International Humanitarian Assistance Research Articles

Natural hazards international rescue response mechanism and development trends under UN framework.

The international rescue response to natural hazards, which has frequently drawn the attention of the international community, is a very important part of the international humanitarian assistance system. This paper focuses on the international rescue response mechanism, which is under the United Nations (UN) framework, and trends in its devel-opment. Referencing the international rescue response mechanism, this paper analyzes the overall characteristics of the humanitarian response mechanism under the UN framework, and its main components, basic procedures, quality guarantee, and support of the international rescue response mechanism. In view of the international rescue develop-ment, this paper reviews the development history and the strategic plan from 2021 to 2026. From the authors' point of view, in the next development period, the international rescue community should pay more attention on building Urban Search and Rescue team's capacity at different levels and standards, ready to respond to different kinds of disasters with flexible modules, establishing deeper and more extensive partnerships during the preparedness phase. We hope to provide a foundation for broader and deeper discussions in this field.

Estimating the economic loss caused by earthquake in Mainland China

In order to estimate the post-earthquake losses in Mainland China, this paper develops a set of economic loss estimation models for Mainland China based on fixed asset data and the damaging information compiled in the Mainland China composite damaging earthquake catalog (MCCDE-CAT). Considering the differences in seismicity and economic development levels across China, these estimation models are developed separately for different sub-regions. Before performing regression analysis, the Human development index (HDI) is used to normalize the economic loss ratio from earthquake occurrence to the present. The robustness and effectiveness of the loss estimation models are verified by separating the loss information in MCCDE-CAT into sample and test data. According to the loss estimation models developed and the normal distribution characteristics of the residuals between modeled and recorded loss data, the probability of different ranges of predicted earthquake economic loss can be determined. Finally, the 2021 Ms 6.4 Yangbi earthquake is taken as an example to demonstrate the application of our developed loss estimation model. The good consistency between the economic loss estimated based on post-earthquake investigations and the predicted economic loss range by our model further indicates the applicability of the model in rapid post-earthquake loss estimation. In the future, the economic loss estimation method will provide scientific guidance in post-earthquake government reconstruction decision-making and international humanitarian assistance. This method is also applicable to disaster loss estimation in any country and region in the world.

International principles of combating the illegal use for profit of humanitarian aid, charitable donations, or free aid

The article is devoted to an extremely relevant topic - the characteristics of the international principles of combating the illegal use for profit of humanitarian aid, charitable donations, or free aid. It has been proven that much of international humanitarian assistance is based on the premise that armed conflict will inevitably resume, but that all parties involved can take steps to minimize the hardships faced by civilians caught in the chaos. Nevertheless, the parties involved in the conflicts constantly do not fulfill their demands. The International Court of Justice has repeatedly noted that the right to humanitarian assistance is the core of ergo omnes obligations.
 The article establishes that the legal mechanisms, the current jurisdictional mechanisms for the international protection of the right to humanitarian aid, require significant time costs and the consent of the state to provide it with humanitarian aid. Political mechanisms are particularly effective in resolving disputes of this type because they are more flexible and can be used to combat the behavior of non-state parties. After all, a significant negative factor during an active armed conflict is that a person's right to humanitarian aid mainly depends on the political will of states to use the means available at their disposal to ensure implementation and execution. It turns out that the procedure for considering interstate complaints regarding the violation of the right to humanitarian assistance involves a long process, as well as the complete exhaustion of national remedies. Transferring a case to the European Court of Human Rights is also a long-term process that does not provide for temporary procedures for settling the situation. In such a case, the role of the courts is not preventive and cannot contribute to the prevention of violations of the right to humanitarian assistance. In addition, if judicial protection is always evaluated as a traditional way of protecting violated rights, then there are also alternative ones, for example, a monitoring procedure that focuses on the analysis of "situations" in which human rights are violated, considering the frequency of violations over time, and not the number of victims. This makes it possible to identify even individual violations of human rights.

