A/HRC/27/66 18. Although International Labour Organization Convention No. 169 concerning indigenous and tribal peoples in independent countries does not address disaster risk reduction in particular, some of its provisions are applicable in this context. Article 4, for example, states that “special measures shall be adopted as appropriate for safeguarding the persons, institutions, property, labour, cultures and environment of the peoples concerned.” Article 7, paragraph 1, affirms indigenous peoples’ rights to decide their own priorities for development and their participation in the “formulation, implementation and evaluation of plans and programmes for national and regional development which may affect them directly.” Disaster risk reduction would certainly fall under this provision. Article 16 addresses indigenous peoples’ right not to be removed from the lands that they occupy and provides safeguards for cases where relocation is necessary as an exceptional measure. 19. While universal human rights treaties do not refer specifically to disaster risk reduction, nor to a specific right to a safe and healthy environment (one of the expected outcomes of disaster risk reduction), the United Nations human rights treaty bodies all recognize the intrinsic link between the environment and the realization of a range of human rights, such as the right to life, to health, to food, to water, and to housing (A/HRC/10/61). Disaster risk reduction can contribute significantly to the promotion and protection of these human rights. 20. In their concluding observations, some treaty bodies have referred to disaster risk reduction from a human rights perspective. The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, for example, has underlined the importance of integrating a gender perspective and fostering the participation of women in disaster risk reduction initiatives.5 The Committee on the Rights of the Child has also addressed the issue in some of its concluding observations, advocating for the inclusion of disaster preparedness in school curricula, for instance.6 The observations of the two Committees refer to indigenous women and indigenous children by implication. 21. The Special Procedures have also given some attention to the issue of disaster risk reduction and its implications for human rights. The Special Rapporteur on the right to food recommended, for example, that Nicaragua put in place a rapid alert system in order to “protect indigenous peoples from the impacts of weather-related events” and support them in making their food systems more resilient in the face of climate change (A/HRC/13/33/Add.5, para. 83 (h)). The Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to nondiscrimination in this context, has also called for a human rights–based approach to disaster prevention (A/HRC/13/20/Add.3, para. 71). B. Overview of global frameworks for disaster risk reduction 22. The United Nations-endorsed Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA)7 is a ten-year plan (2005–2015) that sets out a comprehensive approach for reducing disaster risks. It was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in its resolution 60/195 (para. 2). Beyond recognizing the role of traditional knowledge and cultural heritage, the HFA makes no specific reference to indigenous peoples. However, a number of its risk reduction 5 6 7 6 See, for example, the concluding observations for Indonesia (CEDAW/C/IDN/CO/5, para. 39), Grenada (CEDAW/C/GRD/CO/1-5, para. 36 (b)), Jamaica (CEDAW/C/JAM/CO/6-7, para. 32 (b)) and Tuvalu (CEDAW/C/TUV/CO/2, para. 56). See, for example, the concluding observations for Djibouti (CRC/C/DJI/CO/2, para. 63 (h)). UNISDR, Hyogo Framework For Action 2005–2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters (2005). Available from www.unisdr.org/files/1037_hyogoframework foractionenglish.pdf (accessed 4 August 2014).