law and legal issues in international disaster relief...
TRANSCRIPT
![Page 1: Law and legal issues in international disaster relief ...oas.org/dsd/energy/meeting/documentos/isabelle... · 5/21/2010 · Guidelines on the Domestic Facilitation and Regulation](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022060310/5f0aa5657e708231d42ca465/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Law and legal issues in
international disaster
relief operations:
Introduction
By: Isabelle Granger,
IDRL Coordinator for the Americas,
International Disasters Response Laws, Rules and
Principles Programme
Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia, 21 May 2010
![Page 2: Law and legal issues in international disaster relief ...oas.org/dsd/energy/meeting/documentos/isabelle... · 5/21/2010 · Guidelines on the Domestic Facilitation and Regulation](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022060310/5f0aa5657e708231d42ca465/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
Increasing numbers of disasters
From the Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Guide (2007)
![Page 3: Law and legal issues in international disaster relief ...oas.org/dsd/energy/meeting/documentos/isabelle... · 5/21/2010 · Guidelines on the Domestic Facilitation and Regulation](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022060310/5f0aa5657e708231d42ca465/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
Increasing numbers and variety of int’l responders
• More states
• More militaries
• More RC/RC societies
• More UN agencies
• Many more NGOs
• More private companies
• More private individuals
Numbers of international NGOs responding to disasters
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
Gujarat, 2001 Bam, 2003 Aceh, 2004 Haiti, 2010
![Page 4: Law and legal issues in international disaster relief ...oas.org/dsd/energy/meeting/documentos/isabelle... · 5/21/2010 · Guidelines on the Domestic Facilitation and Regulation](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022060310/5f0aa5657e708231d42ca465/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
The Federation’s involvement
Mandate• 2001 Council of Delegates
• 2003 International Conference
• 2007 International Conference
Research• 27 legal case studies
• IDRL database
• Global survey
• Desk study
• Regional forum 2006-2007
![Page 5: Law and legal issues in international disaster relief ...oas.org/dsd/energy/meeting/documentos/isabelle... · 5/21/2010 · Guidelines on the Domestic Facilitation and Regulation](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022060310/5f0aa5657e708231d42ca465/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
Countries covered by IDRL studies since 2001
![Page 6: Law and legal issues in international disaster relief ...oas.org/dsd/energy/meeting/documentos/isabelle... · 5/21/2010 · Guidelines on the Domestic Facilitation and Regulation](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022060310/5f0aa5657e708231d42ca465/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
Common Problem Areas
• Initiation
• Visas
• Customs
• Taxes
• Legal Personality
• Bank Accounts
• Local Hiring
• Liability
• Corruption
• Inappropriate relief items and activities
• Untrained or unqualified personnel
• Lack of respect for domestic authorities and relief actors
• Lack of respect for beneficiaries
• Failure to coordinate
![Page 7: Law and legal issues in international disaster relief ...oas.org/dsd/energy/meeting/documentos/isabelle... · 5/21/2010 · Guidelines on the Domestic Facilitation and Regulation](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022060310/5f0aa5657e708231d42ca465/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
Haiti Earthquake
•Humanitarian Flights have been turned away
•Delays in moving aid received at the airport
beyond storerooms
•Inexperienced international “relief” personnel
•Examples of non-essential “relief” items (such
as solar-powered speaking bibles)
•Inappropriate interventions (such as faith
healing)
•Foreign Exchange Problems/ Hiring local staff
![Page 8: Law and legal issues in international disaster relief ...oas.org/dsd/energy/meeting/documentos/isabelle... · 5/21/2010 · Guidelines on the Domestic Facilitation and Regulation](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022060310/5f0aa5657e708231d42ca465/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
Regional
Law
Global & Regional
Institutions
Sectoral
Law
Bilateral
Agreements
Soft
Law
No
Comphensive
Legal Regime3 musketeers
3333
RC /RC
(Soft) Law
![Page 9: Law and legal issues in international disaster relief ...oas.org/dsd/energy/meeting/documentos/isabelle... · 5/21/2010 · Guidelines on the Domestic Facilitation and Regulation](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022060310/5f0aa5657e708231d42ca465/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
