35/27 Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
Document Type: Final Report
Date: 2017 Apr
Session: 35th Regular Session (2017 Jun)
Agenda Item: Item3: Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development
GE.17-06189(E)
Human Rights Council Thirty-fifth session
6-23 June 2017
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights,
including the right to development
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
Note by the Secretariat
The Secretariat has the honour to transmit to the Human Rights Council the report
detailing the activities of the former Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally
displaced persons, Chaloka Beyani, during the reporting period and until the end of his
tenure on 31 October 2016. In addition, the activities carried out so far by the new Special
Rapporteur, Cecilia Jimenez-Damary, who assumed her mandate on 1 November 2016, as
well as her methods of work and strategic and thematic priorities, are presented.
United Nations A/HRC/35/27
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
Contents
Page
I. Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 3
II. Activities of the former Special Rapporteur .................................................................................. 3
A. Mainstreaming the human rights of internally displaced persons
in the United Nations system ................................................................................................ 3
B. Cooperation with regional and international organizations .................................................. 4
C. Visits conducted under the mandate ..................................................................................... 4
III. Preliminary activities and a road map for the next three years ...................................................... 7
A. Working methods .................................................................................................................. 7
B. Strategic priorities and initial activities ................................................................................ 9
IV. Thematic priorities ........................................................................................................................ 12
A. Strengthening the participation of internally displaced persons ........................................... 13
B. Ensuring the inclusion of internally displaced persons in transitional justice processes ...... 14
C. Improving protection of internally displaced children .......................................................... 15
D. Enhancing the role of national human rights institutions in the protection of
internally displaced persons .................................................................................................. 16
E. Increasing the attention to neglected drivers of internal displacement ................................. 16
1. Development-induced displacement ............................................................................ 17
2. Generalized violence-induced displacement ................................................................ 17
V. Conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 18
I. Introduction
1. The present report is the first report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of
internally displaced persons, Cecilia Jimenez-Damary. It is submitted in accordance with
Human Rights Council resolution 32/11. The Special Rapporteur was appointed by the
Human Rights Council during its thirty-third session and she assumed her mandate on 1
November 2016.
2. The report provides an overview of the activities undertaken by the previous
mandate holder, Chaloka Beyani, since his last report to the Human Rights Council in June
2016 (A/HRC/32/35). In the second part, the Special Rapporteur provides a short summary
of her activities conducted to date. She outlines her strategic priorities and the working
practices that will guide the work of her mandate as well as the thematic issues that will be
the focus of her work until 2019.
3. The Special Rapporteur pays tribute to the achievements of her predecessors, who
have provided a legacy of essential standards for the protection of internally displaced
persons and increased awareness of their plight globally. They have led the development of
key standards on the protection of internally displaced persons, have provided valuable
resources and recommendations and have helped to inspire new approaches to protection of
internally displaced persons. They have demonstrated the necessity of the mandate of the
Special Rapporteur, which, with adequate resources and support, will continue to be a voice
for internally displaced persons and to advocate effectively for their human rights
nationally, regionally and internationally. The Special Rapporteur thanks those States that
have supported the mandate and looks forward to continued and wider support from
additional countries in all regions.
II. Activities of the former Special Rapporteur
4. In its resolution 32/11, the Human Rights Council mandated the Special Rapporteur
to address internal displacement, in particular by mainstreaming the human rights of
internally displaced persons into all relevant parts of the United Nations system, working
towards strengthening the international response to internal displacement, engaging in
coordinated international advocacy and action to improve protection and respect of the
human rights of such persons, and continuing and enhancing dialogue with Governments,
intergovernmental, regional and non-governmental organizations and other relevant actors.
A. Mainstreaming the human rights of internally displaced persons in the
United Nations system
5. The former Special Rapporteur continued to support the mainstreaming of the
human rights of internally displaced persons within the United Nations system and the
wider humanitarian community. His participation in the Inter-Agency Standing Committee,
at the level of the Principals, proved essential in that regard, as it helped ensure and
enhance collaborative approaches and strong links with key United Nations agencies as
well as other international organizations and civil society.
6. The former Special Rapporteur participated in the World Humanitarian Summit, in
Turkey, in May 2016; in the humanitarian affairs segment of the Economic and Social
Council, in June 2016; in a high-level round table in Costa Rica, in July 2016, which
culminated in a call to action for a comprehensive, multisectoral regional response to
address forced displacement in Central America; and in the General Assembly high-level
meeting on addressing large movements of refugees and migrants, in September 2016.
B. Cooperation with regional and international organizations
7. The former Special Rapporteur continued his engagement with the African Union to
promote ratification and implementation of the African Union Convention for the
Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala Convention).
He urged African States that had not yet done so to ratify the Kampala Convention. He
emphasized that it was of utmost importance to move to an operational phase, supported by
a conference of States parties as required under the Convention, which should adopt a road
map for reporting by States and for monitoring implementation. The first Conference of
States Parties subsequently took place from 3 to 5 April, in Harare (see para. 43 below).
The former Special Rapporteur also debriefed the Council of Europe on his missions to
Ukraine, Serbia and Kosovo,1 and Georgia, in September 2016.
C. Visits conducted under the mandate
Burundi
8. The former Special Rapporteur undertook a working visit to Burundi from 18 to 20
April 2016. He called for the current situation of internally displaced persons to be
addressed as a humanitarian issue, and to be delinked from politics, and particularly
stressed the importance of ensuring the population’s safety, security and freedom of
movement. He noted the need to strengthen the humanitarian response to the internal
displacement that was occurring due to the ongoing crisis, in order to ensure adequate
protection and assistance for internally displaced persons, especially women, children and
the elderly. This would also provide an opportunity for addressing the remaining
humanitarian needs of persons in protracted internal displacement, notably concerning
shelter and access to health care. He stressed the need to apply durable solution approaches
for internally displaced persons from the outset of the displacement crisis through
protection and assistance response, while increasing efforts towards improving living
conditions and promoting durable solutions for persons internally displaced for a protracted
period of time as a result of conflict and disasters.
9. He emphasized that the primary responsibility for providing protection and
assistance to internally displaced persons lay with the Government, and he therefore
encouraged the authorities to adopt the Kampala Convention and establish a legal
framework on internal displacement.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
10. The former Special Rapporteur undertook a working visit to the Democratic
Republic of the Congo from 21 to 26 April 2016. In light of the decision taken by the
provincial government to progressively close all internally displaced persons’ camps in
North Kivu, the main objective was to promote the orderly conduct of the camp closures,
with full respect for international standards including the Kampala Convention, and with a
strategic approach aimed at achieving durable solutions. He expressed deep concern at the
persistently high levels of violence and of human rights violations, and condemned the
targeted attacks against civilians, including internally displaced persons, the widespread
sexual violence, the recruitment and use of children by parties to the conflict, and the forced
displacement of thousands. He emphasized the need to hold those responsible accountable.
