ImPPProving Resilience: A Human Rights-Based Approach to Public-Private Partnerships in Disaster Risk Reduction
(2026) JAMM07 20261Department of Law
Faculty of Law
- Abstract
- This thesis investigates how States must approach public-private partner-ships (PPP) for disaster risk reduction to be in compliance with their obligations under international human rights law.
Increasingly, engaging in PPPs is becoming standard practice in disaster risk management. Existing research on these partnerships focuses primarily on value-for-money questions. The first people-centered approaches to PPPs, based on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its sustainable development goals, have been conceptualized and serve as recommendations to States. It is recognized that sustainable development and human rights are intrinsically linked. Approaching the subject from a human rights perspective, as this thesis does, aims... (More) - This thesis investigates how States must approach public-private partner-ships (PPP) for disaster risk reduction to be in compliance with their obligations under international human rights law.
Increasingly, engaging in PPPs is becoming standard practice in disaster risk management. Existing research on these partnerships focuses primarily on value-for-money questions. The first people-centered approaches to PPPs, based on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its sustainable development goals, have been conceptualized and serve as recommendations to States. It is recognized that sustainable development and human rights are intrinsically linked. Approaching the subject from a human rights perspective, as this thesis does, aims to enrich the discussion by introducing human rights to it, to define specific obligations for States, and ultimately to empower rights-holders.
To do so, this thesis adopts a legal doctrinal analysis to examine human rights treaties, their interpretation by treaty bodies, and international soft law instruments on disaster risk reduction and/or collaboration with private actors.
States have obligations under international human rights law to prevent disasters and protect human rights in disaster situations. The thesis demonstrates that they can collaborate with private actors to provide services to fulfil these obligations and are in fact encouraged to do so by international soft law instruments. However, when they engage in public-private partnerships to provide crucial services for disaster risk management, they need to take measures to protect the human rights of those affected from PPP-related human rights abuses. That requires adopting human rights-conscious procedures for the bidding and negotiating processes that lead to the adoption of PPPs, allowing for transparency, participation, and accountability. Furthermore, States should use the PPP contract to promote human rights and to ensure that their private partner is contractually bound to protect human rights in their activities. To fully fulfil their human rights obligations and ensure the delivery of necessary public services, States must oversee the implementation of the PPP and monitor their private partner’s compliance with human rights standards. Overall, considerations of human rights impacts of the PPP project and responses thereto must guide its development and implementation. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9237258
- author
- Rücker, Valerie Sophie LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- JAMM07 20261
- year
- 2026
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- language
- English
- id
- 9237258
- date added to LUP
- 2026-06-18 08:58:18
- date last changed
- 2026-06-18 08:58:18
@misc{9237258,
abstract = {{This thesis investigates how States must approach public-private partner-ships (PPP) for disaster risk reduction to be in compliance with their obligations under international human rights law.
Increasingly, engaging in PPPs is becoming standard practice in disaster risk management. Existing research on these partnerships focuses primarily on value-for-money questions. The first people-centered approaches to PPPs, based on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its sustainable development goals, have been conceptualized and serve as recommendations to States. It is recognized that sustainable development and human rights are intrinsically linked. Approaching the subject from a human rights perspective, as this thesis does, aims to enrich the discussion by introducing human rights to it, to define specific obligations for States, and ultimately to empower rights-holders.
To do so, this thesis adopts a legal doctrinal analysis to examine human rights treaties, their interpretation by treaty bodies, and international soft law instruments on disaster risk reduction and/or collaboration with private actors.
States have obligations under international human rights law to prevent disasters and protect human rights in disaster situations. The thesis demonstrates that they can collaborate with private actors to provide services to fulfil these obligations and are in fact encouraged to do so by international soft law instruments. However, when they engage in public-private partnerships to provide crucial services for disaster risk management, they need to take measures to protect the human rights of those affected from PPP-related human rights abuses. That requires adopting human rights-conscious procedures for the bidding and negotiating processes that lead to the adoption of PPPs, allowing for transparency, participation, and accountability. Furthermore, States should use the PPP contract to promote human rights and to ensure that their private partner is contractually bound to protect human rights in their activities. To fully fulfil their human rights obligations and ensure the delivery of necessary public services, States must oversee the implementation of the PPP and monitor their private partner’s compliance with human rights standards. Overall, considerations of human rights impacts of the PPP project and responses thereto must guide its development and implementation.}},
author = {{Rücker, Valerie Sophie}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{ImPPProving Resilience: A Human Rights-Based Approach to Public-Private Partnerships in Disaster Risk Reduction}},
year = {{2026}},
}