Outcomes and commitments on internal displacement of the World Humanitarian Summit

The present report is submitted to the General Assembly by the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Chaloka Beyani, pursuant to General Assembly resolution 70/165.

Section II provides an overview of the activities of the Special Rapporteur, section III considers internal displacement in the context of the World Humanitarian Summit and its outcomes, section IV discusses key elements to prevent and reduce internal displacement and section V provides a series of conclusions and recommendations.

In June 2016, the Special Rapporteur submitted his final annual report (A/HRC/32/35) to the Human Rights Council providing a review of his activities and a consideration of major challenges and emerging issues in the field of internal displacement. His recommendations were welcomed by the Council in its resolution 32/11, which renewed the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for a further three years. Below he provides a summary of his activities over the reporting period.

The Special Rapporteur undertook an official visit to Honduras (A/HRC/32/35/Add.4) from 23 to 27 November 2015. He found that internal displacement caused by criminal gangs, known as maras, is an invisible epidemic affecting whole communities with families forced or compelled to abandon their homes. With few protection measures in Honduras, internally displaced persons may join irregular migrant routes and face exploitation from human traffickers and smugglers. They often face expedited deportation that does not take account of genuine protection concerns. The Government must strengthen legal, policy and institutional frameworks and take action to tackle the root causes of displacement, as well as provide protection and durable solutions for displaced persons. The Government undertook to draft a law on internal displacement during 2016.

At the time of submission of the present report, the Special Rapporteur was seeking to conduct official visits to Nigeria and Colombia to consult those Governments and other stakeholders on the situation of internally displaced persons and progress towards achieving durable solutions for them. He had also confirmed an official visit to Afghanistan to take place in October 2016 to consult on both new and protracted displacement situations. Reports on these visits will be presented to the Human Rights Council at its thirty-fifth session.

The Special Rapporteur conducted working and follow-up visits to numerous countries. He conducted working visits to the African Union in Ethiopia, and to Kenya, South Sudan, Uganda and Zambia between 17 August and 26 September 2015, in order to consult with national authorities, the United Nations and other stakeholders on progress in implementing the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala Convention). In April 2016 he conducted working visits to Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in view of the ongoing and developing displacement situations. In August he undertook a follow-up visit to Honduras and a working visit to El Salvador to consider issues of gang violence and related displacement, and in September he will conduct follow-up visits to Ukraine, Serbia and Kosovo¹ and Georgia.

1. All references to Kosovo in the present document should be understood to be in compliance with Security Council resolution 1244 (1999) and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo. ↩

The Special Rapporteur participated in the dialogue convened by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on protection challenges in Geneva in December 2015; in a regional conference on human rights in the Arab world in Doha in January 2016; in the World Humanitarian Summit in Turkey in May 2016 and in a preparatory meeting for the Summit with African Union member States in Ethiopia in January 2016; in the humanitarian segment of the Economic and Social Council in June 2016; and in a regional event on the theme of a call to action on protection needs, including with respect to forcible displacement, held in Costa Rica in July 2016.

The Special Rapporteur continued his engagement with the African Union to promote ratification and implementation of the Kampala Convention. He urges African States to ratify the Convention. It is of utmost importance to move to an operational phase supported by a conference of States parties, as required under the Convention and which should be established without delay with a mandate to adopt a framework for reporting by States and monitoring of implementation of the Convention. He urges other regional governmental organizations to pursue the adoption of new regional standards on internal displacement.

The 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, notably by participating actively in the Inter-Agency Standing Committee. His participation at the level of principals has helped to ensure and enhance collaborative approaches and strong links with key United Nations agencies, as well as other international organizations and civil society. He commends the Committee for its strong focus on the issue of displacement.

The Special Rapporteur considers that the mandate on human rights of internally displaced persons has created an important voice on and for millions of internally displaced persons globally. The Human Rights Council and the General Assembly, among other bodies, have recognized its catalytic role in raising awareness of the alarmingly high numbers of internally displaced persons, addressing their development and specific needs, including through mainstreaming internal displacement issues into all relevant parts of the United Nations system. In its resolution 70/165, the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to continue to provide the Special Rapporteur, from within existing resources, with all assistance necessary to strengthen and carry out his mandate effectively.

Mr. Beyani considers that a special rapporteur acting in a voluntary, external and independent capacity is no longer adequate to cope with the complexity and scope of global internal displacement today. In his 2016 report to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/32/35), he recommended that consideration be given to establishing a special representative of the Secretary-General on internally displaced persons, with appropriate staff and resources, working within and outside the United Nations and in dialogue with Member States and all stakeholders. This would demonstrate the commitment of the United Nations and the international community to addressing internal displacement effectively.