Internally displaced persons live in dire conditions, with little access to drinking water or
health care, and with food insecurity, and children lack access to education.
11. He recommended to the Government to continue working towards the adoption of a
law on internal displacement, and a policy and plan of action for its implementation, with
the support of the international community. He also encouraged the authorities to
1 All references to Kosovo in the present document should be understood to be in compliance with
Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).
strengthen their efforts to promote the integration of internally displaced persons’ needs in
development plans and interventions.
El Salvador
12. The former Special Rapporteur conducted a working visit to El Salvador from 11 to
14 August 2016 as part of a regional visit. He noted that ongoing internal displacement in
the northern triangle of Central America, due to various causes, including displacement
triggered by widespread criminal and gang-related violence, had had a devastating impact
on the lives of those affected and required preventive action and measures to protect the
rights of internally displaced persons. His visit presented a unique opportunity to start
consulting with government representatives and other stakeholders on the challenges
involved in providing protection and assistance to internally displaced persons. He
welcomed the willingness of the Government to carry out a characterization study on the
internally displaced population in El Salvador with a view to developing concrete proposals
on how to address internal displacement in El Salvador. The Government of El Salvador
subsequently issued an invitation to the current Special Rapporteur to undertake an official
country visit in August 2017.
Honduras
13. The former Special Rapporteur conducted a follow-up visit to Honduras from 15 to
17 August 2016. The visit was another opportunity to discuss initiatives to prevent and
respond to internal displacement and implement the recommendations of his previous
report (A/HRC/32/35/Add.4) following his mission there in November 2015. He
commended the Government for the measures taken to establish a legal framework for the
protection of internally displaced persons and to criminalize the offence of criminal gang-
related displacement, as well as to facilitate protection and assistance for internally
displaced persons in the short term based on the recommendations of his report. He
encouraged the Government of Honduras to continue working towards the strengthening of
such measures, including by ensuring a sufficient budgetary allocation for this purpose.
Mexico
14. The former Special Rapporteur conducted a working visit to Mexico on 18 and 19
August 2016 to start consultations with stakeholders on the challenges with regard to
protection and assistance for internally displaced persons. He held discussions with the
Senate on opportunities to establish a normative and institutional framework for protection
of internally displaced persons, following the recent amendments to the Constitution. He
welcomed the willingness of the Government to undertake a study of the various forms of
displacement in order to pave the way for concrete measures.
Nigeria
15. The former Special Rapporteur conducted an official visit to Nigeria from 23 to 26
August 2016. The visit focused on the situation in the north-east of the country, affected by
the Jama’atu Ahlus-Sunna Lidda’Awati Wal Jihad (Boko Haram) insurgency since 2009.
The insurgency and the Government’s counter-insurgency have killed thousands of people
and have internally displaced nearly 2 million. As areas have been recovered, following
offensives, the full extent of the humanitarian crisis has begun to be revealed, with severe
malnutrition and food insecurity threatening the lives of many thousands. Ensuring that
urgent food, shelter, medical care, water, sanitation systems and other essential services
reach internally displaced persons without delay is critical. Ensuring the protection of
vulnerable internally displaced persons, many traumatized by violence, must be a
paramount concern.
16. Credible evidence of widespread human rights violations means that the situation
must also be recognized as a human rights crisis. Internally displaced persons’ camps have
been targeted by Boko Haram and internally displaced persons have also been killed as a
result of military operations. 2 Sexual exploitation and violence, including demands for
transactional sex in order to access both food and non-food items, are commonplace. The
risks have been exacerbated by a lack of adequate assistance for internally displaced
persons. As well as the abduction of many women and girls by Boko Haram, the
whereabouts of thousands of displaced men and boys remains unclear. While many have
been killed by Boko Haram or during the counter-insurgency or are held captive by Boko
Haram, others are being detained by security forces. They must be treated in accordance
with international standards. Measures to identify the dead and missing must be stepped up
(see A/HRC/35/27/Add.1).
Ukraine
17. The former Special Rapporteur undertook a follow-up visit to Ukraine from 1 to 9
September 2016. He commended the Government for the progress it had made, which
included the adoption of a law on internal displacement and the establishment of the
Ministry for Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons, but found
that more needed to be done to implement the law effectively and to harmonize resolutions
passed under its framework, as well as to establish effective coordination mechanisms
among ministries of the national Government, regional authorities and municipal
authorities. He recommended to the Government to formulate a comprehensive and
forward-looking strategy on internally displaced persons that would be geared towards
integrating their needs and rights (including in the areas of employment, housing, social
assistance, documentation and political participation) into displacement-sensitive policies
and programmes, with the ultimate aim of achieving durable solutions for internally
displaced persons.
18. A major challenge affecting the welfare of internally displaced persons has been the
link between their registration and the payment to them of pensions and social benefits, due
to a system based on the verification of places of residence, which has led to suspension of
payments affecting about 500,000 internally displaced persons resident in eastern Ukraine.
The Special Rapporteur strongly recommended that such payments be delinked from the
registration of internally displaced persons. Freedom of movement also remained
problematic. At the few checkpoints along the contact line, people queued for hours or even
days, at risk to their safety. No special arrangements were made for the elderly, children,
pregnant women or persons with disabilities. The Special Rapporteur called on all parties to
grant unimpeded access for humanitarian assistance and to allow people to move freely to
reach safety, to access services and to exercise their rights.
Serbia and Kosovo
19. The former Special Rapporteur conducted a working visit to Serbia and Kosovo
from 11 to 15 September 2016 to follow up on recommendations that he had made in 2013.
He urged the intensification of efforts to achieve durable solutions for persons who had
been in protracted internal displacement for some 17 years. He emphazised that all durable
solution options for internally displaced persons should remain open, and must be delinked
from political processes. Many internally displaced persons live in squalid conditions,
especially members of the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities, many of whom have
specific protection needs and experience challenges in realizing their rights to housing,
employment, health care and education. Adequate housing is a key component of durable
solutions and should be linked to livelihood opportunities. Other issues of concern to
internally displaced persons include illegal occupation of properties, and compensation
where properties cannot be recovered.