Preparedness among Reserve Officers' Training Corps Graduates on the Rigors of ROTC and Defense Security: Basis for Policy Enhancement

The Philippines Reserve Officers' Training Corps aims to provide military education and training for students to mobilize them for national defense preparedness. This study aimed to assess the rigor of the Philippine Reserve Officers' Training Corps, and defense and security preparedness among ROTC graduates in selected universities in the Philippines, and determined the significant difference in the perceived level of preparedness on the rigor of the Philippine RTOC among Military Science courses graduates in selected universities such as: physical organization of cadets, combat training of individual soldiers, regional annual administrative and tactical inspection, drill and ceremonies, infantry, rescue, field artillery, and; civil operation activities as assessed by the three groups of respondents. Moreover, the study also determined the significant difference in the perceived level of preparedness on defense and security such as: internal security operations, territorial defense, disaster response, international defense, security engagements, international humanitarian assistance, peacekeeping operations, and support to national development as assessed by the two (2) groups of respondents. This study utilized a descriptive correlational research design. The study covered 200 respondents; composed of 100 Military Science 42 Graduates, and 100 Military Science 43 graduates conducted during the School Year 2022 – 2023. Generally, the respondents were Highly Prepared for the rigor of the Reserved Officers Training Corps. On the other hand, the respondents were Highly Prepared on defense and security as embedded in the Reserved Officers Training Corps. Further studies may be conducted using empirical evidence to further the implementation of ROTC mandates, supplementation to an early career in AFP, and the impact of ROTC on both high school and college graduates in the Philippines.

Emergency Medical Team Deployment Modalities: A Delphi Study

Introduction:The COVID-19 pandemic presented obstacles to Emergency Medical Teams (EMT) deployment, including concern of exposure to COVID-19 and travel restriction in many areas of the world. Recognizing these challenges, EMTs sought alternatives to physical deployment, such as virtual deployment. However, concerns have been raised regarding access to internet in aid recipient countries, as well as patient privacy and data leakage in general due to insecure internet connections and intentional data hacking. There is limited literature, and no internationally agreed set of criteria, on the evaluation of deployment including the recipient countries’ ministries of health’s opinion on the deployments. In order to compare alternative deployment modalities, a set of criteria to evaluate an EMT deployment must be established.Method:The research will identify a set of criteria that can be used to evaluate a deployment; to identify the possible alternative modalities to traditional physical deployment; and to explore perceptions of acceptability and ability to meet the goals of international humanitarian assistance. A stakeholder analysis will be conducted to identify the key informants and relevant stakeholders, and the Delphi Approach will be utilized to seek experts’ opinions and reach consensus.Results:This research will help to establish a set of criteria for evaluating deployments, and to identify the alternative deployment modalities, the advantages, and disadvantages, and to evaluate each alternative modality, with the hopes of guiding EMTs to plan their future deployments, as well as to provide alternatives should there be further restrictions in the future.Conclusion:At this moment, this research is at the planning stage and ethical approval has not yet been sought. Should this abstract be accepted, ethical approval will have been obtained, and data collection will have just started in May. The presentation will include a summary of relevant literature, the methods, and any preliminary results.

Mapping of nighttime light trends and refugee population changes in Ukraine during the Russian–Ukrainian War

The nighttime lights accurately and coherently depict how humans live. This study uses nighttime light measurements to quantify changes in nighttime lighting and refugee population in Ukraine before and after the war. We combined the Theil–Sen estimator with the M-K test to explore the trends of nighttime light. In addition, we constructed a linear model using nighttime light data and a portion of the UNHCR refugee data. Our results reveal that 1 week after the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War, the nighttime light area and the average nighttime light DN value in Ukraine exhibited a steep decline of about 50 percent. Our findings showed taht refugee population changes calculated through models and nighttime light data were mostly consistent with UNHCR data. We thought that the nighttime light data might be used directly to dynamically estimate changes in the refugee movement throughout the war. Nighttime light changes has significant implications for international humanitarian assistance and post-war reconstruction.

International Humanitarian Assistance and Multilateral Cooperation in North Korea

International Humanitarian Assistance and Multilateral Cooperation in North Korea

Self-care interventions for sexual and reproductive health in humanitarian and fragile settings: a scoping review

