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In depth I  Internally Displaced Persons Refugees and displaced people in Africa Source: Pambazuka Bahame Tom Mukirya Nyanduga, commissioner responsible for upholding the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ rights talks to Hakima Abbas about Africa’s commitment to protecting refugees and his belief that democratic states that tolerate diversity do not experience the conflict that generates the displacement of their citizens. November 2007.[see more]         Correct  ADD YOUR COMMENT >> II World Social Forum on Migrations - June 2006 The term "internally displaced persons" (IDPs) refers to persons who have been forced or obliged to flee their homes or places of habitual residence, but unlike refugees, remain within state borders. This crucial difference means they do not enjoy the same protection under international law as those with refugee status recieve, and in the past have received less attention from the international community as a group (official statitstics on their numbers globally only began in 1982). Unlike refugees, there is no specifically-mandated body to provide assistance to IDPs. However, the UN has begun to address these issues. According to figures from the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, in 2005, of the estimated 25 million IDPs, there were over 5 million located in Sudan and up to 3.7 million in Colombia. Globally, 70 - 80% of IPDs are women and children. However, statistics on IDPs are still a controversial issue, and there is as yet no universal agreement. One of the reasons explaining the increase in this group of people and the parallel decrease in the number of refugees (approximately 9.2 million registered in 2006) has been the shift from conflicts between states, to a pattern of more internal strife and civil wars. Yet the causes for the displacement and the subsequent obstacles which IDPs face are much the same as those which relate to refugees. The Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (see last paragraph) cites the most common causes for displacement as being "a result of or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalised violence, violations of human rights or natural or human-made disasters." (Introduction, para. 2) Thousands of people are also recognised as being internally displaced each year due to major development projects(1). Like refugees, the dispacement undergone makes IDPs particularly vulnerable to human rights abuses and neglect. However, those recognized as refugees, having crossed the state border, are generally better assisted than other forced migrants, in that they have a clear legal status and are entitled to the protection of the UNHCR. IDPs, like anyone else, benefit from the same legal protection of international human rights law and, in situations of armed conflict, international humanitarian law (the Geneva Conventions). However, ensuring these rights are secured is often the responsibility of authorities which were responsible for their displacement in the first place, or ones that are unable or unwilling to do so. Here the issue of state sovreignty becomes a problem, and in the past efforts to help certain groups of IDP have been restricted by a lack of security and governments or insurgents preventing access to the these people. In addition, programmes designed to help IDPs can sometimes complicate asylum procedures. (2) However action is being coordinated in the UN and through other related organisations. The UNHCR report notes that the United Nations is "beginning to make discernible progress toward helping the internally displaced"(3), and in 2005 it was decided that the UN refugee agency would in future take a ‘lead’ role in overseeing the protection and shelter needs of IDPs. The UNHCR currently cares for 5.6 million people in the "IDP" cateogory. Also, in 1998, the "Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement" was presented to the UN Comission on Human Rights by the Comission's representative on IDPs and a team of international legal experts. Officially translated into 40 diferrent languages, the 30 principles set out the rights and guarantees relevant to the protection of IDPs. (see further information, including International Bodies and Individual States responses) Through the UN Representative of the Secretary-General on the human rights of IDPs and other related groups, increasing work is being done to research the issue of IDPs, to coordinate a global mandate to respond to the situation and to help individual countries to implement the Guiding Principles. (1) The Forced Migration Online guide to Forced Migration (which describes the three main cateogories of displacement as "conflict-, development- and disaster-induced") notes that it is reported that on average, 10 million people a year are displaced by dam projects alone. (2) During the Kosovo conflict, for instance, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia argued there was no need to allow displaced persons to cross a frontier to seek asylum because they were already receiving aid in their own country.