Chapter 8
Box 8.3 IDL – areas in need of further legal development

Humanitarian standards of profes-sionalism (e.g., Sphere).
Quality assurance mechanisms, impartially applied, would en-hance the legitimacy of humanitarian res-ponders seeking access to funds and disaster zones.

Humanitarian standards of conduct. Humanitarian responders should abide by legal norms (e.g., respecting host nation public health and traffic regulations).

Transportation, immigration and customs. A common framework of universally recognized rules granting priority trans-portation and entry for relief goods and personnel must be built on foundations that already exist.

Standards for relief goods. Current guidelines on appropriate drug and relief donations need strengthening in order to avoid diversion of logistical resources to the delivery of inappropriate assistance.

Information sharing. Rapid sharing of data on unfolding disasters, consequences and responses – internationally and locally – could greatly boost agency coordination and effectiveness.

Access and security. States should cooperate with humanitarian responders and ensure that assistance is not disrupted, nor the security of aid staff threatened.

Contingency planning. Rapid response to sudden disasters saves lives. But to achieve this, responders need a system to train and maintain emergency response teams, prearranged waivers to allow rapid deployment, and perhaps a system for pre-positioning of essential supplies.

Interface with IHL. Complex humanitarian emergencies have blurred distinctions between peace and war. The overlap of IHL and IDL would need clarifying in situations when natural or technological disasters afflict areas where armed conflict is under way.

Lessons learned. Any treaty-based approach to international disaster response should promote information sharing, so as to incorporate lessons learned and hone better rules and regulations for the future.

Disaster preparedness and mitigation. To be truly effective, IDL would encompass disaster mitigation measures ranging from construction codes and environmental planning to early warning systems and evacuation procedures. Rules could facilitate information sharing and technical cooperation between states to achieve these goals.