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1 Y.B. Int'l Disaster L. Online 1 (2020)

handle is hein.journals/yidlw1 and id is 1 raw text is: Editorial Charting an Emerging Subject: The Role of the Yearbook of International Disaster Law Giulio Bartolini* Disasters caused by natural and technological hazards are a commonplace phenomenon causing extensive negative impacts on affected communities. According to the 2018 World Disasters Report elaborated by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, in the last decade (2008- 2017) around 770.ooo deaths can be attributed to disasters, while 2 billion peo- ple have been affected and damages have amounted to US$1.65 trillion. Re- gardless of such shocking data, it would be hard to claim that the international legal implications of disasters, as opposed to the humanitarian impact of such events, have been at the forefront of concern or area of specific interest for in- ternational organisations, States, humanitarian organisations, stakeholders and academics. However, in the past years a progressive shift can be identified, through some converging elements still in need of consolidation. The first point to note is that a significant body of practice has emerged at the international and national levels devoted to addressing the legal and insti- tutional issues relevant in disaster settings. Binding and non-binding standard- setting activities have been progressively developed by States and internation- al organisations, as complemented by further informal law-making activities involving other relevant actors (e.g. NGOs, Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, expert groups). As a result, a significant number of hard and soft-law instru- ments now exist, a plethora of tools from which core elements, relevant prin- ciples and institutional structures addressing the different phases of the disas- ter-cycle (prevention, preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery) can be pinpointed. Additionally, other branches of international law (e.g. human * Editor-in-Chief of the Yearbook of International Disaster Law. Associate Professor of Interna- tional Law, Department of Law, Roma Tre University. © KONINKLIJKE BRILL NV, LEIDEN, 2020 1 DOI:10.1163/26662531_00101_002