International Law and Humanitarian Assistance (eBook)

International Law and Humanitarian Assistance 3
A Crosscut Through Legal Issues Pertaining to Humanitarianism 3
Contents 5
Abbreviations 7
Contributors 9
Introduction 11
1 General Overview 12
2 Detailed Chapter Overview 12
2.1 Spieker: The Right to Give and Receive Humanitarian Assistance 12
2.2 Mackintosh: Beyond the Red Cross: The Protection of Independent Humanitarian Organizations and Their Staff in International Humanitarian Law 13
2.3 Zwitter: United Nations´ Legal Framework of Humanitarian Assistance 13
2.4 Broberg: Legal Basis of EU Council Regulation 1257/96 Concerning Humanitarian Aid: Time for Revision? 14
2.5 Maus: Human Rights in UN Peace-Keeping Missions: A Framework for Humanitarian Obligations? 14
2.6 Heintze: Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law 15
2.7 Patnaik: Protection of Individuals in the Event of Disasters: Quest for an International Legal Framework 15
The Right to Give and Receive Humanitarian Assistance 16
1 Terminology and Evolution of Concept 16
2 The Legal Regime for Humanitarian Assistance in International Armed Conflicts 17
2.1 Humanitarian Assistance Within Occupied Territory 18
2.1.1 Protection of the Operation 18
Obligations and Rights of the Occupying Power 18
Obligations and Rights of Other States 19
Actors in Humanitarian Assistance 19
The Civilian Population Within Occupied Territory 20
2.1.2 Protection of Personnel 20
2.2 Humanitarian Assistance in Other than Occupied Territory 21
2.2.1 The Parties to the Conflict and Other States Concerned 21
Legal Obligation to Offer and Provide Assistance 22
Legal Obligation to Accept Offers of Assistance 22
2.2.2 Right of the Civilian Population to Receive Assistance 23
3 The Legal Regime in Non-international Armed Conflicts 24
3.1 Rights According to Common Article 3 Geneva Conventions 24
3.2 Rights and Obligations Deriving from Additional Protocol II 24
3.3 Customary Law 25
4 A ``Right to Access´´? 26
5 The Legal Regime for Humanitarian Assistance in Non-conflict Situations 27
5.1 International Instruments 28
5.1.1 The Principles and Rules for Red Cross and Red Crescent Disaster Relief 29
5.1.2 UN GA Resolution 46/182 30
5.1.3 International Treaties 30
5.2 The IDRL Guidelines 31
5.2.1 Responsibilities of Actors 33
5.2.2 Initiation and Termination of an Operation 35
5.2.3 Granting of Legal Facilities 35
6 Evaluation of Rights and Obligations in Humanitarian Action 37
References 39
Documents 39
Beyond the Red Cross: The Protection of Independent Humanitarian Organizations and Their Staff in International Humanitarian Law 41
1 Introduction 41
2 The Red Cross 42
3 Status and Protection of Independent Humanitarian Organisations 43
3.1 Status 43
3.2 Protection 45
4 Improving Protection 51
5 Conclusion 57
References 57
United Nations´ Legal Framework of Humanitarian Assistance 59
1 History of UN´s Humanitarian Actors 60
1.1 The Early Days of UN Humanitarian Assistance 60
1.2 The Cold War Days of UN Humanitarian Assistance 62
1.3 Dawn of a New Era of UN Humanitarian Assistance 63
2 Different Actors with Different Setup 65
2.1 Appointments 65
2.2 Decision Making in Humanitarian Action 66
2.3 The UN Cluster Approach 68
3 UN Conventions and Regulations Governing Humanitarian Assistance 69
3.1 Privileges and Immunities of UN and Specialized Agencies 69
3.2 Special Agreements for Humanitarian Assistance 71
3.3 Safety and Security of UN and Associated Personnel 73
4 Concluding Remarks 76
References 76
Legal Basis of EU Council Regulation 1257/96 Concerning Humanitarian Aid: Time for Revision? 78
1 The EU Humanitarian Assistance Regime 78
2 The Principle of Conferred Powers 81
3 Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Assistance 82
4 Article 179 EC and Non-developing Countries 84
5 Conclusion and Perspectives 88
References 89
Convergence Between Human Rights Law and International Humanitarian Law and the Consequences for the Implementation 90
1 Incentives to Comply with International Obligations 91
2 Convergence Between Human Rights and IHL 91
2.1 Applicability of IHL and Human Rights Law in Armed Conflicts 93
2.2 IHL as Lex Specialis 94
3 The Significance of the European Convention on Human Rights in Armed Conflicts 95
3.1 Violations of Human Rights in International Armed Conflicts 96
3.1.1 The Position of the Parties 96
3.1.2 Application of IHL 99
3.2 Violations of Human Rights in the Non-international Armed Conflict 101
3.2.1 Ergi v. Turkey 102
3.2.2 Gülec v. Turkey 104
4 Conclusions 104
References 107
Human Rights in UN Peacekeeping Missions: A Framework for Humanitarian Obligations? 109
1 Introduction 109
2 Human Rights and Humanitarian Action 111
2.1 Either/or: Humanitarian Action and Human Rights as Dichotomy 111
2.2 From Foes to Friends: Humanitarian Action and Human Rights as Mutually Reinforcing 112
2.3 Humanitarian Action and Human Rights in a Peace-Building Context 114
3 United Nations Peacekeeping Operations and Human Rights Obligations 115
3.1 The UN as Bearer of International Rights and Duties 115
3.2 Human Rights Obligations of the UN 116
3.3 Limitations of Human Rights Obligations on UN Peacekeeping Operations 117
4 Explicit Human Rights Obligations in Peacekeeping Mandates 119
4.1 Wording of the Mandates 120
4.1.1 Supporting Human Rights Mandates 120
4.1.2 Parallel Human Rights Obligations 120
4.1.3 Independent Human Rights Obligations 122
4.1.4 Humanitarian Obligations Following from the Mandates 122
4.2 Implementation of Human Rights Mandates 124
4.2.1 Training and Capacity Building 124
4.2.2 Monitoring, Reporting and Investigating 125
4.2.3 Individual Protection 125
4.3 Analysis 126
5 Implicit Human Rights Obligations in Peacekeeping Mandates 127
5.1 Establishing the Necessary Security Conditions for Humanitarian Action 127
5.2 Supporting and Coordinating Humanitarian Assistance 129
6 Conclusion 131
References 132
Towards an International Legal Framework for the Protection of Individuals in the Event of Disasters: An Initial Inquiry 135
1 Introduction 135
2 Some Reflections on Work of the ILC 137
2.1 Towards a Rights-Based Approach to the Protection of Individuals in the Event of Disasters 137
2.2 Issues of Humanitarian Assistance and International Responsibility 141
2.3 Humanitarian Assistance as Customary International Law? 143
3 Conclusion 146
References 146