BackgroundSelf-care is the ability of individuals, families, and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and manage illness and disability with or without a health care provider. In resource-constrained settings with disrupted sexual and reproductive health (SRH) service coverage and access, SRH self-care could play a critical role. Despite SRH conditions being among the leading causes of mortality and morbidity among women of reproductive age in humanitarian and fragile settings, there are currently no reviews of self-care interventions in these contexts to guide policy and practice.MethodsWe undertook a scoping review to identify the design, implementation, and outcomes of self-care interventions for SRH in humanitarian and fragile settings. We defined settings of interest as locations with appeals for international humanitarian assistance or identified as fragile and conflict-affected situations by the World Bank. SRH self-care interventions were described according to those aligned with the Minimum Initial Services Package for Reproductive Health in Crises. We searched six databases for records using keywords guided by the PRISMA statement. The findings of each included paper were analysed using an a priori framework to identify information concerning effectiveness, acceptability and feasibility of the self-care intervention, places where self-care interventions were accessed and factors relating to the environment that enabled the delivery and uptake of the interventions.ResultsWe identified 25 publications on SRH self-care implemented in humanitarian and fragile settings including ten publications on maternal and newborn health, nine on HIV/STI interventions, two on contraception, two on safe abortion care, one on gender-based violence, and one on health service provider perspectives on multiple interventions. Overall, the findings show that well-supported self-care interventions have the potential to increase access to quality SRH for crisis-affected communities. However, descriptions of interventions, study settings, and factors impacting implementation offer limited insight into how practical considerations for SRH self-care interventions differ in stable, fragile, and crisis-affected settings.ConclusionIt is time to invest in self-care implementation research in humanitarian settings to inform policies and practices that are adapted to the needs of crisis-affected communities and tailored to the specific health system challenges encountered in such contexts.

Emergency food aid challenges in natural and man-made disasters: A systematic review.

Emergency food aid is the most essential response of the international community to natural disasters and complex emergencies. The humanitarian aid organizations sometimes have been encountered with different challenges during the feeding process to target groups. The aim of this article is to review the food aid challenges in receiving countries of humanitarian food assistance during disasters and emergencies. This systematic review was conducted in August 2019, and the search was limited to published evidence before July 1, 2019. Through this systematic review, the international electronic databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, ProQuest, and Google Scholar were investigated for the studies published in English. The articles were assessed based on title, abstract, and full text by Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools. Then, descriptive and thematic analyses were done to extract the most relevant food challenges in recipient countries of humanitarian food assistance. A total of 179 studies were found. Of which, 34 and 118 were excluded because of duplication and quality appraisal, respectively. Finally, 27 eligible articles and reports were included in this study, and 30 main challenges were determined during the international humanitarian food assistance in receiving countries. The challenges were categorized in seven main category of availability (two subcategories), access (six subcategories), utilization (three subcategories), coordination and collaboration (eight subcategories), political and legal issues (three subcategories), monitoring and assessment (six subcategories), and human rights (two subcategories). The most repeated challenges were related to access and monitoring. Most of the extracted food aid challenges allocated to time after occurring the disasters. Regarding to the result of this study, further research should be conducted to suggest the practical approaches for solving the mentioned challenges and increase the effectiveness of such aids.

Humanitarian crisis due to climate and security challenges in the Far North Cameroon: how the international assistance is organised?

<p>Humanitarian needs in Cameroon have been growing steadily over the years due to the multiple crises the country has been going through. This study aims to analyse the international assistance provided to the populations of Far North Cameroon who are facing security and climate challenges. The study was implemented through the study of pertinent documentation (articles, newspapers, books and reports) related to the issue. Our analysis shows that, the humanitarian needs are critical in the Far North of Cameroon. Indeed, about 33% of households are food insecure, including 3% in a situation of severe food insecurity, 6% of children are affected by Global Acute Malnutrition. Following this situation, only 26% of the requirement in was funded for the year 2020, making Cameroon to be ranked as the world’s most neglected displacement crises by the international community. These funds were received from both foreign countries and private donors from all the continents. The international humanitarian assistance is coordinated by OCHA in collaboration with Cameroon governmental partners, implementing and operational partners and United Nations agencies.</p>

China's Humanitarian Aid and Efforts to Engage in International Humanitarian Assistance

With the emergence of non-traditional donors in development cooperation, there have been debates on the expected roles of non-traditional donors among the policymakers and scholars in the field of development cooperation. Among them, China has gained attention because of its rising power and influence in global economics and politics. This article aims to facilitate the understanding of international humanitarian assistance and to identify the overview of China’s humanitarian assistance in terms of backgrounds, trends, and size. It can be possible to identify the priorities of its humanitarian assistance and to predict the ways for cooperation with international society. Still, criticisms have been raised in China’s humanitarian assistance with Chinese characters, covering the foreign aid policy of China. However, the international society welcomes the efforts of China to engage in the common efforts of humanitarian assistance and expects more coordination and harmonization of humanitarian assistance. By the strong support of the UN and OECD, the harmonized efforts for the collective outcomes and innovative financing for humanitarian assistance have been emphasized. Analyzing the features of China’s humanitarian aid, this article concludes with the suggestions and the recommendations as follows. As a responsible rising power, it is highly expected for the Chinese government to actively engage in international humanitarian assistance in accordance with the agreed guidelines of international society. In line with its own strategic preparedness in the establishment of the Chinese International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) and emphasis on international cooperation, this article suggests more coordinated efforts, especially in the form of trilateral cooperation in the end.

