Following Tuesday's ECOSOC Special Meeting on the "Aftermath of recent hurricanes: Achieving a risk-informed and resilient 2030 Agenda," Council President Marie Chatardova issued a statement expressing the UN body's deepest condolences to the victims.

 

Chatardova extended solidarity to all the affected people and governments in the hurricane-hit Caribbean, Central America and the United States, as well is in Mexico, which was struck by successive earthquakes, and in Africa and South Asia, where severe flooding wreaked havoc.

 

Action must be taken "to ensure that in the wake of the recent devastating floods, hurricanes and earthquakes that impacted numerous countries, the humanitarian response is complemented by medium- and long-term recovery and reconstruction efforts," said the statement.

 

"Early humanitarian response has been critical for saving lives and livelihoods and the provision of essential services," read the statement. "Preparedness and partnerships played an essential role as prepositioned personnel, logistics and stocks allowed the humanitarian response and emergency supplies to arrive more quickly."

 

As assessments continue amid displacement and disruptions to livelihoods, immediate needs concentrate in the sectors of health, water, sanitation and hygiene, food security and shelter.

 

The statement stressed the need to build on existing initiatives and called for greater investment in disaster risk reduction, including preparedness, early warning and early action, while urging greater risk-informed investment in infrastructure and housing.

 

"We call for stronger collaboration, connectivity and complementarity between humanitarian, development, disaster risk reduction and climate action to define and deliver collective outcomes to reduce need, risk and vulnerability over multiple years," said the ECOSOC, indicating that specific attention must be given to the most vulnerable people facing climate change and extreme weather events.