International Legal and Institutional Frameworks for Disaster Risk Management
Description
Disasters - whether natural, technological, or public health-related - are increasing in frequency, scale, and complexity, with profound human, economic, and geopolitical consequences. While advances in early warning systems, infrastructure, and coordinated response have reduced some vulnerabilities, new risks driven by climate change, demographic shifts, and global interdependence threaten to reverse these gains. Against this backdrop, the need for effective legal and institutional frameworks for disaster management has never been more urgent.
This open access book offers a comprehensive yet accessible overview of contemporary international disaster management from both an institutional and legal perspective. Part I examines the principal actors and coordination mechanisms shaping the international response, with particular attention to the evolution of the United Nations system and the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism as the most advanced regional model. Part II turns to the legal frameworks governing disaster management, distinguishing between post-disaster response and recovery measures on the one hand, and pre-disaster prevention and preparedness - most notably disaster risk reduction - on the other
Drawing on the latest empirical data and recent normative developments, including the Sendai Framework and the International Law Commission's Draft Articles on the Protection of Persons in the Event of Disasters, the volume situates disaster law and policy within broader debates on resilience, sustainable development, and climate adaptation. Intended as a reference text, this book is particularly valuable for scholars, students, practitioners, and policymakers seeking a structured understanding of the evolving institutional landscape and legal architecture of disaster management at both global and regional levels.
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Persons
Emanuele Sommario is an Associate Professor of International Law at the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa, where he holds the Jean Monnet Chair on European and International Human Rights Standards in Conflicts and Disasters. He has published extensively on international disaster law and serves as a lecturer in the training activities of the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM). He is one of the co-editors of the Yearbook of International Disaster Law (Brill).
Peter Billing PhD is a former Deputy Director for Emergency Management at the European Commission, Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO). He helped shaping the Union Civil Protection Mechanism over almost 20 years and played a lead role in the creation of its Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC). He is currently working as a consultant and lecturer on international disaster management.
Content
1.Introduction.- 2.Actors and Coordination in Emergencies: A Global Overview.- 3.Civil Protection and Disaster Management in the European Union: Actors, Structures, Processes.- 4.The International Legal Framework for Disaster Response and Recovery Activities.- 5.The International Legal Framework for Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Activities.- 6.Conclusions and Outlook.