PhD Thesis proposal
Reconceptualizing Regional Human Rights Protections: Cyclone Idai and the Climate-Disaster-Conflict Nexus
Supervisor/s: Gaia Giuliani
Doctoral Programme: Human Rights in Contemporary Societies
Funding: FCT
Drawing attention to the apocalyptic consequences of inaction, the Climate-Disaster-Conflict [CCDC] Nexus offers urgent inquiries to the implementation of Human Rights in sites deemed inherent to perpetual disaster-making. New critical perspectives are necessary to explore how regional disaster relief, particularly by the African Union (AU) and European Union (EU), responses are influenced by the CCDC nexus and impact imperative measures to ensure the full implementation of human rights. This research project uses Cyclone Idai (2019), one of the most catastrophic environmental disasters to affect the African continent that resulted over a thousand of deaths, mass displacement and continuous infrastructural damage, as its case study. Relying on documentary, archival and empirical research informed through a post-colonial approach, this study examines the impact of the AU and the EU's regional responses to the implementation of Human Rights during and in the a􀈅ermath of Cyclone Idai, including the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.