NOTA: Consideramos de interes para nuestros lectores el tenor de la carta de renuncia del Dr. Phillipe Bouille, como Director del Secretariado de las Naciones Unidas para la "Estrategia Internacional para la Reducción de Desastres (ISDR)". El ISDR es el ente creado para darle continuidad al Decenio Internacional para la Reduccion de los Desastres Naturales - DIRDN (IDNDR). Algunos estaran de acuerdo con la nueva filosofía del ISDR pero otros vamos a extrañar a antigua estructura del IDNDR y los pensamientos del Dr. Boulle. Les agradeceremos si tiene a bien hacernos llegar sus comentarios o que los envie directamente al Dr. Boulle por intermedio de Terry Jeggle: jeggle@un.org. Geneva, 19 June 2000 I write to inform you that I will cease to be the Director of the United Nations Secretariat for the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) as of 31 July 2000. Since the beginning of the year, when the successor arrangements to the IDNDR came into force following the adoption of ECOSOC and General Assembly resolutions, there have been diverging views on how to operate the newly established ISDR Secretariat and on how to programme its substantive activities. During this crucial time, my colleagues and I have striven to gain organizational acceptance for a truly distinct interagency Secretariat, that would be the recognized anchor for national, regional and international endeavors in risk management. In line with UN resolutions and with ACC decisions, we sought to focus the work of the Secretariat on key initiatives of a broad multidisciplinary nature, involving our professional officers and supported by essential partnerships both within and outside the UN system. In particular, I considered it crucial that the Secretariat should be identified as a bridging capacity between humanitarian and sustainable development interests. This is necessary to give equal weight to environmental, economic and social, scientific and technological aspects of disaster reduction. I now believe that the organizational environment was not conducive to obtaining acceptance for this approach. In my view, there has been increasing evidence that ISDR was being incorporated as a secondary component into the humanitarian and relief assistance activities of OCHA; priority was being given to integrating the Secretariat into OCHA's administrative and financial system. The necessary authority and autonomy essential for the Secretariat to operate with distinct visibility as an interagency and multidisciplinary platform for disaster reduction has not been forthcoming. Due to these circumstances, the situation that has prevailed since the beginning of the year has been detrimental to the cause of disaster prevention itself. I felt, as months passed by, that the consensus that had emerged in 1999 in IDNDR regional meetings and at the IDNDR Programme Forum on broad cooperation for disaster reduction might dissolve into renewed fragmentation of interests and action. I therefore came to the conclusion, after extensive discussions with OCHA's management and in full agreement with them, that it would be best for me to leave. I should also indicate that I am not departing to another position and that I remain interested in continuing to work to reduce hazards and risks. I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to all representatives of governments, of UN System agencies, of NGO's with whom I have been privileged to work these last few years. In particular, I would like to thank members of the IDNDR Scientific and Technical Committee and their Chair for their collaboration. My most heartfelt thanks go to my IDNDR/ISDR colleagues, a wonderful team of dedicated and gifted professionals. I remain confident that together we have done excellent work for the past three years. Yours sincerely, Philippe L. Boullé Director, ISDR Secretariat