A/RES/57/256 Stressing the need for Governments to continue to cooperate and coordinate their efforts in the field of natural disasters, in line with their respective skills and capacities, from prevention to early warning, response, mitigation, rehabilitation and reconstruction, inter alia, through capacity-building at all levels, where appropriate within the framework for action for the implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, 2 Stressing also the need for Governments to continue to cooperate and coordinate their efforts with the United Nations system, other international organizations, regional organizations, non-governmental organizations and other partners, as appropriate, in order to ensure effective synergies in the field of natural disasters, 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, Recognizing also 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, Taking into account the Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development 3 and the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (“Johannesburg Plan of Implementation”), 4 Noting with interest the partnership initiatives voluntarily undertaken by some Governments, international organizations and major groups, and announced at the Summit, 1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction; 5 2. Welcomes the memorandum of understanding signed between the interagency secretariat for the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction and the United Nations Development Programme, and encourages the secretariat to pursue the establishment of similar arrangements with other international organizations in order to improve synergies and clarify respective roles; 3. Requests the Secretary-General, in reporting to the General Assembly at its fifty-eighth session, to provide specific proposals to Member States for the implementation of the actions on this matter agreed to by the World Summit on Sustainable Development in its Plan of Implementation; 4 4. Decides to take a decision on how to conclude the review of the Yokohama Strategy for a Safer World: Guidelines for Natural Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Mitigation and its Plan of Action 6 at its fifty-eighth session; _______________ 2 A/56/68–E/2001/63 and Corr.1, para. 14. 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. 4 Ibid., resolution 2, annex. 5 A/57/190. 6 A/CONF.172/9, chap. I, resolution 1, annex I. 3 2