Georgia
20. The former Special Rapporteur conducted a follow-up visit to Georgia from 24 to 29
September 2016. He commended the positive amendments to the legislation on internal
displacement and the new registration exercise for internally displaced persons in 2013 and
2 See www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?LangID=E&NewsID=21100.
2014, but urged the Government to review its approach to internally displaced persons,
including those displaced in the early 1990s and in 2008, and to continue its transition from
a status-based to a needs-based approach. He emphasized the need to develop a plan for the
closure of the remaining “collapsing collective centres” and to increase the Government’s
efforts to integrate the needs of internally displaced persons into displacement-sensitive
national, regional and local development plans and initiatives.
21. The Special Rapporteur encouraged the donor community to continue to fund and
support durable solutions, and urged all parties to reach a political solution to enable
internally displaced persons who wished to return to their areas of origin to do so
voluntarily and in safety and dignity. He regretted that the razor-wire fence along the
administrative boundary line of the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, Georgia, continued to
deprive internally displaced persons and displacement-affected communities of freedom of
movement and created obstacles to their access to land, property and livelihoods. In relation
to Abkhazia, Georgia, he regretted that he had been denied access by the authorities in
control there. He particularly warned against the closure of crossing points along the
dividing line and stressed the need to guarantee access to documentation to all returnees in
order for them to enjoy their rights, including freedom of movement.
Afghanistan
22. The former Special Rapporteur conducted an official visit to Afghanistan from 11 to
20 October 2016. The internal displacement trends are negative and worsening. In 2016,
more than 600,000 people fled conflict to seek safety inside Afghanistan. On average, 1,500
people were forced from their homes every day. An influx of refugees and undocumented
Afghans, pushed back from Pakistan, has increased the burden on a government lacking the
resources and capacity to respond effectively. With displacement and returns predicted to
rise in 2017, further escalation of the conflict and displacement would overwhelm the
capacity of the Government and its partners to respond. While the political will to protect
internally displaced persons is emerging, government responses do not yet meet the needs
of internally displaced persons.
23. The National Policy on Internally Displaced Persons is a commendable policy tool,
yet the implementation of it has been poor. Responses to short-term displacement are barely
adequate, while those in protracted displacement are commonly left to fend for themselves.
While resource shortfalls are blamed by the Government for lack of progress, a deficit of
good governance and accountability are contributing factors. In Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif,
projects are securing land and providing homes, services and livelihoods, and are
demonstrating that progress towards durable solutions is possible. However, they are the
exception, and should be replicated throughout the country (see A/HRC/35/27/Add.3).
III. Preliminary activities and a road map for the next three years
A. Working methods
24. The Special Rapporteur considers that internally displaced persons are frequently the
least, the last and the lost in terms of national and international attention to their plight. It is
a core priority of the mandate holder to promote visibility and effective protection for all
internally displaced persons, including those who have become invisible or neglected, the
most vulnerable, and those facing the greatest challenges resulting from their displacement.
She will therefore take an impact-oriented and human rights-based approach to her work,
focusing on building and strengthening constructive partnerships and collaborations with
the objective of delivering effective assistance and protection on the ground. Her working
methods will build on those established by her predecessors, while also emphasizing the
identification of opportunities and entry points to engage directly and constructively with
States and other stakeholders in emerging, ongoing and protracted internal displacement
situations.
25. The Special Rapporteur will continue to seek and conduct country visits in all
regions to gather first-hand information on the situation of internally displaced persons and
to engage directly and constructively with national authorities and other stakeholders. She
will give high priority to those States with the most critical, challenging and persistent
displacement situations, while also seeking visits based on her thematic priorities. She has
sent initial requests for visits3 and encourages States to respond positively. The Special
Rapporteur welcomes the positive responses received to date from the Government of El
Salvador and the Government of Guatemala for her to conduct visits in 2017 and 2019
respectively. In conformity with the practice of the mandate, she will also conduct working
visits4 and follow-up visits, at the invitation of a variety of stakeholders, including United
Nations agencies, to consider internal displacement issues and to engage with a range of
actors, including national authorities.
26. The Special Rapporteur will continue and strengthen the existing cooperation
established between the mandate and United Nations organizations. She will continue to
participate in and actively contribute to the work of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee
(IASC) as a Principal, and will work to provide it with guidance and support on the subject
of internally displaced persons. To that end, she participated in her first IASC Principals’
meeting in Geneva on 6 December 2016, which will be followed by the IASC Principals’
retreat scheduled for 28 April 2017. Moreover, she took part in an IASC Working Group
meeting held in Rome on 5 and 6 April 2017, in which she provided an update on activities
under a joint project between the Special Rapporteur and the Joint IDP Profiling Service5
and in collaboration with a broad group of development, humanitarian and peacebuilding
actors 6 to operationalize the IASC Framework on Durable Solutions for Internally
Displaced Persons. The project is aimed at developing tools, methodologies and guidance,
for shared and comprehensive yet practical approaches to durable solutions analysis in
displacement situations.
27. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the support provided to her mandate by the Office
of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Equally, in the
conduct of her activities and country visits, she will continue to collaborate closely and
systematically with United Nations country teams, and to work closely with the Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The collaboration between the mandate and these
key United Nations entities has proved highly effective, notably in the context of country
visits undertaken, during which they have provided invaluable support, assistance, and
information. The Special Rapporteur thanks them for their continuing support for her work
and looks forward to continuing and strengthening this collaboration.
3 To date, country visits have been requested to Bangladesh, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti,
Malawi, Mexico and Nepal.
4 Such working visits will not normally trigger a report to the Human Rights Council unless this is
explicitly agreed to by the State concerned.
5 The Joint IDP Profiling Service is an inter-agency service that was set up in 2009. Based in Geneva,
its mission is to support governments and humanitarian and development actors in designing and
implementing collaborative profiling exercises. Working primarily in situations of internal
displacement, the Service seeks to promote a culture of evidence-based decision-making in
displacement situations. Provided both on-site and remotely, the Joint IDP Profiling Service tailors its
support to needs on the ground and enhances in-country profiling capacity-building to generate
locally owned, impactful and agreed-upon data. To learn more about the Service and its work, visit
www.jips.org/en/home.
