Natural disasters are the consequences of events triggered by natural hazards that overwhelm local response capacity and seriously affect the social and economic development of a region. Traditionally, natural disasters have been seen as situations that create challenges and problems mainly of a humanitarian nature. However, increasingly, it has come to be recognized, that human rights protection also needs to be provided in these contexts.

A high number of persons become internally displaced when volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, floods, drought, landslides, or earthquakes destroy houses and shelter, forcing affected populations to leave their homes or places of residence. Experience has shown that the longer the displacement lasts, the greater the risk of human rights violations. In particular, discrimination and violations of economic, social and cultural rights tend to become more systemic over time.

In order to provide guidance on how to protect the rights of individuals affected by natural disasters, in June 2006, the UN Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) adopted Operational Guidelines on Human Rights and Natural Disasters. The Guidelines are addressed to intergovernmental and non-governmental humanitarian actors, and focus on what humanitarian actors should do in order to implement a human rights-based approach to humanitarian action in the context of natural disasters.

Complementing the Guidelines is this Manual, which provides the human rights background underpinning the Guidelines and lists practical operational steps to provide humanitarian workers with examples of how the Guidelines can best be implemented.