Application of supply chain approach to improving hazard-resilient health services: framework analysis for ASEAN and options of implementation.

Infectious diseases such as SARS and COVID-19, like other natural hazards, underline the interconnectedness of the countries. Both manufacturing and services sectors in the economies of Asia have outsourced supplies from different countries in order to gain a competitive advantage through effective value chain management. The motivations for this outsourcing are to achieve technological innovations, reduce end-product prices, and strengthen strategic competitiveness. This paper applies a supply chain approach to develop the concept of a hazard-resilient healthcare system (HRHS) and to explore ways how this might be achieved. After reviewing the current international thinking on HRHS, which has narrowly focused on building national capacities with national capabilities, it argues that a supply chain approach may provide a better, more robust, and in many ways more realistic, approach to enhance the hazard resilience of national healthcare systems. Within such an approach, capabilities of the local actors (local health authorities and healthcare providers) in a pandemic or disaster-prone situation remain important and should be further strengthened, but international support and assistance in times of emergency should also be a key plank of the system. In a changing world with more frequent high-impact pandemics and disasters, such international support need not be one way, but both ways. A system of mutual support may be developed by forming an effective international common pool of capability in responding to the health needs when a major disaster occurs anywhere in a region or globally. Even though serious limitations exist in the current thinking on HRHS, significant progress has been made on the international humanitarian assistance front, especially in the ASEAN region. While developments on this front have not been a part of the purview of the current international thinking on HRHS, it is argued that they may well form an important corner stone in a typical future national HRHS.

Pravni režim međunarodne humanitarne pomoći u oružanim sukobima

The legal regime of international humanitarian assistance provided during armed conflicts is based on several general legal principles. They are guiding principles that apply in all circumstances and situations, regardless of the nature of the armed conflict. The first principle entails that the state has primary responsibility to ensure that the basic needs of population under its jurisdiction are met during the armed conflict. The second principle, closely related to the first one, is the principle that third countries and international humanitarian organizations may offer assistance if a party to the conflict fails to undertake its duty to provide supplies necessary for the survival of the population. The next principles calls for the consent of all concerned parties in the provision of humanitarian assistance, as well as the duty of the parties to the conflict and all third countries to approve and facilitate the unimpeded passage of aid. The last principle is that staff involved in relief operations must be respected and protected. In addition to these general legal principles, international humanitarian assistance is regulated by a dozen of special rules covering various aspects of providing international humanitarian assistance during armed conflict. These rules are the result of a compromise between efforts to provide the vulnerable population with the necessities of life and a demand to protect the sovereignty of all parties to the conflict, but particularly of the state in which the aid is being sent. There is a difference between the rules governing humanitarian aid operations in international armed conflicts and the rules applicable in non-international conflicts. The first group of rules is far more numerous; they regulate in detail the issues related to relief actions, including the conditions for passage, delivery and distribution of consignments, the types of goods and services that can be sent, the category of persons who they are intended for, the position of the personnel engaged in these operations, and the technical conditions for implementing these rules. As regards non-international armed conflicts, the rules on humanitarian assistance are fewer, shorter and more general. These scarce rules are sometimes vague, and they mainly come down to the principle of humane treatment and the right of international humanitarian organizations to offer their assistance. Given that non international conflicts are the predominant form of armed conflict today, there is a strong tendency to extend the application of codified rules of international law governing the provision of humanitarian assistance to these conflicts. The practice of respecting almost all codified rules governing the provision of humanitarian assistance in modern armed conflicts and its wide acceptance by states and other participants confirms that the rules of customary International Humanitarian Law created in this area are applicable in both international and non-international armed conflicts.

Міжнародна практика інноваційних технологій фінансування проєктної діяльності

In today’s world, the international community provides significant support in carrying out socio-economic and political reforms to countries that need it. Such support is provided in the form of official aid for the purposes of development, which includes international technical and humanitarian assistance, loans for repayment of foreign debt on preferential terms, financing of project activities. The article analyzes the state of Ukraine’s cooperation with international financial organizations in providing financial and technical assistance for the implementation of projects that are of great importance for structural reforms of the domestic economy. The national economy of Ukraine has been experiencing a lasting shortage of financial resources necessary for innovation and investment development projects, also for current needs of the State. Given the difficulties of mobilizing free cash in the domestic capital market, Ukraine attracts resources in foreign markets. Expanding partnerships with international donor organizations allows not only to find additional sources of funding for projects aimed at socio-economic and humanitarian development, but also to provide real help to those in need. The implementation of joint projects and programs involving communities and local authorities in practice makes it possible to gain useful and important experience based on the best world and European practices. It is examined that in the national economy the urgent problem is the search for new types of interaction between communities to solve socially important issues, including the search for unconventional sources of financing. To a large extent, the search for and involvement of funds in the social sphere is facilitated by innovative technologies for financing social development – fundraising, crowdsourcing and crowdfunding platforms, which are manifestations of social communications and become relevant in the context of decentralization and community development.

