This paper explains that disasters can provide opportunities for sustainable development, through the integration of principles of sustainability from the earliest stages of recovery in human settlements. The paper presents a set of specific strategies from the transitional phase recovery to medium to long-term development, and is divided into the following sections:
- What is sustainable relief in human settlements? - From disasters towards sustainable settlements - Guiding principles for sustainable relief in human settlements.
The paper is part of UN-HABITAT's effort to play a stronger humanitarian role by promoting peace building, poverty reduction, disaster mitigation and sustainable development of human settlements.