Sendai Five Years on: Reflections on the Role of International Law in the Creation and Reduction of Disaster Risk

Abstract

This article offers a critical examination of the position of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 within international law. It is argued that any interrogation into the relationship between international law and disaster risk reduction (DRR) must begin not with existing DRR laws and policies, but rather with an enquiry into the nature of disaster risk and the role of international law in its creation and reduction. It is demonstrated how, while areas such as international human rights law can be utilized to enforce obligations in support of DRR, other areas-in particular international investment law-actively work to undermine DRR efforts. In order for international law to be a productive tool in the reduction of disaster risk, international lawyers must engage with critical work in disaster studies and explore the role that international law has played, and can play, in creating and addressing hazards, vulnerabilities, and capacities.

Geospatial Data Utilisation in National Disaster Management Frameworks and the Priorities of Multilateral Disaster Management Frameworks: Case Studies of India and Bulgaria

“…It is necessary to study the role-played and potential involvement of international law as a productive tool in DRR and in creating and dealing with hazards, vulnerabilities and capacity [42]. Aronsson-Storrier [43], referring to the Sendai Framework, emphasises the DRR as a common concern for the States and the extent of effective enhancement and implementation of national DRR policies and measures by developing countries in their respective circumstances and capabilities.…”

Invited perspectives: A research agenda towards disaster risk management pathways in multi-(hazard-)risk assessment

“…Accordingly, recent decades have seen a move from managing hazards to managing risks, as documented in several works. This perspective paper is not the place to review this journey: excellent histories are provided in several scholarly works, including Zentel and Glade (2013), Tozier de la Poterie and Baudoin (2015), Peduzzi (2019), andAronsson-Storrier (2020). Suffice to say that an important point in this journey was the ratification of the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 (HFA), an outcome of the World Conference for Disaster Reduction, held in Kobe in 2005.…”

Importance of individualized disaster preparedness for hospitalized or institutionalized patients: Lessons learned from the legal revisions made to the Basic Act on Disaster Management in Japan following the Fukushima nuclear disaster

“…These cases indicate that the limitation of legal instruction and the disaster management framework lies in the gap between relevant policy and its practice, and governmental action is generally reactive than proactive [ 10 ]. Based on the lessons learned from the emergency medical evacuation of hospitalized/institutionalized patients after the FDNPP accident, the BADM was amended to mandate local governments to establish alternative emergency evacuation sites and shelters in addition to the national government–designated emergency evacuation site.…”