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cosponsored the ECOSOC resolution of August 1970 [D] calling
for a strengthening of the UN machinery to cope with natural
disasters, and contributed a memorandum on the subject in
May 1971 [E], which was praised by the Secretary-General who
incorporated part of its ideas in his report [A]. The UK
memorandum emphasised the need for an independent disaster
relief coordinator to act as an information clearing house
and suggest measures to coordinate relief internationally, while maintaining close contact with governments, the UN
Specialised Agencies and voluntary bodies. It also said he
should interest himself in pre-disaster planning. The memorandum envisaged that the staff demands of the Coordinator's
Office would be small and could be borne by the UN Regular
Budget. It called for the Coordinator to be someone of international standing.
3.
HMG's primary aim has always been that UNDRO should
provide a focal point for the coordination and dissemination
of information on post-disaster needs and donor responses,
particularly in relation to natural disasters. To this end
HMG, together with a small group of other donors (principally
the Netherlands, Sweden and the USA), contributed to a
special or Trust fund set up to finance extra staff posts
when UNDRO was strengthened in 1975/76 [F and G]. In each of the biennia 1974/75, 1976/77 and 1978/79 we contributed
£100,000 to this special fund. We now consider that
UNDRO's staff paid for from the UN Regular Budget is adequate
to perform its main functions, provided they are properly
deployed. We therefore have no intention of contributing more.
/Apart from voluntary
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