A/RES/59/212 8. Emphasizes the importance of the outcome of the Twenty-eighth International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, held in Geneva from 2 to 6 December 2003; Also emphasizes the importance of enhanced international cooperation, 9. including through the United Nations and regional organizations, to assist developing countries in their efforts to build local and national capacities and to effectively and efficiently predict, prepare for and respond to natural disasters; 10. Stresses the need for partnerships among Governments, organizations of the United Nations system, relevant humanitarian organizations and specialized companies to promote training to strengthen preparedness for and response to natural disasters; 11. Calls upon States, the United Nations and other relevant actors, as appropriate, to assist in addressing knowledge gaps in disaster management and risk reduction by identifying ways of improving systems and networks for the collection and analysis of information on disasters, vulnerability and risk to facilitate informed decision-making; 12. Stresses the need to promote the access to and transfer of technology and knowledge related to early warning systems and to mitigation programmes to developing countries affected by natural disasters; 13. Encourages the further use of space-based and ground-based remotesensing technologies for the prevention, mitigation and management of natural disasters, where appropriate; 14. Also encourages in such operations the sharing of geographical data, including remotely sensed images and geographic information system and global positioning system data, among Governments, space agencies and relevant international humanitarian and development organizations, as appropriate, and notes in that context initiatives such as those undertaken by the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters and the Global Disaster Information Network; 15. Stresses that particular international cooperation efforts should be undertaken to enhance and broaden further the utilization of national and local capacities, including within the framework of the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group, and, where appropriate, of regional and subregional capacities of developing countries for disaster preparedness and response, which may be made available in closer proximity to the site of a disaster, more efficiently and at lower cost; 16. Recognizes, in this regard, that the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination system continues to be a valuable tool by which disaster management expertise is made available by Member States to respond to the sudden onset of emergencies; 17. Urges Member States, with the support of relevant bodies of the United Nations system, to strengthen efforts to identify practical ways to channel resources to and strengthen support for national disaster management capacities in disasterprone countries; 18. Welcomes the role of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of the Secretariat as the focal point within the overall United Nations system for the promotion and coordination of disaster responses among United Nations humanitarian agencies and other humanitarian partners; 4