The rights-based approach to emergencies: A Beginners’ Guide

Disasters can hit at any time and in any place, affecting
people from all walks of life. But they tend to hit poor
people hardest.
Forced to the margins of productive lands, poor people
frequently live in areas prone to drought and flooding.
Those who are killed, injured or left homeless by
earthquakes, fires, floods, mudslides, or hurricanes are
often those living in poor housing or in areas of high risk
where few would choose to settle. Poverty, then, is a key
factor behind emergencies. This is true of natural disasters
but also of emergencies resulting from conflict. A scarcity
of resources – of land, water, or livestock, for example – is
often the initial trigger for violent fighting. And once the
fighting has started, poor people are left more vulnerable
to the effects of war. In sum, emergencies exacerbate
poverty that already existed and cause further poverty.