International Disaster Response Law: an introduction

To review the current state of International Disaster Response Law (IDRL) and identify barriers to development and future directions.

This study is an introduction to the current status of IDRL.

The data suggest that globally we will have increasing incidents and costs in responding to disasters, but the development of IDRL has not kept pace. The further development and refining of IDRL is imperative on a global scale. Additional barriers to the continued development of IDRL will have to be overcome. Global international stakeholders will need to develop mechanisms to promote the advancement of IDRL while minimizing the barriers to effective preparedness and response to global international disasters.