China’s response to the 2014–2016 Ebola crisis: Enhancing Africa’s soft security under Sino-US competition

The 2014–16 Ebola crisis in West Africa was China’s very first opportunity to demonstrate its willingness and ability to play a meaningful role in addressing public health emergencies of international concern. China’s decision to participate in the international response to the outbreak was part of an ambition to enhance its contribution to Africa’s security in general and health security in particular and to exert more influence on global norms. The specific role played by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), especially its Academy of Military Medical Sciences, in Sierra Leone and Liberia is part of an ongoing effort to increase China’s involvement in international humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations. It was the first time that it sent medical military teams to set up and operate infectious disease hospitals overseas. This participation also underscores the PLA’s crucial role in fighting epidemics overseas as well as at home, as the current COVID-19 pandemic illustrates. The Ebola crisis enables us to explore aspects of the PLA’s overseas missions, some of which are humanitarian and others which generally enhance China’s influence as a great power in Africa and in the world in the context of a growing Sino-US strategic competition.

The Right to International Solidarity and Humanitarian Assistance in the Era of covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract From an international law point of view, the covid-19 pandemic could be described as a ‘disaster’ which has led to various calls especially from the UN system for harmonized international cooperation and global solidarity. This article focuses on the meaning of ‘solidarity’ in the context of international human rights, and elaborates on the implications of solidarity on the international law of humanitarian assistance in the current situation of the coronavirus outbreak.

The relationship between armed conflict and reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health and nutrition status and services in northeastern Nigeria: a mixed-methods case study

BackgroundArmed conflict between the militant Islamist group Boko Haram, other insurgents, and the Nigerian military has principally affected three states of northeastern Nigeria (Borno, Adamawa, Yobe) since 2002. An intensification of the conflict in 2009 brought the situation to increased international visibility. However, full-scale humanitarian intervention did not occur until 2016. Even prior to this period of armed conflict, reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and child health indicators were extremely low in the region. The presence of local and international humanitarian actors, in the form of United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations, working in concert with concerned federal, state, and local entities of the Government of Nigeria, were able to prioritize and devise strategies for the delivery of health services that resulted in marked improvement of health status in the subset of the population in which this could be measured. Prospects for the future remain uncertain.MethodsInterviews were conducted with more than 60 respondents from government, United Nations agencies, and national and international non-governmental organizations. Quantitative data on intervention coverage indicators from publicly available national surveys (Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS)), National Nutrition and Health Surveys (NNHS)) were descriptively analyzed.ResultsOverall, indicators of low reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and child health (RMNCH) status and intervention coverage were found in the pre-intervention period (prior to 2016) and important improvements were noted following the arrival of international humanitarian assistance, even while armed conflict and adverse conditions persisted. Security issues, workforce limitations, and inadequate financing were frequently cited obstacles.ConclusionIt is assumed that armed conflict would have a negative impact on the health status of the affected population, but pre-conflict indicators can be so depressed that this effect is difficult to measure. When this is the case, health sector intervention by the international community can often result in marked improvements in the accessible population. What might happen upon the departure of the humanitarian organizations cannot be predicted with an appreciable degree of certainty.

Heterogeneous wireless IoT architecture for natural disaster monitorization

A heterogeneous sensor network offers an extremely effective means of communicating with the international community, first responders, and humanitarian assistance agencies as long as affected populations have access to the Internet during disasters. When communication networks fail in an emergency situation, a challenge emerges when emergency services try to communicate with each other. In such situations, field data can be collected from nearby sensors deploying a wireless sensor network and a delay-tolerant network over the region to monitor. When data has to be sent to the operations center without any telecommunication infrastructure available, HF, satellite, and high-altitude platforms are the unique options, being HF with Near Vertical Incidence Skywave the most cost-effective and easy-to-install solution. Sensed data in disaster situations could serve a wide range of interests and needs (scientific, technical, and operational information for decision-makers). The proposed monitorization architecture addresses the communication with the public during emergencies using movable and deployable resource unit technologies for sensing, exchanging, and distributing information for humanitarian organizations. The challenge is to show how sensed data and information management contribute to a more effective and timely response to improve the quality of life of the affected populations. Our proposal was tested under real emergency conditions in Europe and Antarctica.