6 The Technical Steering Committee, comprising a broad group of partners that support durable
solutions to displacement. Its members include the Danish Refugee Council, the International
Committee of the Red Cross, the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, the International
Organization for Migration, Feinstein International Center/Tufts, the Norwegian Refugee Council, the
United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, members of the Solutions Alliance Research, Data and
Performance Management Group, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations
Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs, UNHCR, the World Bank, Displacement Solutions Platform and the Regional Durable
Solutions Secretariat.
28. In view of her strategic and thematic priorities, the Special Rapporteur has also
begun to significantly strengthen cooperation and institutional relationships with the United
Nations Development Programme, the International Organization for Migration and the
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), among others. In addition to conducting
bilateral meetings with these entities, she is investigating practical measures for them to
institutionalize their cooperation with the mandate, including through the establishment of
focal points in such organizations relating to specific areas of collaboration. Furthermore,
the Special Rapporteur will expand her collaboration with national human rights
institutions, with a view to identifying positive practices in their work relating to internally
displaced persons (see section IV. D. below).
29. Collaboration with civil society organizations, at the international and national
levels, has been instrumental in the work of this mandate and the Special Rapporteur will
continue and enhance her engagement with civil society organizations working on
protection of internally displaced persons. Furthermore, the Special Rapporteur will put
particular emphasis on consultations with internally displaced persons and displacement-
affected communities and, where they exist, with internally displaced persons’
organizations or associations, which remain key counterparts for the mandate in order to
ensure that their voices and perspectives are better reflected in all relevant forums. She will
seek to increase the presence and role of internally displaced persons, including women, in
national, regional and international forums to ensure that their unique experiences and
perspectives come to the fore.
B. Strategic priorities and initial activities
30. Since taking up her duties on 1 November 2016, the Special Rapporteur has
undertaken a series of bilateral consultations with key stakeholders in order to shape her
strategic priorities. This process of consultation culminated on 25 January 2017 with a
stakeholder meeting in Geneva for the Special Rapporteur to present and receive feedback
on her initial strategic priorities and on the main thematic priorities for her work over the
next three years. She was honoured to have her predecessors, Chaloka Beyani and Walter
Kälin, on the panel, and attendance by over 35 participants from Member States, United
Nations agencies and civil society, who provided their perspectives, views and
recommendations. Following the event, on 21 February 2017, the Special Rapporteur had
occasion to present her strategic and thematic priorities to a broader, online audience of
close to 300 persons worldwide through a web course hosted by Professionals in
Humanitarian Action and Protection.7
31. Enhanced international attention has been given to large movements of refugees and
migrants, including in the context of the United Nations Summit for Refugees and
Migrants, held in New York on 19 September 2016, and of subsequent processes under way
to adopt global compacts on safe, orderly and regular migration and on refugees by
September 2018. The Special Rapporteur urges the international community to ensure that
it maintains much-needed attention on the situation of internally displaced persons,
recognizing that many who have crossed international borders as refugees or undocumented
or trafficked migrants have initially been internally displaced in their own countries and
have not been provided with the necessary protection and support allowing them to remain
in their own countries if they so wish.8
32. While internally displaced persons have the right to cross international borders and
the right to seek asylum in other countries, both of which must be guaranteed, responding to
their protection and assistance needs within their countries, supporting durable solutions for
them and addressing the overall root causes of their displacement remains fundamental.
7 See https://phap.org/civicrm/event/info?id=393.
8 Following the summit, the former Special Rapporteur joined a number of United Nations and non-
governmental organizations in writing an open letter to Member States urging them to do more to
support internally displaced persons and the communities that host them.
Indeed, the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants points to links between
internal displacement and large movements of migrants and refugees:
We recognize the very large number of people who are displaced within national
borders and the possibility that such persons might seek protection and assistance in
other countries as refugees or migrants. We note the need for reflection on effective
strategies to ensure adequate protection and assistance for internally displaced
persons and to prevent and reduce such displacement.9
33. At the same time, the Special Rapporteur points out that the primary responsibility
for protecting populations of internally displaced persons within national State boundaries
remains with the respective States. While on the one hand, a good number of these
internally displaced persons may be able to cross borders, as pointed out above, a good
number remain in the territory of their respective States. The Special Rapporteur is of the
strong view that political will and resources must be ensured for protection of the human
rights of internally displaced persons, whether or not they would potentially cross
international borders.
34. The Special Rapporteur favours continuity in the core strategic work of the mandate
on achieving the most important global objectives for the protection of internally displaced
persons, and giving necessary attention to the most critical displacement situations and the
most vulnerable groups or sectors. In this regard, she will continue activities under her
mandate to engage with countries experiencing urgent conflict-induced displacement. In her
first visit to the Middle East, the Special Rapporteur participated in the international
conference on human rights-based approaches to conflict situations in the Arab region,
which was held on 20 and 21 February 2017 in Doha and was hosted by the National
Human Rights Committee of Qatar and OHCHR, where she interacted with States and non-
governmental organizations (NGOs) from the region.
35. The Special Rapporteur will continue to engage in global and regional initiatives and
processes to identify, raise awareness of and concretely address the impact of slow-onset
disasters and climate change and its implications on internal displacement. The Special
Rapporteur considers that more attention needs to be given to this evolving issue,
particularly to the links between climate change and internal displacement, and their
implications in relation to human security and conflict.
36. During his tenure, the former Special Rapporteur focused on durable solutions as an
essential pillar of the responses to internal displacement from the very onset of
displacement. As durable solutions remain elusive and many internally displaced persons
globally still live in protracted displacement, the Special Rapporteur is convinced that
durable solutions must remain high on the agenda if all stakeholders are to address internal
displacement in a comprehensive way. Promoting durable solutions for internally displaced
persons will continue to be a primary focus of the work of the mandate, and new initiatives
towards this goal will include focused thematic attention to strengthening the participation
of internally displaced persons in decisions affecting them, and to ensuring that internally
displaced persons are included fully in transitional justice, the restoration of housing, land
and property, and peacebuilding processes, which are essential components of durable
solutions.
37. The Special Rapporteur will continue to lead an inter-agency project on measuring
progress towards durable solutions for internally displaced persons, which is implemented
by the Joint IDP Profiling Service in collaboration with a broad group of development,
humanitarian and peacebuilding actors. The project is aimed at operationalizing the
Framework on Durable Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons10 by developing a library
of indicators, tools, methodologies and guidance, for shared and comprehensive yet
practical approaches to durable solutions analysis in displacement situations.
