A/HRC/27/57 (b) Humanitarian crisis; (c) Pre-existing human rights issues are exacerbated and new violations occur as a result of the disaster; (d) Human rights inform planning and delivery of humanitarian response; (e) Human rights are integrated into emergency preparedness plans. V. Current situation A. International legal framework 25. There is an international human rights legal framework, consisting of specific declarations and treaties, to protect people affected by natural disasters and conflicts. As protection is not limited to survival security in an emergency situation, all relevant guarantees with regard to civil and political, as well as economic, social and cultural rights, will contribute to ensuring the dignity of the people affected. Taking account of the fact that human rights violations increase in post-disaster and post-conflict contexts, all humanitarian activities are based on the main global legal framework, the International Bill of Human Rights, which consists of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the two optional protocols thereto. 26. International humanitarian law is a set of rules which seek, for humanitarian reasons, to limit the effects of armed conflict. It protects persons who are not participating in the hostilities and restricts the means and methods of warfare.13 The Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907 are the main examples. 27. Human rights principles and standards must be prioritized during the implementation of humanitarian assistance. The principles include: universality (human rights must be afforded to everyone, without exception); indivisibility (human rights are indivisible and interdependent); participation and consultation (people have the right to participate in decisions to protect their rights and their opinions must be taken into account); non-discrimination (human rights must be guaranteed without discrimination of any kind, including policies and practices which may have a discriminatory effect); accountability (mechanisms of accountability should be created for the enforcement of rights); and transparency (governments and humanitarian partners, either national or international, must be open about all information and decision-making processes related to rights). B. International humanitarian aid: legal framework and mechanisms 28. Particular attention has been drawn to humanitarian aid and assistance provided in response to emergencies caused by conflicts and disasters around the world. That attention has led to the development of several specialized mechanisms and initiatives, among which are: (a) The humanitarian policies, agreements, guidelines, documents and tools for humanitarian assistance of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee on Post-War and Disaster 13 8 See www.icrc.org/eng/war-and-law/.