country or region in which natural hazards pose a threat to human life property. The subject should be of major concern not only to UNDRO but to everyone involved in planning and development in areas prone to natural disasters. The Co-ordinator described the functions of his Office in regard to disaster relief co-ordination, disaster preparedness and disaster prevention as conferred by the United Nations General Assembly. The Co-ordinator expressed the firm conviction that all activities related to pre-disaster planning should be based on a sound know- ledge and understanding of the hazards and risks involved. He explained that as a result of the study of the problems caused by natural disasters, new methods and techniques for investigating vulnerability were constantly being developed, and that it was essential that these should be read- ily applicable in disaster-prone developing countries. For such countries the aim should be to establish reliable and straight-forward techniques to assess vulnerability at all scales, from the national level to the individual site. The Co-ordinator gave this as the theme of the meeting. The Director of UNDRO’s Relief Co-ordination Preparedness and Prevention Division summarized the main points to be considered by the meeting as follows: l Definitions and concepts in risk management; 0 Means of improving the understanding and co-operation among scientists, planners and administrators; l The further development of techniques in vulnerability analysis and risk management. 1 II. ORGANIZATION OF THE MEETING AND PRELIMINARY DISCUSSIONS Dr. S. T. Algermissen was elected Chairman of the meeting. It was agreed that discussions would take place alternately in plenary session and in two working groups, one to concentrate on geophysical phenomena (earthquakes, volcanoes, earth movements, etc.) and the other to deal with atmospheric phenomena (tropical cyclones, tornadoes, thunderstorms, etc.). Professor N. Ambraseys was elected Chairman of the working group on geophysical phenomena, and 
**Analysis**
The text discusses natural hazards and disasters, and the importance of understanding and preparing for them. It mentions the role of the United Nations and the development of techniques for assessing vulnerability and managing risk. These themes suggest that the category should be related to humanitarian aid, natural resources and environment, and possibly science and technology.

**Category**
Humanitarian aid and relief, Natural resources and environment, Science and technology