International Law and Standards Applicable in Natural Disaster Situations

This Manual considers international laws, standards and policies pertaining to five areas relevant to rehabilitation following a natural disaster: human rights, the rights of vulnerable groups, the rights of children, land and property management, and anti-corruption/funds management. The Manual aims to:

• provide detailed information on provisions contained in treaty-based law that are relevant to disaster response, the responsibilities such provisions place on state and humanitarian actors, and tools for encouraging and assisting states to act in accordance with their international obligations;
• provide operational and policy guidance to support the development of rights-based approaches to post-disaster rehabilitation and tools to enable actors to integrate international protection standards into humanitarian programs;
• improve understanding of the rights and vulnerabilities of different groups affected by natural disasters, and assist humanitarian actors in responding to gaps in the legal protection framework and to primary protection risks;
• provide practical inspiration for ways in which to undertake rehabilitation in accordance with international standards by examining the experiences of other agencies operating in post-natural disaster environments; and
• provide information and tools that can be used for advocacy or lobbying purposes, or to assist in the development or reform of national legal and regulatory frameworks.