Protection in natural disasters Presentation to the IASC Weekly Meeting, Geneva 8 October CHD/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 context 4CHD/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 Principles A.Protection of life, security of the person, physical integrity and dignity B.Protection of rights related to basic necessities of life C.Protection of other economic, social and cultural rights D.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 or ) 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