Toolkit for human rights impact assessment of measures taken by states in situations of crisis
Over the past few years, Council of Europe member states have faced successive crises – not only the Covid-19 pandemic, but war, conflict, the energy crisis, civil disorder and natural disasters. Crises demand action, sometimes to the extent of declaring a state of emergency, but such response measures might compromise countries’ commitments to human rights protection.
During the Covid-19 pandemic it became clear that few countries had established procedures to ensure that decisions taken during a crisis are in line with human rights commitments. Member States requested a tool to help them apply a human rights-based approach in drawing up and implementing measures when crises occur.
The result is the Toolkit for human rights impact assessment of measures taken by states in situations of crisis. The toolkit aims to provide guidance on planning for future potential crises, especially when considering whether and to what extent restrictive measures should be taken. It gives guidance on how to conduct a streamlined and simpler human rights impact assessment (HRIA) when there may be a need for an extremely rapid response and measures don’t fit into the regular legal framework. It covers all stages of crisis decision making – whether anticipating possible crises, responding to an ongoing situation or taking stock in the aftermath.
The toolkit is aimed at civil servants, public officials, policy makers, legislators and others who are involved in emergency planning. It can also be used by others, such as national human rights institutions and non-governmental organisations who provide advice to government, or for general interest.
