A/71/254 seeking asylum. Conflict may also lead to other large -scale humanitarian crises such as epidemics, food or water insecurity, among others. 27. The Special Rapporteur also includes disasters in her report, whether natural or man-made (see section H below). Defined as calamitous events that seriously disrupt the functioning of a community or society, disasters cause human, materia l and economic or environmental losses that exceed the community’s or society’s ability to cope using its own resources. These can be a result of spontaneous natural hazards, such as hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and wildfires, or be a result of more frequent slow-onset and mega disasters such as recurring droughts or floods. Disasters can result in the devastation of communities, loss of lives, leading to displacement, or migration, and can also lead to more complex emergencies such as loss of livelihoods, famine, housing crises and medical pandemics, which can also lead to mass displacement. 28. Technological or man-made disasters are events that are caused by humans and occur in or close to human settlements. This can include envi ronmental degradation, pollution and accidents and can similarly cause calamitous disruptions to societies and communities. 29. It should also be noted that a range of external factors, such as climate change, unplanned urbanization, and underdevelopment/poverty can aggravate the frequency, complexity and severity of crises and their impact on populations, and in particular minority communities. Although beyond the scope of this report, the Special Rapporteur is also interested in how such aspects may impac t upon minority communities, who may find themselves particularly susceptible to the negative influence of these factors, owing to their already existing situation of marginalization. E. 1. Relevant international and regional legal and policy frameworks for the protection of minorities affected by humanitarian crises International human rights law 30. The Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities adopted by the General Assembly by its resolution 47/135 on 18 December 1992, is the overarching normative framework protecting the rights of minorities. The Declaration establishes that States “shall protect the existence and the national or ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic identity of minorities within their respective territories and shall encourage conditions for the promotion of that identity” (resolution 47/135, annex, art. 1, para. 1). 31. In its commentary on the Declaration (see E/CN.4/Sub.2/AC.5/2005/2, para. 24), the Working Group on Minorities stated that the protection of the existence of minorities included their physical existence, their continued existence on the territories on which they lived and their continued access to the material resources required to continue their existence on those territories, and that they should neither be physically excluded from the territory nor excluded from access to the resources required for their livelihood. 32. Core international human rights treaties further develop the principles of the inherent dignity and equality of all persons, and enshrine the rights to equality and 10/25 16-13193