(see page 14 in UN fact sheet - pdf format) (3)(see press release) Versión en español print    send   correct  ADD YOUR COMMENT >>  Groups working on the issue  Official Documents  Resources  Articles and publications on the issue  Country specific reports   News Up-to-date current affairs information. Mon May 08 2006 Colombia: Internally displaced people face elections with few options Fuente: Amnesty International Mon May 08 2006 Homeless But Not Stateless, Living in Limbo Fuente: IPS Wed Mar 15 2006 Internal displacement in Southern Africa Fuente: SARPN In-depth reports Detailed reports on key issues Migrations Migratory movements have become more intense, and with them old and new human rights problems gain greater relevance. Israeli-Palestinian conflict More than fifty years on, a problem still awaiting a solution.      Groups working on the issue Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) At the request of the United Nations, the Geneva-based IDMC monitors conflict-induced internal displacement worldwide and runs an online database providing comprehensive information and analysis on internal displacement in some 50 countries. The Centre advocates for durable solutions to the plight of the internally displaced in line with international standards. The IDMC also carries out training activities to enhance the capacity of local actors to respond to the needs of internally displaced people (IDPs). Inter-Agency Internal Displacement Division (IDD) for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Established in July 2004, the principal objective of the Division is to promote system wide improvements in the response to the needs of the IDPs as well as to provide targeted support to specific country situations. Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement The Project on Internal Displacement was created to promote a more effective national, regional and international response to the issue globally and to support the work of the Representative of the UN Secretary-General in carrying out the responsibilities of his mandate. The Refugess Studies Centre Established as part of the University of Oxford's Centre for Development Studies, the Centre produces the publication Forced Migration Review Africa IDP Voice A Zambian-based NGO working to promote and protect human rights of IDPs through state accountability where IDP rights are upheld. The Karen Human Rights Group A small and independent group documenting the human rights situation of people in rural Burma. The group works directly with people in their villages, the internally displaced, and newly arrived refugees in neighbouring countries in order to present a firsthand view of what daily life is like under the State Peace & Development Council (SPDC) military junta. Consultoria para los Derechos Humanos y el Desplazamiento Colombian-based group which works amongst other issues on helping the internally displaced in the country. (Site in Spanish) Habitat International Coalition Part of the coalition's work focuses on the rights of Refugees and Internally Displaced People    Official Documents Guiding Principles 13-page booklet outlining 30 principles, in line with international human rights and humanitarian law, for governments and humanitarian organizations to help the displaced. Updated Sep 2004 (pdf format) Documents of the Representative of the Secretary-General on IDPs Source: OHCHR Links to resolutions, reports and decisions. Report of the Representative of the Secretary-General on the human rights of IDPs Source: Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement Walter Kälin Report of the Representative of the Secretary-General on IDPs on the first full year of his mandate. The report considers his dialogue with Governments over the last year, efforts to mainstream the human rights of internally displaced persons into all parts of the United Nations system and his promotion of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. Jan 2006 (pdf format) Global Overview of Trends and Developments in 2005 Source: Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre Outlines global trends and developments in the situation of internally displaced persons in 50 countries, as well as thematic and regional overviews. March 2006 (pdf format) Internally Displaced Persons: Questions and Answers Source: UNHCR An introduction into the issue of IDPs prepared by the UNHCR. September 2005 (pdf format)    Resources FMO Research Guide on Internal displacement Source: Forced Migration Online Cathrine Brun Comprehensive guide to the main debates regarding IDPs, concentrating on conflict-induced internal displacement. While the guide aims to summarise the challenge of internal displacement at a policy level, it also tries to address its social consequences, exploring the realities of many internally displaced persons (IDPs), as well as addressing the issue of whether "IDP" is a useful or harmful label. October 2005 Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement The site has a collection of papers, analysis and commentary on the subject of internal displacement. Guide to Forced Migration Resources On The Web Source: Forced Migration Online Includes resources on IDPs. June 2005 FMO Web Catalogue A searchable database where articles relating to IDPs can be found. See also the FMO Digital Library, a tool to find links (with descriptions) to forced migration information resources on the Internet. Witness An online resource site presenting videos to download which highlight human rights abuses. The site has videos relating to IDPs, such as Burma: Internally Displaced People in Karen State    Articles and publications on the issue Protecting and assisting the internally displaced: the way forward Source: Forced Migration Review Supplement The articles in this journal, available on-line, address issues to do with IDPs at a global level as well as