ABSTRACT
In today’s interconnected world, disasters ever more often affect documented and undocumented migrant workers and their families, refugees, international students and tourists alongside local populations. All groups of non-nationals recurrently present specific sets of skills and face specific barriers, which all shape their vulnerability to, and capacity to cope with, hazards.
Accounting for the protection of these individuals in disaster risk management efforts is increasingly important both for countries of origin and destination of migrants – and is an issue that has received significant visibility in recent policy discussions at the international level.
This chapter examines relevant rights and obligations of States of origin, to protect their nationals caught in a disaster abroad, and States hit by a disaster, to protect non-nationals working, living or staying on their territory. It also analyses some of the main operational challenges and good practices to reduce the specific factors of vulnerability to disasters migrants often face and ensure an effective coordination between the State of origin and of destination. Lastly, it looks at the role non-Governmental actors (the civil society and the private sector) can play to supplement government-led efforts and the role that States have in both regulating and enabling their action.
