a. Preventive action and early warning
Violations of human rights are very often the root cause of humanitarian dis- asters, mass exoduses or refugee flows. Therefore, at the first signs of con- flict, it is vital to deter the parties involved from committing human rights

violations thus defusing situations which may lead to humanitarian disasters. The United Nations has already developed early warning systems to detect potential conflicts. Incorporating human rights into this system by addressing the root causes of potential conflict will contribute to prevention of humani- tarian and human rights tragedies and the search for comprehensive solu- tions.
United Nations human rights procedures and mechanisms such as the special rapporteurs and special representatives, treaty-based bodies, working groups of the Commission on Human Rights and its Sub-Commission and United Nations human rights field officers (experts, including special rapporteurs, special representatives, treaty-body experts and United Nations human rights field offices) constitute a valuable contribution to the early warning mecha- nisms for impending humanitarian and human rights crises. When informa- tion gathered is shared with other branches of the United Nations, such as the Office of the Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the Execu- tive Committee on Peace and Security and Humanitarian Affairs, the Depart- ment of Political Affairs (DPA), the Department of Peace-keeping Operations (DPKO)and other conflict assessments are better informed. Based on the results from situation analysis, measures are considered to pre- vent the occurrence of crises. A human rights analysis contributes to more effective plans for tailoring prevention to the needs of imminent disasters.
The integration of human rights into preventive action and early warning sys- tems is designed to bolster the accuracy of the early warning capacity of the United Nations in the humanitarian field by integrating human rights con- cerns before crises arise. This prepares the ground for effective cooperation before, during and after crises.