Description:
"Floods, earthquakes and storms have routinely displaced tens of thousands around
the world. Over the past few years, the international community?s response to
these catastrophes has become ever swifter and more sophisticated. Until very
recently, however, and in the rush to deliver life-saving aid, little attention was paid to
the rights of these displaced people.
The publication of these guidelines reflects an understanding of the need for the
humanitarian system to provide to the people on the front lines of disaster response
the guidance they need to ensure the protection of the rights of the people left homeless
by natural disasters.
This document is the result of a collaborative approach that took place over more than
a year. The Representative of the UN Secretary-General on the Human Rights of
Internally Displaced Persons, Mr. Walter Kälin, prepared draft Operational Guidelines
on Human Rights and Natural Disasters. These were shared with the members of the
Inter-Agency Standing Committee Working Group. Each member of the IASC WG contributed
its own expertise, operational experience and insights to the collaborative
process. This ensured that the final product is one that meets the needs of those affected
by disasters. This version of the Operational Guidelines was formally adopted by the
IASC WG at a meeting in Geneva on 9 June 2006.We want to thank all the members
involved for their work and participation.
The Guidelines are short and easily accessible. They are complemented by a Manual
that gives the human rights background which underpins them. The Manual also sets
out practical operational steps to provide humanitarian workers with examples of how
these Guidelines can best be implemented.
Human rights are as much a part of the lives of the people we are called upon to assist
and to protect as are their needs for food and shelter. For the first time, these
Guidelines will provide responders with the information they need to make a rightsbased
approach a part of the emergency response."
Source/publisher:
Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC)
Date of Publication:
2006-06-00
Date of entry:
2010-08-07
Grouping:
- Individual Documents
Category:
Language:
English