38. The goal of reducing displacement, in line with the outcomes of the World
Humanitarian Summit, in which an ambitious goal was set of halving it by 2030, must be
9 See General Assembly resolution 71/1, para. 20.
10 Available from www.unhcr.org/50f94cd49.pdf.
achieved in a manner fully consistent with the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement
and the IASC Framework on Durable Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons and
through the achievement of durable solutions. Consistent with the World Humanitarian
Summit outcomes, the Special Rapporteur will place a strong emphasis on strengthening
the engagement of development actors at the earliest phases of humanitarian and
displacement crises, on ensuring the participation of internally displaced persons as partners
and on seeking to strengthen the capacity and resources available to local civil society
partners.
39. The Special Rapporteur will continue and enhance work carried out under the
mandate11 to ensure that internally displaced persons are not left behind, including in the
context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the implementation of the
Sustainable Development Goals. While there is no specific target relating to internal
displacement, the Special Rapporteur emphasizes that it is incumbent upon States
experiencing internal displacement to establish national implementation programmes and
plans that recognize that internally displaced persons are among the most vulnerable
populations, who have multiple challenges and needs relating to development priorities —
including in the areas of education, health, housing, land, livelihoods and poverty.
40. The Special Rapporteur will continue essential work to promote the development
and implementation of legal and policy frameworks that are key to addressing internal
displacement at all levels. While her predecessors played a leadership role in developing
key international, regional and national frameworks, including the Guiding Principles on
Internal Displacement and the IASC Framework on Durable Solutions for Internally
Displaced Persons, the Special Rapporteur will prioritize implementation and
operationalization of these standards, in close collaboration with national governments,
regional mechanisms and other relevant stakeholders. She will advocate for standards to be
translated into domestic law and policy and will assist States and other organizations
through direct engagement, recommendations, awareness-raising and mobilization of
support. In line with this, the mandate holder will continue to co-chair, with UNHCR, the
Global Protection Cluster’s task team on law and policy.
41. Moreover, the Special Rapporteur co-hosted, with UNHCR and the International
Institute of Humanitarian Law, the twelfth Course on the Law of Internal Displacement,
held from 14 to 18 November 2016 in San Remo, Italy. The San Remo course has proved to
be an excellent opportunity to bring together government authorities involved in protection
of internally displaced persons and the Special Rapporteur intends to continue the course as
the mandate’s flagship course.
42. The Special Rapporteur emphasizes that 2018 marks the twentieth anniversary of the
Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement and offers an important opportunity to raise
awareness of this global standard and of the plight of internally displaced persons in all
regions of the world. She will undertake awareness-raising activities and consult with
partners to identify activities to mark the anniversary during 2018 at the national, regional
and international levels, including side events and other panel discussions organized by the
mandate holder in the context of her annual reporting to the Human Rights Council and the
General Assembly. She will encourage national-level activities and commitments in States
affected by internal displacement, including steps to incorporate the Guiding Principles on
Internal Displacement into national law and policy for the protection of the human rights of
internally displaced persons.
43. At the regional level, the Kampala Convention, the only legally binding regional
standard on internal displacement, was adopted in October 2009. The Special Rapporteur
will continue to support the African Union by promoting implementation of the
Convention, including through the Conference of States Parties, and attended the historic
first meeting of the Conference, held in Harare from 3 to 5 April 2017. She emphasized that
its establishment was an essential next step towards promoting and monitoring
implementation of the Convention. She will engage closely with African States — those
visited by her predecessors, and other States — to initiate and extend dialogue and to offer
11 See A/HRC/29/34.
technical cooperation to assist them to fulfil commitments under the Convention. She
issued a press release in which she noted that States must adopt concrete measures to ensure
that this innovative and comprehensive agreement translates into real gains for internally
displaced persons.12 In view of the positive example set by the African Union, she will
continue to advocate for regional standards for the protection of internally displaced
persons to be adopted in other regions, as relevant.
44. At the national level, the Special Rapporteur has been deeply concerned by
challenges experienced on the ground by humanitarian and development partners in the
delivery of their essential services and assistance. These include challenges regarding
access to persons and communities affected by internal displacement, due to security
concerns or restrictions imposed by national governments, as well as by non-State armed
groups and similar non-State actors, particularly in conflict situations. These obstacles
seriously hamper their ability to provide essential and life-saving support. The Special
Rapporteur will support and collaborate with United Nations agencies and bodies to
advocate strongly for States to fulfil their obligations under international humanitarian and
human rights law and standards to provide free and unfettered access to all communities in
need of assistance. In this context, the Special Rapporteur would also like to give due
attention to the role of non-State actors.
45. The Special Rapporteur is alarmed by the inadequate levels of funding available for
the essential work of humanitarian and development partners and civil society, especially
those on the ground. She applauds the international donor community for its essential
funding of humanitarian and development responses globally. She urges donors to maintain
and expand essential funding, while incorporating the provisions of the Grand Bargain on
humanitarian financing, including flexibility of funding to facilitate new approaches to
humanitarian crises, and new ways of working to provide greater attention to durable
solutions to internal displacement. A shortfall of funding by some national governments to
adequately address their internal displacement situations, as well as mismanagement of
funds, poor governance and lack of accountability, have, in some cases, created
overreliance on the international community, which is unsustainable in the long term.
46. States have the primary responsibility for promoting and protecting the human rights
of internally displaced persons. In December 2016, the Special Rapporteur wrote to
Member States and requested their responses to a questionnaire. Among its objectives, the
questionnaire sought to identify positive practices in the field of legal, policy and
institutional frameworks and activities of States to protect and support internally displaced
persons; it also sought to obtain information on measures taken to ensure the active
participation of internally displaced persons as partners and not simply beneficiaries, in
decisions affecting them and assistance measures. The Special Rapporteur sincerely thanks
those States that responded13 and will study the information provided to inform her future
work.
IV. Thematic priorities
47. In line with her strategic priorities, the Special Rapporteur will dedicate her next
thematic reports to the following thematic issues: (a) strengthening the participation of
internally displaced persons in responses to internal displacement; (b) ensuring the
inclusion of internally displaced persons in transitional justice mechanisms and peace
processes as part of durable solutions; (c) improving the protection of internally displaced
children; (d) enhancing the role of national human rights institutions and other relevant
human rights actors in the protection of internally displaced persons; and (e) addressing
12 See www.globalprotectioncluster.org/_assets/files/news_and_publications/press-release-un-expert-
welcomes-the-establishment-of-the-conference-of-states-parties.pdf.
