A/RES/57/152 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, Emphasizing also 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, Welcoming the efforts of Member States, with facilitation by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 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”, Mindful of the effects that shortfalls in resources can have on the preparedness for and response to natural disasters, 1. Takes note of the reports of the Secretary-General entitled “International cooperation on humanitarian assistance in the field of natural disasters, from relief to development” 2 and “Strengthening the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance of the United Nations”; 3 2. Expresses its deep concern at the number and scale of natural disasters and their increasing impact, resulting in massive losses of life and property worldwide, in particular in vulnerable societies lacking adequate capacity to mitigate effectively the long-term negative social, economic and environmental consequences of natural disasters; 3. Calls upon all States to adopt, where required, and to continue to implement effectively necessary legislative and other appropriate measures to mitigate the effects of natural disasters, inter alia, by disaster prevention, including building regulations and appropriate land use, as well as disaster preparedness and capacity-building in disaster response and mitigation, and requests the international community to continue to assist developing countries, as appropriate, in this regard; 4. Stresses, in this context, the importance of strengthening international cooperation, particularly through the effective use of multilateral mechanisms, in the provision of humanitarian assistance for all phases of a disaster, from relief and mitigation to development, including through the provision of adequate resources; 5. Also stresses that humanitarian assistance for natural disasters should be provided in accordance with and with due respect for the guiding principles contained in the annex to resolution 46/182 and should be determined on the basis of the human dimension and needs arising out of the particular natural disasters; 6. Recognizes that economic growth and sustainable development contribute to improving the capacity of States to mitigate, respond to and prepare for natural disasters; 7. Reaffirms that disaster risk analysis and vulnerability reduction form an integral part of sustainable development strategies and need to be considered in _______________ 2 3 2 A/57/578. A/57/77-E/2002/63.