The Secretariat of the ISDR has been established as a flexible structure with core staff composed of a small number of professionals and managed by a Director under the direct authority of the Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs. Staff additional to the core staff can be considered on the basis of special funding for specific activities to be carried out by the Secretariat in connection with its key functions. The ISDR Secretariat is funded exclusively from voluntary contributions.

Functions and responsibilities as per Secretary General’s report A/54/497

• To serve as the focal point within the United Nations system for the coordination of strategies and programmes for natural disaster reduction, and to ensure synergy between disaster reduction strategies and those in the socio-economic and humanitarian fields;
• To support the inter-agency task force in the development of policies on natural disaster reduction;
• To promote a worldwide culture of reduction of the negative effects of natural hazards, through advocacy campaigns;
• To serve as an international clearing house for the dissemination and exchange of information and knowledge on disaster reduction strategies; and
• To support the policy and advocacy activities of national committees for natural disaster reduction.

ISDR funding
The Secretariat for the ISDR will raise funds to cover the costs of its mandated functions and selected activities to be carried out under its auspices in collaboration with other partners. Funds raised in this manner will be channeled through the ISDR Trust Fund established for this purpose.

Annual strategic plans of action
The Secretariat will support the implementation of the ISDR by formulating annual strategic plans of action/workplans delineating activities of a substantive nature to be carried out within specified timeframes.