13 As at 5 April 2017, responses had been received from Albania, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan,
Colombia, El Salvador, Georgia, Guatemala, Iraq, Kuwait, Malta, Mexico, Mauritius, Slovenia,
Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, the United States of America and the Bolivarian Republic of
Venezuela.
neglected drivers of displacement, including development projects and generalized
violence. In conducting her thematic work she will consult widely, in order to identify
particular issues where her mandate can make the most effective contributions while
avoiding duplication of the work of other institutions.
A. Strengthening the participation of internally displaced persons
48. The Special Rapporteur is concerned by evidence coming from internal
displacement situations in all regions, including that gathered in the context of numerous
country visits undertaken by the mandate holders, that minimum standards for consultation
with and participation by internally displaced persons are not being achieved in practice.
This undermines the enjoyment of human rights by internally displaced persons as well as
progress towards the achievement of durable solutions for them. Internally displaced
persons have the right to be involved in all decisions affecting them, at all phases of
displacement, and, to the extent possible, to decide on the solutions most appropriate to
them and to their location, housing and livelihood preferences. Solutions are only durable
when they offer internally displaced persons the best possible available outcomes for them.
49. Interaction with internally displaced persons commonly reveals: a lack of
information provided to them at all phases of displacement; infrequent engagement by the
authorities responsible; an absence of or inadequate mechanisms and processes for
consultation and participation; and decision-making processes that fail to take their views,
needs and objectives fully into account. Ensuring that internally displaced persons are
included from the outset, in the design, planning and implementation of all actions and
measures directed towards them, must be at the heart of responses by national governments
and by all humanitarian, development and other relevant actors. Participation empowers
internally displaced communities, informs them of their rights and is instrumental in the
process of community resilience-building and recovery, where it is effective and results-
oriented. Moreover, meaningful participation returns essential dignity to communities
devastated by displacement, allowing them to be agents in their own recovery rather than
only beneficiaries of assistance.
50. Lack of information, of consultation and of meaningful participation, or tokenistic
participation, means that recovery efforts are more likely to fail and may not meet the needs
or expectations of the internally displaced communities affected. It can result in deeper and
more persistent levels of poverty, as internally displaced persons face the challenges of re-
establishing normal lives and appropriate livelihoods under conditions that they were not
fully involved in shaping. The challenges to ensuring the meaningful participation of
internally displaced persons are significant and must be acknowledged to have hampered
efforts in some situations. Cultural, social, historical and political factors must all be taken
into account when shaping participation programmes. The challenge remains to ensure that
inclusive participation of internally displaced persons is systematically applied and
effectively managed in all displacement situations.
51. The Special Rapporteur recognizes the excellent work and analysis that has been
conducted by others in this field, including as part of the Brookings Institution and
University of Bern Project on Internal Displacement, in its 2008 publication entitled
Moving Beyond Rhetoric: Consultation and Participation with Populations Displaced by
Conflict or Natural Disasters.14 She considers that her mandate can be instrumental in
initiating a call for renewed action and a necessary rethinking of approaches to the
participation of internally displaced persons, with the aim of improving these in practice in
displacement situations. She will produce a thematic report that will consider essential
elements of the participation of internally displaced persons, identify barriers, and propose
measures to promote inclusive participation by internally displaced persons in decisions
affecting them.
14 See www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/10_internal_displacement.pdf.
52. On 25 January 2017, the Special Rapporteur began consultations on this issue by
convening an expert discussion on the participation of internally displaced persons, with
relevant United Nations and international NGO partners active on this issue. This served to
further her understanding of the issues and challenges and allowed her to obtain the views
of key partners and consider positive practices. She will continue to seek positive examples
from all regions that she can promote for possible use in other displacement situations.
Furthermore, the Special Rapporteur recognizes that international advocacy efforts to
promote the rights of internally displaced persons benefit from the actual participation of
internally displaced persons. However, internally displaced persons are rarely present in
such forums, and she will encourage and advocate for their participation in such regional
and international events.
B. Ensuring the inclusion of internally displaced persons in transitional
justice processes
53. To fully achieve durable solutions for internally displaced persons, they must
receive justice for the harm done to them, the human rights violations and the loss of life
and property, through processes that go beyond their physical return, local integration or
resettlement. The Framework on Durable Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons
recognizes that “this may entail the right to reparation, justice, truth and closure for past
injustices through transitional justice or other appropriate measures”, and that “internally
displaced persons who have been victims of violations of international human rights or
humanitarian law, including arbitrary displacement, must have full and non-discriminatory
access to effective remedies and access to justice, including, where appropriate, access to
existing transitional justice mechanisms, reparations and information on the causes of
violations”.15
54. In numerous internal displacement situations, internally displaced persons do not
obtain justice or achieve only partial redress or reparations for the human rights violations
that they have suffered, including for loss of housing, land or property. A first challenge
will be to address the absence of any transitional justice mechanisms in some post-conflict
situations, where such mechanisms are essential to achieve redress for internally displaced
persons and other affected populations. Even where such mechanisms exist, fully
incorporating internally displaced persons’ issues is often perceived as complex and costly.
Transitional justice processes have traditionally addressed a too narrow range of the serious
civil and political rights violations while relatively neglecting internally displaced persons.
55. Truth commissions and criminal prosecution of perpetrators also form key elements
of transitional justice. The experience of forced displacement often encompasses massive
human rights abuses, prior to, during and in the aftermath of the displacement, the legacy of
which continues while persons remain in displacement and even after they have achieved
physical return, resettlement or integration elsewhere. Internally displaced persons must be
included in community reconciliation and social cohesion projects, which form important
elements of peacebuilding initiatives and from which they are frequently excluded. The
understanding that internally displaced persons have the right to participate fully in
transitional justice mechanisms and peacebuilding processes must be reinforced, as must
the responsibility of governments to guarantee their participation and to ensure that
transitional justice is achieved for them in practice.
56. The Special Rapporteur recognizes the important work already undertaken,
including research and case studies conducted by the International Center for Transitional
Justice and the Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement, among other
contributions. 16 Equally, international standards, such as the principles on housing and
15 See www.unhcr.org/50f94cd49.pdf.
16 The former Special Rapporteur held joint sessions with the truth, justice and reconciliation
commissions in Kenya and Côte d’Ivoire to hear testimonies from internally displaced persons during
his official missions, in September 2011 and July 2012 respectively.
property restitution for refugees and displaced persons 17 and the related Handbook on
Housing and Property Restitution for Refugees and Displaced Persons, deliver valuable
guidance relating to specific areas of concern. This provides strong foundations for further
development, with the objective of operationalizing existing resources and providing
technical assistance for their implementation. The Special Rapporteur will collaborate with
United Nations bodies and other international organizations, NGOs and national human
rights institutions to make progress in this regard.
