On 12 January 2010, an earthquake registering 7.3 on the Richter scale struck Haiti, with the capital Port-au-Prince and the surrounding area bearing the brunt of the impact.
The disaster claimed over 230,000 lives and led to the displacement of more than two million people.
The devastation wrought on the capital also had severe repercussions for the institutions of this highly centralized country, which were left in a much weakened state.
Although numerous international actors, including the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, set up in 2004 with a mandate to ensure a stable environment and restore public safety in the country, UN agencies, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and a large number of NGOs, were already operating in Haiti before the earthquake, their response capacity was also weakened by the disaster.
The vulnerability of governmental and international actors affected by the disaster initially delayed the implementation of a coordinated response. Nevertheless, the massive mobilization of the international community within hours of the disaster resulted in a large-scale international response, with a remarkable deployment of relief supplies and personnel.
The purpose of this technical assistance project in Haiti is to make recommendations to the Haitian Government on the best way to strengthen its legal framework for international disaster response, particularly in the light of the response to the earthquake.
The report is based on the ‘Guidelines on the domestic facilitation and regulation of international disaster relief and initial recovery assistance’ (‘IDRL Guidelines’) unanimously adopted by the States party to the Geneva Conventions at the 30th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent held in November 2007.
A consultant engaged by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (International Federation) to support the Haitian National Red Cross Society (HRC) carried out research into relevant legal questions and conducted interviews with the actors concerned. Representatives of central and provincial government authorities, international organizations and NGOs involved in the response efforts carried out in Haiti, as well as academic institutions, were consulted.
All the government and international representatives consulted during the project acknowledged the importance of the study for Haiti. They also agreed on the need to draft a bill, taking into account the mechanisms set up during the response to the January 2010 earthquake and based on the IDRL Guidelines and the recommendations made in this report. All those consulted deemed it essential to prepare a law establishing the procedures to be implemented in the event of a disaster and the terms and conditions of application, as the country is frequently affected by natural disasters.