Institutional and Legal System

Policies supported by institutional frameworks and legal arrangements make up the disaster risk management framework. In order to systematically integrate environmental concerns in humanitarian action, one must consider the institutional arrangements governing disaster preparedness, response, recovery and emergency funding. Governmental and non-governmental environmental actors should be part of the disaster risk management framework at various levels.

The legislative framework establishes the basic guidelines for disaster management, within which humanitarian relief is provided. This framework should ideally assign roles to the Ministry of Environment and/or local environmental NGOs to facilitate their formal participation in disaster preparedness, response and recovery. The legislative framework should also establish mechanisms of compliance with environmental regulations and standards. This could include mandatory environmental impact assessments, compliance with norms and guidelines, or the protection of green infrastructure¹ – aimed at ensuring minimum standards are followed and that negative environmental impacts are lessened.

National policy documents and legal acts will also specify the rules and procedures for receiving external assistance (see the 2017 Environmental Emergencies Guidelines).