57. The Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons has
sought a strategic collaboration with the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth,
justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence. Upon the invitation of the latter, the
Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons participated in the
OHCHR regional consultations on transitional justice in the Asia-Pacific region, held on 9
and 10 November 2016 in Colombo. She will engage in dialogue with governments
undergoing transitional justice and peace processes to promote the inclusion of internally
displaced persons and to learn about those governments’ experiences, challenges and
practices. She will seek to conduct visits to countries relevant to this thematic focus, and to
date has issued visit requests to Colombia and Nepal. She will use her mandate to gather
positive practices, guidelines and case studies on the issues and will establish a section of
her website dedicated to these issues. Her work on this issue will be ongoing, and she will
devote a thematic report to the issue.
C. Improving protection of internally displaced children
58. While much attention has been given to internally displaced children by key
international humanitarian and development actors, it is evident that their situation and
protection remains a considerable concern in displacement situations worldwide. Country
visits undertaken by previous mandate holders, and the reports of other organizations,
reveal evidence of children facing neglect and human rights violations, including violence
and forced recruitment. In too many displacement situations, children are suffering and
dying due to the failure of States to respond rapidly and appropriately to their specific needs
and due to the lack of capacity and resources for humanitarian actors to fill the protection
gaps. The challenges require renewed attention by States and humanitarian partners, with a
focus on concrete outcomes, as highlighted at the High Commissioner’s Dialogue on
Protection Challenges, in 2016, the theme of which was Children on the Move.18
59. Children make up the majority of those displaced by conflict and frequently bear the
brunt of the suffering it causes. The United Nations has emphasized that over 30 million
children are displaced by conflict.19 The term “lost generation” often applies, appropriately,
to children whose lives are devastated by conflict and displacement. Their futures and
opportunities are too often stunted, either by injury, trauma or malnutrition, or by the abuse
and violations inflicted by combatants, traffickers or other perpetrators who have the power
to abuse them. Their futures are also damaged by their exclusion from education for months
or years on end, or by child labour which robs them of their education and childhoods as
they support families in poverty. The challenges are particularly acute for orphans,
unaccompanied children, children who are living with disability, injury or trauma, and
children who head households due to conflict.
60. Under paragraph 16 (d) of Human Rights Council resolution 32/11, the mandate
holder is tasked with giving special consideration to the human rights of internally
displaced women and children, and of other groups with special needs, such as older
persons, persons with disabilities and severely traumatized individuals, and to their
particular assistance, protection and development needs. The Special Rapporteur will
therefore dedicate a thematic report to the needs and protection issues facing internally
displaced children, with a view to bringing renewed attention to their plight and in order to
17 See https://2001-2009.state.gov/documents/organization/99774.pdf.
18 See www.unhcr.org/high-commissioners-dialogue-on-protection-challenges-2016.html.
19 See https://www.nrc.no/news/2015/june/30-million-children-displaced-/.
seek innovative approaches, concrete actions, and new commitments to their protection in
displacement-affected countries.
61. The Special Rapporteur will promote the international normative framework for the
protection of children, and the responsibility of States as the primary duty holders, to
protect internally displaced children and address their needs. She will collaborate with key
international and national partners, assisting them to strengthen their work, including
UNICEF and UNHCR, with which she will seek strategic partnerships on this issue. While
excellent resources exist, there must be better awareness of them, and technical assistance
to implement them in practice. Positive practices should be identified and applied elsewhere
where displaced children are at risk. Initiatives to protect girls, particularly in conflict
situations, should also be brought into focus and better deployed, as a matter of urgency.
62. The Special Rapporteur will gather positive practices, guidelines and case studies,
and will dedicate a section of her website to these issues in order to share relevant
information from a wide range of sources. She will seek collaboration with relevant parts of
the United Nations system, and with other international organizations and NGOs as well as
national human rights institutions. On the basis of the information received, she will
communicate to States issues of concern relating to displaced children and will seek a
constructive dialogue with States that is aimed at finding rapid and effective solutions to
situations of concern involving displaced children.
D. Enhancing the role of national human rights institutions in the
protection of internally displaced persons
63. Human rights violations frequently precede or trigger displacement and occur during
or after displacement. As independent human rights bodies and monitors of human rights
situations, national human rights institutions have a critical role in protection of internally
displaced persons. There are several examples of countries, including Kenya, Mexico,
Nigeria, the Philippines, Uganda and Ukraine, whose national human rights institutions
have played prominent roles in protection of internally displaced persons. Those roles have
included advocacy and awareness-raising, training for officials and others in international
human rights and humanitarian law and standards, monitoring of the rights of internally
displaced persons, registration of individual complaints and investigation of specific cases
so that perpetrators are held accountable. Their role in advocacy for domestic legislation to
protect the rights of internally displaced persons should also be mentioned.
64. The Special Rapporteur will strengthen the mandate’s engagement with national
human rights institutions regarding protection of internally displaced persons, will engage
in a systematic way with them and their regional networks to benefit from their
experiences, practices and lessons learned, and will seek opportunities to enhance
cooperation. She will dedicate one of her thematic reports to elaborating the role of national
human rights institutions in the protection of internally displaced persons, and to this end
she intends to hold a consultative session with selected national human rights institutions
during her tenure to examine their existing and potential roles. In addition, she intends to
send a questionnaire to relevant national human rights institutions and to seek to collaborate
with the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions in this regard.
E. Increasing the attention to neglected drivers of internal displacement
65. The Special Rapporteur recognizes the mandate’s responsibility to raise awareness
of — and support action to prevent or address — neglected causes of displacement, and to
raise awareness about populations of internally displaced persons who require greater
visibility and attention. These drivers include development projects and generalized
violence, and may also include complex and interlinked causes, such as the intersection
between conflict, development and business interests. The number of people internally
displaced by such factors may run to millions worldwide, who do not feature in the annual
displacement figures as these commonly reflect only persons who have been internally
displaced by conflict and disasters.
66. Other factors also require greater attention, including the role of discrimination on
ethnic or religious grounds as a cause of displacement and a factor affecting the responses
provided to some internally displaced persons. In this regard, the Special Rapporteur
participated as an expert panellist in the ninth Forum on Minority Issues, the theme for
which was minorities in situations of humanitarian crises, held in Geneva on 24 and 25
November 2016. 20 She emphasized that ethnic or religious identity could be a factor
increasing the vulnerability of some communities to displacement, and she contributed to a
series of recommendations.
