The social and economic costs of natural disasters impede sustainable development and poverty alleviation efforts, especially in developing countries. For several years, developed countries and international organizations have concentrated their efforts on alleviation and reconstruction after natural disasters have occurred. Recently, however, natural disasters have increased in both frequency and intensity of damage. New strategies are needed at the international level that prepare for these events instead of focusing on post-disaster mitigation.
Designing such strategies will require identifying natural disaster "hotspots" and generating data on economic and social impacts by country and disaster type. More importantly, effective disaster response requires regional and international cooperation, and a top priority for both national governments and international relief organizations is to improve the framework for regulating and facilitating international assistance.
Trends in the Number of Reported Disaster Events, 1975-2006
Note: the trend shown below may reflect improvements in reporting as opposed to an actual increase in disaster frequency.
Source: EM-DAT Disaster Database, 2007
Problems in International Disaster Operations
Some of the typical problems identified in international disaster operations are grouped into three categories:
- Personnel: Refusal or delay in granting visas or work permits and failure to recognize foreign professional qualifications for medical staff.
- Goods and Operations: Customs delays, duties or restrictions on humanitarian assistance and difficulty obtaining domestic legal status.
- Quality and Coordination: Failure to adhere to minimum humanitarian standards and failure to respect the role of domestic actors.
In response to these problems, the Organization of the American States (OAS) is supporting policies and national legislation on disaster response as well as regional cooperation in the Americas through the International Disaster Response Laws, Rules and Principle Programme (IDRL), launched in 2001 at the request of the Red Cross/Red Crescent Council of Delegates.
The Americas Forum on IDRL
The third forum of the IDRL will take place in Panama City from April 23-24, 2007. The forum will promote regional cooperation regarding international disaster response laws, rules and frameworks to address the most common regulatory problems that limit the effectiveness of disaster prevention and response.
The objectives of the forum are to raise awareness of existing international disaster laws and identify strengths and weakness in the scope and implementation of legal frameworks.
RELATED LINKS:
EM-DAT: International Disaster Database
Organization of the American States
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Earth Trends
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