within specific regions of Africa. October 2005 (HTML reader format) IDPs: rights and status Source: Forced Migration Review Mark Vincent Debate about terminology has been heightened by the recent assertion of the US Ambassador to the UN that the term ‘IDP’ is “odious terminology” and that the only distinctions between refugees and IDPs are bureaucratic and legal. August 2000 (pdf format) The Concept of Internal Displacement and the Case for Internally Displaced Persons as a Category of Concern Source: Refugee Survey Quarterly Erin Mooney This paper addresses the issue of whether persons displaced by natural disasters or development projects should be included in global statistics, warning against the "erroneous assertions that those displaced as a result of development projects are excluded from the Guiding Principles". 2005 Palestinian Internally Displaced Persons Inside Israel: Challenging the Solid Structures Source: Badil Nihad Boqae'e Internally displaced Palestinians inside Israel are one of the unlucky categories of the Palestinian refugees as far as registration of status is concerned. The state of Israel has never recognized the IDPs as a separate sector of the population, nor has Israel recognized their status as 'refugees' or 'IDPs'. Unlike the majority of Palestinian refugees who are registered with UNRWA, there is no registration system for internally displaced Palestinians. Feb 2003 (pdf format) See also: International Law and Durable Solutions for IDPs, March 2003 (pdf format) Internal Displacement: A Global Overview of Trends and Developments in 2005 Source: Internal Displacment Monitoring Centre Yearly report on major global, regional and thematic developments in the field of internal displacement. March 2006 (pdf format, 3 Mb) Dalit women: less than half a voice Source: IndiaTogether R Uma Maheswari Of the population that would be dispossessed or displaced by the Indira Sagar dam on the Godavari river at Polavaram in Andhra Pradesh, the percentage of women far outnumbers that of men. Despite the high proportion of women among those affected, there exists virtually no voice that is representing women's views, whether for or against the project, in all the talk of displacement at Polavaram so far. September 2006. Refugees and displaced people in Africa Source: Pambazuka Hakima Abbas Bahame Tom Mukirya Nyanduga, commissioner responsible for upholding the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ rights talks to Hakima Abbas about Africa’s commitment to protecting refugees and his belief that democratic states that tolerate diversity do not experience the conflict that generates the displacement of their citizens. "States must respect the rights of their citizens and their obligations to protect them. Where a refugee or Internally Displaced Persons situation arises as a result of conflict, the country’s political leadership must seek peaceful solutions rather than embark on military strategies. Experience in many conflicts in Africa, such as in Burundi, DRC, Liberia, Mozambique, Sierra Leone and Southern Sudan to mention but a few, shows that military solutions do not succeed. The peace and stability we have seen in these countries is because they have been underpinned by peace agreements rather than outright military victories". November 2007.    Country specific reports Zimbabwe: Evicted and forsaken Source: SARPN Following the Zimbabwean government's evictions campaign, this report presents the findings from HRW´s investigations in the country. It documents the Zimbabwean government's denial of assistance and protection to hundreds of thousands of the internally displaced and further examines the role of international agencies, and in particular the U.N. country team, in addressing the humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe. Dec 2005 (pdf format) Colombia's Displaced - A Continuous Cycle of Suffering Source: ZNet Displaced communities in Colombia are fleeing their original land only to encounter more intimidation, lack of running water and food and schooling fees that parents cannot afford to pay. The government still continues to provide little, if any, assistance. March 2006 Forced Displacement and Women as Heads of Displaced Households in Colombia Source: Colombia Journal Online Paula Andrea Rossiasco This report seeks to present a diagnostic of the current situation of the displaced population: the causes of displacement, the municipalities from which populations have been expelled, those that receive displaced people, and the demographic structure of the population affected by this phenomena. It also attempts to determine the gender of the head of displaced households, as well as the socio-economic conditions encountered by women who head these families. June 2003 Desperate problems of the internally displaced in Sri Lanka Source: COHRE Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena This article describes the problems faced by the displaced in conflict zones as well as tsunami affected areas in Sri Lanka. April 2006 (pdf format) Massive internal displacements in Kenya Source: FIDH Forced internal displacements are an acute and sensitive issue in Kenya. According to the more recent statistics provided by United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, there are around 380,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Kenya. This places the country at the 7th rank in Africa in terms of numbers of IDPs. May 2007.

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