IDRL Project

1
IDRL Project

• Research and Findings

2
What is the IDRL Project?

• Exploratory research

• Identify existing laws other instruments

• Address challenges in the field

• Disaster situations (natural, technological)

• Improve disaster response

• Save lives, reduce vulnerability

• Drafting a new convention

• Armed conflict situations

• Creating new laws

3
Research process

• Legal research
• Treaty law
• Resolutions / declarations
• International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
• International organisations
• NGOs and others
• 31 countries
• 8 regions

• Field studies
• Literature review
• Consultations
• Case studies in-country
• Interviews
• Document collection
• 15 countries
• 4 regions

• Consultations
• International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
• International / Intergovernmental organisations
• Program managers / Field personnel
• Legal experts
• Policy / disaster management experts
• Writers Meeting

4
Outcomes expected by 2003

• Research Studies / Reports
• Research studies
• Report from Writers Meeting
• Basis for IDRL Project Report

• CD ROM
• Collection of documents
• Searchable

• Publication
• Expert papers
• Various topics

• IDRL Project Report
• Summary of research and findings
• Recommendations
• International Conference

5
Findings
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Scope of IDRL

• Need to narrow it
• Need to identify its core
• Proposed description of international disaster
  response laws
• The laws, principles and other instruments
  applicable to the access, facilitation,
  coordination, quality and accountability of
  international disaster response activities in
  times of non-conflict related disasters, which
  includes preparedness for imminent disaster and
  the conduct of rescue and humanitarian assistance
  activities

7
Nature of existing IDRL

• There a few multilateral treaties relating
  directly to IDRL
• There is a prolific network of bilateral
  treaties, mostly in Europe
• There are common subjects, but inconsistently
  addressed
• There are a number of gaps
• There are many soft law instruments which
  identify important principles
• There are many non-legal instruments which
  contribute to identifying principles

8
Challenges in the field

• Inconsistency of access to disaster affected
  populations
• Delays, inefficiency and inconsistency in
  facilitation of disaster response by states
• Lack of coordination within and between national
  and international response structures
• Divergence between knowledge of quality
  accountability and application

9
Awareness and understanding of existing
instruments

• Limited awareness of existing IDRL instruments
• Rarely utilised as a means of minimising
  operational challenges
• Good awareness of national laws, but these are
  inadequate in overcoming challenges associated
  with international response efforts

10
The link between law practice

• Several positive examples
• Central Americas, transit delivery of relief
  goods
• Efforts to harmonise laws in countries
  experiencing shared disasters
• Headquarters agreements, MOUs
• Participation of local and international actors
  in development of national laws and procedures

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Recommendations

• International understanding acceptance of the
  term IDRL (laws)

• Greater understanding of nature, scope and
  content of IDRL

• Improved implementation of IDRL instruments that
  facilitate disaster response

• Continued development and promotion of IDRL