Guidelines on the Domestic Facilitation and Regulation of
International Disaster Relief and Initial Recovery Assistance
“IDRL Guidelines”
• Recommendations to governments on how to prepare domestic legal and institutional frameworks for non-conflict disasters
• Compile existing international norms and best practice
• Intended to help governments ensure that disaster-affected communities receive speedy and appropriate relief
![Page 10: Law and legal issues in international disaster relief ...oas.org/dsd/energy/meeting/documentos/isabelle... · 5/21/2010 · Guidelines on the Domestic Facilitation and Regulation](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022060310/5f0aa5657e708231d42ca465/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
• Aid providers always:
– Abide by domestic and international law
– Coordinate with domestic authorities
– Abide by humanitarian principles• Humanity, neutrality and impartiality
• To the greatest extent practicable, they:
– Meet int’l quality standards
– Coordinate with other actors
– Involve beneficiaries
– Use fully trained personnel
– Build on local capacities
– Ensure transparency
The IDRL Guidelines’ standards
![Page 11: Law and legal issues in international disaster relief ...oas.org/dsd/energy/meeting/documentos/isabelle... · 5/21/2010 · Guidelines on the Domestic Facilitation and Regulation](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022060310/5f0aa5657e708231d42ca465/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
• Personnel– Visas
– Work permits
– Professional qualifications
– Freedom of movement
• Goods and equipment– Customs clearance and duties
– Food, vehicles, telecoms, medicines
• Transport
• Domestic legal status– Power to open bank accounts, contract, etc.
• Taxes
• Security
• Extended hours
• Costs
The IDRL Guidelines’ proposed legal facilities
![Page 12: Law and legal issues in international disaster relief ...oas.org/dsd/energy/meeting/documentos/isabelle... · 5/21/2010 · Guidelines on the Domestic Facilitation and Regulation](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022060310/5f0aa5657e708231d42ca465/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
The Guidelines and humanitarian actors:
the recommended link
Humanitarian actor
requests legal
facilities
Gov’t decides
Facilities
conditioned on
adherence to
minimum quality
standards
Ongoing obligation of
recipient to abide by
standards
Gov’t monitors
progress
![Page 13: Law and legal issues in international disaster relief ...oas.org/dsd/energy/meeting/documentos/isabelle... · 5/21/2010 · Guidelines on the Domestic Facilitation and Regulation](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022060310/5f0aa5657e708231d42ca465/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
The “IDRL Guidelines”
• Unanimously adopted by the state parties to the Geneva Conventions in 2007
• Approving resolutions from the UN ECOSOC and General Assembly in 2008 and 2009
• EU Consensus on Hum. Aid, APEC Strategy, CAPRADE Manual, ASEAN SOPs
![Page 14: Law and legal issues in international disaster relief ...oas.org/dsd/energy/meeting/documentos/isabelle... · 5/21/2010 · Guidelines on the Domestic Facilitation and Regulation](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022060310/5f0aa5657e708231d42ca465/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
Need to act: regional signals
• Resolution of the OAS General Assembly (July 2009)– “process of joint assessment of
existing legislative and coordination mechanisms”
• Declaration of Florianopolis (September 2009):– Investigate existing mechanisms
– Evaluate national legal frameworks for facilitating and regulating international relief using the IDRL Guidelines
![Page 15: Law and legal issues in international disaster relief ...oas.org/dsd/energy/meeting/documentos/isabelle... · 5/21/2010 · Guidelines on the Domestic Facilitation and Regulation](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022060310/5f0aa5657e708231d42ca465/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
Examples of use of the IDRL Guidelines
New rules developed
• Indonesia, New Zealand, Norway, Panama
• ASEAN, CAPRADE, NATO
Formal evaluations
• Underway: Austria, Bulgaria, Cambodia,
Colombia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Laos,
Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Sierra Leone,
Uganda, UK, Vietnam
• Under development: Afghanistan, Canada,
Haiti, El Salvador, Kazakhstan, Kiribati,
Mozambique, Namibia, Pakistan, Philippines,
Tajikistan, Vanuatu
![Page 16: Law and legal issues in international disaster relief ...oas.org/dsd/energy/meeting/documentos/isabelle... · 5/21/2010 · Guidelines on the Domestic Facilitation and Regulation](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022060310/5f0aa5657e708231d42ca465/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
For more information
• IDRL website:
– www.ifrc.org/idrl