ABSTRACT
This chapter examines some of the issues arising from disaster that are directly pertinent to recovery because together they form the context in which it occurs. Elements of recovery include human rights and responsibilities, the accountability of institutions and their leaders and the preservation of a sense of place, as well as issues of risk and safety in the recovery process. The main sectors of recovery are portrayed in a hexagonal diagram as facets of a holistic process. If human rights were very strictly observed, there would be relatively little difference between people's levels of safety. Fundamentally, disaster risk reduction should take place within a framework of human rights. Genius loci is a Latin phrase that expresses the concept of the cultural identity of a geographical locality. As researchers, consultants, UN representatives or Non-Governmental organization (NGO) staff, all felt financially and morally accountable to whoever employed us, but that seemed to be the sum total of our accountability.