"We Live on Hope...": Ethical Considerations of Humanitarian Use of Drones in Post-Disaster Nepal

As international humanitarian assistance from governments and private donors continued to increase in recent years, the pace of growth, however, has slowed down [1]. For instance, in 2018, while USd17.0 billion out of USd28.1 billion funding was committed to UN-coordinated appeals, there was still a funding shortfall of USd11.1 billion, with only 61% of requirements met [1]. Against this backdrop, international organizations are in - creasingly implementing innovative solutions to respond the needs of affected communities [2], [3]. Many of these solutions involve the use of digital technologies, such as geographic information systems (GIS), robotics, spatial decision support systems, and unmanned aerial vehicles, also known as drones [4]. Although drones are not the first use of robotics in commercial and industrial settings, the humanitarian use of drones represents the first wave of robotics applied in the aid sector, and is representative of emerging technologies being used for humanitarian purposes [5]. Examples of successful drone use in this setting include the 2010 Haiti earthquake (damage inspection), 2012 Hurricane Sandy in the U.S.A. (epidemic prevention), 2013 Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines (rescue logistics), the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa (medical equipment delivery), and the 2015 Nepal earthquake - the site of this case study - when Nepal was stricken by one of the most devastating natural disasters in history, leaving the country with heavy burdens of immediate emergency relief and long-term postdisaster reconstruction [6]-[8].

The DPRK’s Triple Disaster: Failure of Governance, Flooding, and Drought

북한에서는 많은 인권 침해 행위들이 여전히 만연하는 가운데, 북한주민들은 반복되는 자연재해로 인해 더욱 고통 받고 있다. 이는 종종 심각한 인권위기를 초래하는 상황으로 이어진다. 북한정권이 재난이후 상황을 적절히 대응하지 못함에 따라 반복되어지는 자연재해에 대한 취약성은 더욱 증가 하는 현실이다. 본 논문은 나쁜 거버넌스로 인해 반복적으로 발생해온 자연재해, 즉 홍수와 가뭄과 같은 재난으로부터 발생한 인도주의의 위기현상들을 분석한다. 또한, 본 논문은 2018년부터 2019년 사이의 최근 홍수와 가뭄으로 인해 발생한 인도주의의 위기현상에 대한 북한내부 및 국제사회의 대응들을 분석한다. 그렇게 함으로써, 본 논문은 현재 북한정권이 국제사회의 원조활동들에만 크게 의존하는 경향이 있는 반면, 재난에 영향을 받는 북한주민들을 적절하게 지원하거나 재난대응의 능력이 현저히 부족하다는 점을 주장한다. 실제로, 현재 북한정권은 국제사회 인도주의의 지원활동에 대해 부정적인 입장을 취하거나 허용하지 않음으로써 국제사회 인도주의 지원활동 전반에 부정적인 효과를 낳고 있다. 따라서, 북한정권은 재난 후 대응 거버넌스를 개선하는데 상당한 노력을 기울여야할 뿐만 아니라, 동시에 향후 재난에 영향을 받을 더 많은 북한주민들의 생명들을 구할 수 있도록 국제사회의 구호 활동을 더 많이 허용해야 할 필요성이 있다.The citizens of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), already enduring many human rights violations, further suffer because of recurrent natural disasters, which have often led to humanitarian crises. Vulnerability to these disasters has increased as the DPRK regime has continually failed to manage post-disaster situations adequately. This paper examines humanitarian crises in the DPRK in the aftermath of recurrent natural disasters such as floods and droughts, which have largely arisen from bad governance. This paper further examines both domestic and international responses to the humanitarian crises arising from the floods and droughts that occurred between 2018 and 2019. This examination explores how the DPRK regime has tended to rely heavily on the aid operations of international humanitarian organizations because it would otherwise lack the capacity to adequately assist disaster-affected citizens. This paper argues that the regime’s current policy has nonetheless been counterproductive in relation to international humanitarian assistance in the region. The DPRK should reconsider its policy by making a considerable effort to improve post-disaster governance and allowing greater access to international humanitarian operations so that more disaster- affected citizens can be saved in future crises.