Niño phenomenon”; Welcomes the efforts of the Government of Ecuador, the World 2. Meteorological Organization and the inter-agency secretariat for the International _______________ 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. 3 A/59/228. 04-49018