Sendai Five Years on: Reflections on the Role of International Law in the Creation and Reduction of Disaster Risk

Marie Aronsson-Storrier

doi:10.1007/s13753-020-00265-y

Marie Aronsson-Storrier

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s13753-020-00265-y

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Abstract

This article offers a critical examination of the position of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 within international law. It is argued that any interrogation into the relationship between international law and disaster risk reduction (DRR) must begin not with existing DRR laws and policies, but rather with an enquiry into the nature of disaster risk and the role of international law in its creation and reduction. It is demonstrated how, while areas such as international human rights law can be utilized to enforce obligations in support of DRR, other areas—in particular international investment law—actively work to undermine DRR efforts. In order for international law to be a productive tool in the reduction of disaster risk, international lawyers must engage with critical work in disaster studies and explore the role that international law has played, and can play, in creating and addressing hazards, vulnerabilities, and capacities.

Highlights

Five years into the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030’s (UN 2015) 15-year span, it is time to take stock of the progress that has been achieved so far and the limits of the Framework’s implementation
The identification, or mapping, of existing disaster risk reduction (DRR) obligations is an essential exercise as international law can play a vital role in enforcing aspects of the Sendai Framework
While much work remains to be done in order fully to identify and understand how existing legal obligations can be applied and interpreted in relation to DRR, it is time for legal scholars to move beyond this mapping exercise and engage more critically with the relationship between international law and disaster risk

Summary

Introduction

Five years into the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030’s (UN 2015) 15-year span, it is time to take stock of the progress that has been achieved so far and the limits of the Framework’s implementation. The identification, or mapping, of existing DRR obligations is an essential exercise as international law can play a vital role in enforcing aspects of the Sendai Framework. While much work remains to be done in order fully to identify and understand how existing legal obligations can be applied and interpreted in relation to DRR, it is time for legal scholars to move beyond this mapping exercise and engage more critically with the relationship between international law and disaster risk.

International Law and Disaster Risk Creation

The Sendai Framework and the Myth of Domestic Powers

Concluding Thoughts