CYIL Vol. 5, 2014

THE EXISTANCE OF THE RIGHT TO HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE … THE EXISTANCE OF THE RIGHT TO HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE IN THE EVENT OF NATURAL DISASTERS*

Ana Polak Petrič

Abstract: This article surveys the existence of the right of the victims of natural disasters to humanitarian assistance. At the outset, historical achievements are outlined, as well as the most recent developments in the formulation and adoption of international law on disaster response, particularly the comprehensive studies carried out within the framework of the Red Cross Movement and the International Law Commission. Further, it is underlined that because of the constant interplay between the need for the protection of disaster victims and their human rights, on the one hand, and the respect for the fundamental principles of State sovereignty and non-intervention, on the other, the establishment or the recognition of the right to humanitarian assistance in the event of natural disasters is a highly complex and controversial issue. The article tackles this issue from two aspects. Firstly, it inspects and identifies each individual source of international law that could confirm the existence of this right in existing legal regime (de lege lata). Since such analysis does not bring positive answers, the conclusion is made that the recognition of the right to humanitarian assistance of victims in the event of natural disasters is possible only as a way of progressive development of international law (de lege ferenda). The author offers several convincing arguments to this end: 1. The right to humanitarian assistance is to be considered a necessary consequence of and is based and justified on the universally recognized principles of humanity and human dignity; 2. The right to humanitarian assistance is implied by basic human rights, the respect of which is necessary for the survival of the victims of natural disasters, particularly the right to life; 3. Efforts to establish the existence of the right to humanitarian assistance in the event of natural disasters can be influenced by the fact that this right is widely recognized in the specialized context of armed conflicts; 4. The right to humanitarian assistance is by no means a threat to or in conflict with State sovereignty; and 5. The right to humanitarian assistance cannot be properly fulfilled if it is not supplemented with corresponding rights and duties of various actors in disaster relief. Resumé: Článek zkoumá problematiku práva obětí přírodních katastrof na huma- nitární pomoc. V úvodu uvádí autorka historické úspěchy, stejně jako nejnovější vý- voj při formulování a přijetí mezinárodního práva upravujícího reakci na katastrofy, zejména komplexní studie zpracované v rámci Mezinárodního hnutí Červeného kříže a Komise pro mezinárodní právo. Dále je zdůrazněno, že z důvodu neustálého * This article is a summary of a part of the author’s Doctoral Thesis, entitled ‘International Legal Protection of Persons in the Event of Natural Disasters’, which she defended in 2014. The author would like to express her gratitude to Prof. Dr. Pavel Šturma, as a member of the Commission for the Evaluation of the Doctoral Thesis, for his guidance and advice.