ABSTRACT

The Routledge Handbook of Human Rights and Disasters provides the first comprehensive review of the role played by international human rights law in the prevention and management of natural and technological disasters.

Each chapter is written by a leading expert and offers a state-of-the-art overview of a significant topic within the field. In addition to focussing on the role of human rights obligations in disaster preparedness and response, the volume offers a broader perspective by examining how human rights law interacts with other legal regimes and by addressing the challenges facing humanitarian organizations.

Preceded by a foreword by the International Law Commission’s Special Rapporteur on the Protection of Persons in the Event of Disasters, the volume is divided into four parts: 

  • Part I: Human rights law and disasters in the framework of public international law
  • Part II: Role and application of human rights law in disaster settings
  • Part III: (Categories of) rights of particular significance in a disaster context
  • Part IV: Protection of vulnerable groups in disaster settings

Providing up-to-date and authoritative contributions covering the key aspects of human rights protection in disaster settings, this volume will be of great interest to scholars and students of humanitarianism, international law, EU law, disaster management and international relations, as well as to practitioners in the field of disaster management.

part I|62 pages

Human rights law and disasters in the framework of public international law

chapter 3|16 pages

R.I.P. R2P

On the controversial ‘responsibility to protect’ doctrine and why it adds no value to disasters

chapter 4|20 pages

Assistance to Disaster Victims in an Armed Conflict

The role of international humanitarian law

part II|102 pages

Role and application of human rights law in disaster settings

chapter 5|19 pages

A Right to International (Humanitarian) Assistance in Times of Disaster

Fresh perspectives from international human rights law

chapter 9|17 pages

Integrating Human Rights into Disaster Management

Normative, operational and methodological aspects

chapter 10|16 pages

Non-State Humanitarian Actors and Human Rights in Disaster Scenarios

Normative role, standard setting and accountability

part III|110 pages

(Categories of) rights of particular significance in a disaster context

chapter 13|18 pages

Addressing Discrimination in Disaster Scenarios

An international and EU law perspective

chapter 14|17 pages

The Right to a Healthy Environment

Delineating the content (and contours) of a slippery notion

chapter 15|17 pages

The Right to Know

The role of transparency, access to information and freedom of expression in overcoming disasters

chapter 16|16 pages

Economic and Social Rights in Times of Disaster

Obligations of immediate effect and progressive realization

part IV|93 pages

Protection of vulnerable groups in disaster settings

chapter 18|14 pages

A Human Rights-Based Vulnerability Paradigm

Lessons from the case of displaced women in post-quake Haiti

chapter 19|17 pages

Indigenous Communities

From victims to actors of disaster management

chapter 21|17 pages

Temporary Protection after Disasters

International, regional and national approaches

chapter 22|18 pages

Disaster Displaced Persons in the Age of Climate Change

The Nansen Initiative’s protection agenda

chapter 23|4 pages

Conclusions