A/HRC/16/42 International Humanitarian Law or International Human Rights Law violations committed during the conflict. In post-conflict situations there is therefore the question of how to redress the situation, how to guarantee justice to the victims and support the reconciliation process. Peace agreements and the establishment of transitional justice law frameworks and mechanisms can constitute an opportunity to address the right to adequate housing during post-conflict situations but everything depends on if and how these questions are addressed by these mechanisms and frameworks. The fact that conflicts can last for a long time also implies important differences between post-conflict and post-disaster situations. While taking account of such differences, this report will mainly focus on common issues and questions that arise in both contexts. 7. The impacts of both conflicts and disasters for the individuals, families and communities affected can be devastating. These include the loss of life and livelihoods; destruction of homes, property and infrastructure; disruption or termination of essential services; and the prolonged and sometimes even permanent forced displacement from land, home and community. Although wealth and power do not offer any immunity from these impacts, it is in most cases the poor and socially disadvantaged who are worst affected; and it is also they who are least able to withstand economic shocks and so generally take the longest to recover. 8. The poor often stand to lose most in disaster contexts because they often have to settle on fragile and exposed land that is highly susceptible to the effects of disasters. When a disaster strikes, their pre-existing vulnerabilities are exacerbated, with women, children and marginalized groups bearing the brunt of the impact. After the disaster, the poor often also find their attempts to return to their homes officially denied on the grounds that return would be unsafe, and/or not permissible as they did not have official proof of a right to live there in the first place. This can have dramatic consequences for the livelihoods of individuals, families and entire communities. In the case of conflicts, the displacement and dispossession of specific groups are often deliberate strategies of one group or side in the conflict against another. This can result in the total destruction and/or secondary occupation of their lands and homes, and obstruction of their attempts to return and reclaim what was theirs. 9. In addition to facing serious humanitarian problems and challenges, victims of disasters and conflicts are often exposed to grave human rights violations, invariably including the right to adequate housing. Humanitarian crises are human rights crises. Notwithstanding, given the concentration of international and national attention, resources and effort they often receive, such crises can also present important human rights opportunities. The World Bank has noted that “…while conflicts unleash horror and suffering, they also destabilize old ways of doing things and create new openings for poor people to get ahead. However, there is a narrow window of opportunity in the aftermath of conflict before old barriers begin to surface5 .” 10. Since the 1990s there has been a growing recognition of the importance of adopting a human rights approach (and the use of human rights enforcement mechanisms) in the resolution of conflicts and peacebuilding. The Secretary-General emphasized that the promotion of human rights is the common thread in the Organization’s work in peace and security: “Human rights bodies are involved in early-warning and preventive activities, and human rights considerations are increasingly embodied in our response to crises6 .” He also announced that the United Nations had commenced implementation of a rights-based 5 6 4 World Bank, “Life After Conflict: Surprising Opportunities for Poor People to Escape Poverty,” press release No. 2010/222/SDN (11 January 2010). A/53/1. Report of the Secretary-General on the Work of the Organization, A/53/1, 27 August 1998, para. 172.