protection in natural disasters presentation to the iasc weekly meeting, geneva 8 october 2008...
TRANSCRIPT
Protection in natural disasters
Presentation to the IASC Weekly Meeting,
Geneva 8 October 2008
1CHD/PCWG
Protection in natural disasters
• Background• Current challenges:– Substantive– Coordination– Programming– Funding
• Tools
2CHD/PCWG
Protection in natural disasters
• Background– Tsunami 2004– Katrina 2005
• IDPs due to disasters have similiar protection problems as those displaced due to armed conflict, as well as specific ones
• Problem not really recognised
3CHD/PCWG
Protection in natural disasters
• RSG mission to Sri Lanka and to Thailand in March 2005 Report Request for guidelines on how to operationalise
human rights in a humanitarian context4CHD/PCWG
Protection in natural disasters
• IASC Operational Guidelines on the Protection of Persons Affected by Natural Disasters (June 2006)
• Pilot Manual to the IASC Operational Guidelines
5CHD/PCWG
Protection in natural disasters
• IASC Operational Guidelines– Take human rights
framework and derive guidelines for front-line responders from it
– Implications for structure
– Challenge: all human rights are equal – how to prioritize?
6CHD/PCWG
Protection in natural disasters• IASC Operational Guidelines - structure
• General PrinciplesA.Protection of life, security of the person,
physical integrity and dignityB.Protection of rights related to basic necessities
of lifeC.Protection of other economic, social and
cultural rightsD.Protection of other civil and political rights
• A and D correspond to the ICCPR• B and C correspond to the ICESCR
7CHD/PCWG
Protection in natural disasters
• Pilot Manual to the IASC Operational Guidelines:– Not an IASC document per se– Gives more background and content to the
Operational Guidelines (legal background, operational steps)
– Currently to be revised (RSG + PCWG)– Inputs welcome until 30 October (send to
[email protected] or [email protected] )
8CHD/PCWG
Protection in natural disasters
• Substantive challenges:– « Natural » disaster:
Situation caused by the impact of hazards that overwhelms local, regional or national coping capacities
– Challenge of « sudden » or « slow »; ie not giving enough time to prepare or go unnoticed; similiarity with low-intensity conflicts
– Question of scale
9CHD/PCWG
Protection in natural disasters
• Substantive issues:– Protection challenges go unrecognised (not the
« usual » adversarial relationship with government as in the case of armed conflict)
– Human rights language is seen as challenging and inappropriate (although is the only relevant legal framework apart from national legislation)
– Correlation between length of time the effects of disaster last and increase in protection challenges
10CHD/PCWG
Protection in natural disasters
• Coordination challenges:– In the framework of disaster response, most
national governments have a strong coordination mechanism
– Protection not integrated into it– International actors:• Not sollicited (majority of the cases)• No humanitarian/emergency background (majority of
the cases) – are overwhelmed themselves
11CHD/PCWG
Protection in natural disasters
• Coordination challenges:– Protection is difficult to get on the agenda– From a national perspective, need include
several line ministries that traditionally are not involved in disaster response (justice, children, women, etc.)
– Lack of international lead and partners
12CHD/PCWG
Protection in natural disasters
• Structures at global level– PCWG: inclusion of protection in natural
disasters in work plan for 2008– Establishment of a focal point through the RSG to• Review existing tools• Prepare SOPs for the establishments of protection
clusters in disaster response situations• Help agencies (UNICEF, OHCHR) prepare for their
substantive and coordinating role in the field – Working group within the PCWG
13CHD/PCWG
Protection in natural disasters
• Structures are national level:–Protection cluster not systematically
implemented –Minority of cases–Resistance on the international side,
almost more than on the national side–Protection not seen as life-saving
14CHD/PCWG
Protection in natural disasters
• Emergency response challenges:– Very few protection clusters– Rare inclusion in Flash appeals
• Programming challenges:– In most cases, protection programming not part of
usual business (development actors)– Need to include it in disaster risk reduction and in
emergency preparedness planning
15CHD/PCWG
Protection in natural disasters
• Tools– Usual cluster tools– IASC Operational Guidelines and Manual– Decision flow for forced evacuation and
relocation– Currently being adapted/developed:• Protection assessment framework (UNHCR/PCWG)• Guidelines on land, housing and property issues post-
disaster (UNHABITAT/ER)
16CHD/PCWG
Protection in natural disasters
• Tools:Need to find tools that are suited to environment
(speed)
Need to find assessment frameworks suited to environment and that include appropriate protection concerns
17CHD/PCWG
Protection in natural disasters
Protection consists of strategies to Recognise the vulnerabilities ahead of time Act with the vulnerable persons (participatory
assessment) Reduce their vulnerability by influencing the • Time factors (moments when the risks are
highest)• Places (where risks are highest)• Actors as source of – risk–protection
18CHD/PCWG