Resource information
A new report by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) outlines eight reasons why it is important to address HLP issues from the outset of a humanitarian response, including:
Saving lives, preventing further displacement and human rights violations
Adapting humanitarian response to complex urban environments
Ensuring equal access to humanitarian assistance
Promoting access to justice in crises contexts and contributing towards durable solutions
Addressing loss of land and inability to return to land and homes after disasters
Supporting women’s recovery through the protection of their HLP rights
HLP as a tool for conflict prevention and peace building
Supporting local systems and bridging transition / development gap
Following collaboration with the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to housing, the paper also explains how the international human rights framework can inform both disaster and conflict response, enhancing protection for those affected.
A Roundtable held in Geneva on the 2nd March 2016 provided the opportunity to discuss how to tackle HLP challenges from a practitioners’ perspective. Key highlights and recommendations from the event have been incorporated into the report, which proposes how the global HLP Area of Responsibility (AoR), co-chaired by NRC and IFRC, and its partners can take these into operational responses in the future.
For more information on this paper and the HLP AoR please contact Monica Sanchez Bermudez (monica.sanchez.bermudez@nrc.no) or Victoria Stodart (victoria.stodart@ifrc.org).
