These are mainly islands and usually small, and are not considered by the international community to be under occupation. Some are inhabited only by populations who migrated there under colonial rule or afterwards. Most have been possessions of their motherlands since the early days of imperialism and colonialism, and were sometimes later ceded to a legal successor of the original colonial power.

Who is responsible? Is it the populations themselves, the local or regional administrations or the central institutions in Brasilia, Canberra, Copenhagen, London, Paris, Pretoria, Santiago, The Hague or Washington? And, for effective and efficient relief, are there structures of alert and response?…If there are structures of emergency management, are these applied to the particularity and remoteness, to the special needs of small non-urbanized populations, like those in many of the Overseas Territories?…Do the Overseas Territories or their populations have a legal claim to assistance from their motherlands? Is the central state liable for damages incurred due to bad management or neglected disaster relief?