International Disaster Response Law (IDRL) in Pakistan: A Desk Review of the legal framework for facilitating and regulating international disaster assistance

This review has been prepared by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ (IFRC) Disaster Law Programme, based on initial research undertaken by consultants in 2011-2012 and subsequent online research. The IDRL Guidelines are a product of nearly ten years of extensive research and global consultations led by the IFRC, to identify existing barriers to the provision of international disaster relief. Over two dozen case studies were undertaken which identified a common set of legal problems in disaster response operations, due in large part to the lack of legal preparedness of the disaster-affected state. As a result of these findings, the IFRC spearheaded negotiations to develop the IDRL Guidelines. The Guidelines were adopted in November 2007, at the 30th International Conference of the Red Cross Red Crescent, by all State Parties to the Geneva Conventions. These guidelines are based on a consolidation of existing international norms and principles applicable to disaster situations, and serve as a guide for governments to develop their own national laws pertaining to disaster response.

This study is part of a series of reports and desk reviews commissioned by the IFRC in order to assess legal frameworks for disaster response, with a focus on the facilitation and regulation of international disaster assistance. It is not intended to be an examination of the quality of domestic disaster response efforts or the legal systems which govern domestic response operations, though some of these issues will inevitably overlap. The aim of this research is to examine the existing legal framework for disaster response in Pakistan and how this applies to international assistance, to identify gaps and ways in which this framework can be improved.