Humanitarian assistance in cases of natural disasters and the 2023 earthquake in Turkey and Syria

Abstract

Natural disasters represent a grave danger that threatens the countries of the world as a whole due to the enormous losses that result from them at all human, economic, social, and environmental levels, which justifies the urgent need for international cooperation in providing humanitarian and relief assistance to the victims affected by these disasters. The importance of research related to the legal scope of humanitarian aid in cases of natural disasters appears with the increase in the frequency and intensity of disasters, the growing losses resulting from them, and the insufficiency of the material or technical capabilities to rescue the victims. Hence, there is a need for a regulating and binding law for the international community that is more stringent and enjoys the spontaneity and speed of the initiative in the moment of disaster. The recent events of the massive earthquake that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria revealed a significant gap in the mechanisms of dealing with the disaster after it occurred, which doubled the human and economic losses in particular. This is especially true with transparency and objectivity in presenting the dimensions and limits of the disaster through media coverage and social media.