Saving lives, changing minds. Disaster Laws Regional arrangements for disaster cooperation in other parts of the world David Fisher, Coordinator IFRC Disaster Law Programme

Saving lives, changing minds. Disaster Laws Main functions of existing regional arrangements Political dialogue Info sharing Rule making Collective preparedness Funds Offer/request Coord Ops

Saving lives, changing minds. Disaster Laws Relationship with international systems * Own world * Replacement * Gateway * Integration

Saving lives, changing minds. Disaster Laws Pluses and minuses Rhetoric > reality Non-govt’l actors absent Less political Closer to responsible ministries

Saving lives, changing minds. Disaster Laws Americas – region-wide  Organization of American States  Inter-American Convention (1991)  Never used, but new states starting to ratify  Reference to NGOs – but weak  Annual conferences on “Enhancing International Humanitarian Partnerships” since 2008  Regional legal compendium  New CELAC

Saving lives, changing minds. Disaster Laws Americas – subregional powers CDEMA - Caribbean  Detailed provisions for regional operations  New DRR focus CEPREDENAC – Central America  Foreign Ministries Manual  Humanitarian coordination centres concept CAPRADE – Andean countries  No permanent secretariat  Foreign Ministries Manual

Saving lives, changing minds. Disaster Laws Asia-Pacific – subregional only  ASEAN – Southeast Asia  Disaster treaty adopted in 2005  Use in Cyclone Nargis  Applies to NGOs and RC too!  Committee for relations with civil society  Food Security Reserve,  Never used  SAARC – South Asia  New disaster treaty adopted in 2011  Food Bank Agreement (1987, 2007)  Never used

Saving lives, changing minds. Disaster Laws Central Asia  Overlaps between regional blocs (Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Commonwealth of Independent States)  Over a dozen regional treaties!  Many overlaps – some discrepencies  Still many gaps in practice

Saving lives, changing minds. Disaster Laws Overlaps into the Horn  Organization of Islamic Cooperation  Humanitarian department in 2008  The Commonwealth  Law Ministers meetings in 2010  3 IHL conferences with the RC/RC  Have also addressed disaster law

Saving lives, changing minds. Disaster Laws Europe  Lisbon Treaty  Responsibility of mutual assistance  EC Civil Protection Mechanism  Operational coordination inside and outside Europe  Training and “Modules”  EU Guidelines on “Host Nation Support”  NATO  MOU on Civilian assistance