1. Development-induced displacement
67. The Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement establish that the prohibition of
arbitrary displacement includes displacement “in cases of large-scale development projects,
which are not justified by compelling and overriding public interests” (principle No. 6).
While recognizing the significant benefits that development projects often bring to societies
more widely, especially those in less developed countries, questions remain as to the
appropriate criteria and parameters to be applied in cases where development could lead to
internal displacement. The Special Rapporteur will consult with global and national
development actors, including United Nations bodies and agencies, and other stakeholders,
with the objective of clarifying the practices employed and the criteria applied at all phases
of development processes.
68. While relevant guidelines, including the 2007 basic principles and guidelines on
development-based evictions and displacement, 21 provide guidance in addressing the
human rights implications of development-linked displacement, further understanding of
these issues is required in order to ensure that those at risk of internal displacement and
those who are displaced by development are protected in conformity with all relevant
international laws and standards. The Special Rapporteur will devote a thematic report to
this issue and will elaborate a set of recommendations, as well as promoting the
implementation of positive practices and processes that should be applied to development
projects.
2. Generalized violence-induced displacement
69. Situations of generalized violence do not constitute conflict but may have a similar
impact on those forced to leave their homes. Greater research is required to reveal the full
extent of the problem and its impact on individuals, families and communities. As
highlighted by the former Special Rapporteur, governments may not acknowledge violence-
induced displacement as triggering their obligations to protect the affected persons as
internally displaced persons under international law and standards, including the Guiding
Principles on Internal Displacement. Equally, those affected may not know or claim their
rights to protection as internally displaced persons and may in fact seek anonymity due to
threats and the risk of violence, making them hard to identify and reach with assistance.
70. The Special Rapporteur will seek to continue her engagement with countries where
generalized violence is the cause of internal displacement. In particular, the Special
Rapporteur seeks to continue the mandate’s support to Honduras, visited by the former
Special Rapporteur in 2015 and 2016, to examine the situation of violence-related internal
displacement, and to maintain her support for the Government in its work to protect
internally displaced persons, including through the adoption of a law on internally displaced
persons. Furthermore, she thanks the Government of El Salvador and the Government of
Guatemala for their positive responses to her requests for official visits to those countries,
and will conduct an official visit to El Salvador in the second half of 2017 and to
Guatemala in 2019.
20 See www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/Minority/Pages/Session9.aspx.
21 See www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Housing/Guidelines_en.pdf.
V. Conclusions
71. The picture of internal displacement and the plight of internally displaced
persons globally have offered little positive news in recent years. Massive and ongoing
conflicts and displacement crises remain unresolved, and some have worsened or
become entrenched. New conflicts have emerged and disasters struck, causing internal
displacement numbers to rise relentlessly to record levels, which puts new pressure on
an already overstretched international system of humanitarian response. Where
conflicts have abated, internally displaced persons often do not achieve durable
solutions for years after their displacement, if at all. The protracted nature of some
conflicts and internal displacement all too often results in protracted humanitarian
responses that fail to progress to recovery phases and towards durable solutions for
internally displaced persons. In some cases, donor fatigue results in fewer resources
being available to address expanding and complex caseloads of internally displaced
persons.
72. Indeed, the numbers of internally displaced persons globally are in fact likely to
be significantly higher than those publicly stated by the United Nations and other
international organizations, which only take into account the available data on
conflict-induced and disaster-induced displacement. It is estimated that millions more
are displaced annually by other causes and drivers of displacement, including
development projects and generalized violence. It must also be recognized that there is
a need for greater research and more data on internal displacement as a result of
slow-onset disasters and climate change, in order to reveal the current and future
internal displacement trends and to better meet these challenges. The Special
Rapporteur will continue to raise awareness of these neglected areas of internal
displacement concern, as well as to advocate for national and international action to
protect the human rights of persons who have been internally displaced as a result of
all causes of displacement.
73. Confronted by the reality of record numbers of internally displaced persons, it
is vital for the international community to maintain and intensify its generous efforts
to meet the needs and protect the rights of internally displaced persons and to begin to
reverse the global trends. The vision laid out at the World Humanitarian Summit for
new approaches to humanitarian action is welcome and provides a positive direction
of travel that stakeholders should adopt. The focus on internally displaced persons is
necessary and timely, and a global target to reduce internal displacement by 50 per
cent by 2030 in a safe and dignified manner provides an ambitious yet necessary
stimulus. Moving from principles to action will be a difficult task ahead in order to
meet this goal. This must be achieved in compliance with human rights law and
through the implementation of international standards for the protection of internally
displaced persons and the achievement of durable solutions.
74. As those with primary responsibility, States affected by internal displacement
must recognize and better adhere to their commitments under international human
rights and humanitarian law and standards, firstly to prevent internal displacement,
and to respond better when displacement occurs. Where possible, shifting the focus
back towards the primary responsibility of States at all phases of displacement is
necessary and will allow international humanitarian partners to more rapidly move
on from protracted humanitarian assistance programmes. This will allow them to
focus on new, critical displacement situations in which States are unable to respond
effectively, as well to undertake more strategic resilience-building and recovery
activities alongside development partners.
75. The work of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur and her engagement with
national governments will be stepped up to assist States and other stakeholders in
their efforts to meet their obligations towards internally displaced persons. As the
international community brings its attention much more to large-scale movements of
people across international borders, through the development of global compacts on
safe, orderly and regular migration and on refugees, the Special Rapporteur urges
enhanced attention to the situation of internally displaced persons, recognizing that
many who have crossed international borders as refugees or undocumented or
trafficked migrants have initially been internally displaced in their own countries.
Many have not been provided with the necessary protection and support allowing
them to remain in their own countries if they so wish.
76. The Special Rapporteur will continue to address the most critical situations
regarding the internal displacement of persons, in all regions, and to promote durable
solutions and advocate for the adoption of regional and national normative
frameworks. In addition, she will bring new attention to other important internal
displacement issues, including: strengthening the participation of internally displaced
persons in responses to internal displacement; ensuring the inclusion of internally
displaced persons in transitional justice processes; improving the protection of
internally displaced children; enhancing the role of national human rights institutions
in the protection of internally displaced persons; and providing increased attention to
neglected drivers of internal displacement, including development-induced
displacement and displacement as a result of generalized violence.