Protecting Human Dignity of Disaster-Affected Populations: Mainstreaming Human Rights in Disaster Responses and Recovery

This project examines how Nigeria’s disaster response frameworks translate formal commitments into lived outcomes that restore human dignity for disaster-affected populations. Focusing on post-flood recovery in Nigeria, with a comparative reference to the United States, the research investigates how diverse vulnerabilities, rooted in differentiated lived experiences, cause victims to experience disaster hazards differently and how institutional design for state and non-state actors restores victims’ dignity. Using a qualitative, socio-legal methodology that combines interviews with disaster-affected individuals, state and non-state actors, alongside analysis of legal and policy frameworks, the project foregrounds variations in vulnerability across six states, each representing Nigeria's six geopolitical zones. By centering dignity as an analytical and normative lens, the study identifies gaps between rights-based commitments and recovery practices, examining how these gaps undermine human flourishing and development. It contributes to global conversations on justice and governance by generating context-sensitive, yet transferable insights into inclusive, dignity-centered disaster recovery.