Towards a Human Rights Approach in Disaster Response: A Critical Literature Review of the El Niño-Induced Drought in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The drought in Zimbabwe, caused by El Niño in 2015-2016, exposed glaring vulnerabilities within the disaster response machinery of the state, establishing a burning requirement for fast-tracking a human rights-based approach to disaster relief and recovery. This literature review examines how far human rights principles of nondiscrimination, participation, and accountability were employed for humanitarian action related to this drought, which directly or indirectly affected over four million Zimbabweans, with vulnerable groups like smallholder farmers, women, and children suffering the most. It stresses that natural calamities magnify existing socioeconomic inequalities, making it paramount for a rights-based approach to ensure the enjoyment of fundamental rights to food, water, health, and housing in times of crisis, elevating the state’s duty to protect, respect, and fulfil those rights irrespective of social standing. The study adopts a desk review complemented by surveys of disaster-affected communities and humanitarian workers to investigate the policy framework, institutional practices, and accountability mechanisms, revealing pervasive problems of lack of transparency in aid distribution, poor and unsafe complaint systems, limited independent monitoring, and political interferences fuelling corruption and inequitable access to relief resources. These systemic gaps erode the trust of affected populations, aggravating food insecurity and entrenching further impunity and therefore affect disaster management and violate the rights of affected populations. By cross-analyzing regional and global best cases from countries such as Zambia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Botswana, this literature encourages the use of digital complaint platforms, independent oversight bodies for capacity-building in climate-smart agriculture, and stringent anti-corruption frameworks in enhancing transparency, participation, and equity in the promotion of humanitarian aid. This overview strongly advocates an action plan that takes into consideration transparent beneficiary targeting criteria, culturally appropriate and confidential grievance mechanisms, strengthened independent monitoring with civil society engagement, as well as sustained capacity building of local actors in embedding human rights into disaster response systems. The conversation makes reference to limitations in the literature and the dynamic characteristics of disaster contexts but firmly suggests that the political will and institutional reform inspires the overcoming of these deep-seated challenges. Ultimately, this review recommends adopting a comprehensive human rights approach to redeem Zimbabwe’s disaster relief from its current exclusionary, inequitable, and non-accountable ways by implementing policy and practice ideas that favour transparency, accountability, and empowerment to shield human rights against the backdrop of rising climate-induced disasters.