On 23 and 24 May 2016, the first World Humanitarian Summit was held in Istanbul, Turkey. It brought together some 9,000 participants from 173 Member States, including 55 Heads of State, thousands of representatives from civil society and non-governmental organizations and hundreds of private sector representatives, with the shared objective of better preventing and responding to humanitarian crises.² It was the culmination of a process of consultation, in which the Special Rapporteur was actively engaged,³ and provided a unique platform to share and discuss ideas, practices and solutions. It sought to achieve high-level commitments at the national, regional and international levels to inspire an ongoing process of change and improvement in responses to crises.

2. See the Chair’s summary, entitled “Standing up for humanity: committing to action”, available from https://consultations2.worldhumanitariansummit.org/bitcache/5171492e71696bcf9d 4c571c93dfc6dcd7f361ee?vid=581078&disposition=inline&op=view. ↩
3. The Special Rapporteur participated in regional consultations for West and Central Africa, held in Côte d’Ivoire; the Middle East and North Africa, held in Jordan; and Latin America, held in Guatemala; and in the final consultations in Geneva. ↩

The Summit brought much needed attention to internally displaced persons at a time when their numbers have reached unprecedented levels. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) estimates that there were 40.8 million people internally displaced worldwide as a result of conflict and violence at the end of 2015, an increase of 2.8 million from its 2014 estimate and the highest figure ever recorded.⁴ The grave situation of millions of internally displaced persons requires renewed attention, the rethinking of approaches to prevention, addressing root causes and responses, and concerted action at all levels. To date the challenges are not being adequately met and many of those affected by internal displacement are in dire and often life-threatening situations, often for years on end. The Summit emphasized that this situation must change and challenged all stakeholders to make that change real.

4. Alexandra Bilak and others, “Global report on internal displacement” (Geneva, Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, 2016). Available from www.internal-displacement.org/globalreport2016/. ↩

The Special Rapporteur informed the Summit that internally displaced persons are among the most vulnerable in crisis-affected States and are often at greater risk of harm within their own countries. They often lack adequate shelter or resources, have inadequate assistance, support and protection and may be traumatized by conflict or disaster. Millions reside outside camps in cities or informal settlements, where many are hard to reach or neglected; in short, they are among the world’s most vulnerable people. While much global political and media attention is currently focused on refugee and migrant flows across borders, greater attention and support must be given to protection of persons displaced within their countries of origin. They should not be left behind, in keeping with the theme of the Summit.

The present report considers the important messages and outcomes of the Summit, the core responsibilities addressed and the commitments made to advance protection and assistance to internally displaced persons as well as durable solutions for them. Importantly, the Summit challenged States and the international community to achieve an ambitious target: to reduce internal displacement in a dignified and safe manner by 50 per cent by 2030. The report seeks to provide a resource to help achieve that target through practical steps that should be taken by States, regional bodies, the international community and other stakeholders. It calls for the target to be met in full conformity with international standards, including the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement of 1998 and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Framework on Durable Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons, with legitimate reductions achieved through prevention and the implementation of durable solutions.⁵

5. The present report was drafted before the adoption of the final document of the World Humanitarian Summit and therefore does not reflect the content of that document in its consideration of the issues. ↩

In advance of the Summit, the Secretary-General, in his report entitled “One humanity: shared responsibility” and its annex containing the “Agenda for Humanity” (A/70/709), recognized that the number of internally displaced persons, refugees and asylum seekers has reached nearly 60 million and that “forced displacement is neither a short-term challenge nor primarily a humanitarian one: it is a persistent and complex political and development challenge”. In the light of the unprecedented global challenges, the Special Rapporteur welcomes the Secretary-General’s bold proposal to turn the trend around and begin the essential task of preventing and reducing internal displacement.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals include references to internally displaced persons as falling within the category of “vulnerable groups”. However, this new Summit initiative creates a timely new goal and global commitment specifically addressing internal displacement head on. If achieved, in line with international standards, it has the potential to achieve real and lasting progress towards a solution to internal displacement. The goal recognizes that addressing and reducing internal displacement is also key to addressing and reducing the increasing flows of refugees and asylum seekers across international borders.

The Secretary-General’s Agenda for Humanity lays out innovative and creative approaches: States should invest in political solutions to end the causes of displacement and in the return, integration or resettlement of the displaced; develop national legislation, policies and capacities for the protection of displaced persons and their integration into national social safety nets, education programmes, labour markets and development plans; recognize displaced people as socioeconomic assets rather than “responsibilities” and incentivize the development of local markets and private sector activity; direct appropriate national resources and international financing towards national and local systems that address their needs and those of host communities; ensure that humanitarian and development actors, local authorities and private sector enterprises work collectively, across institutional divides and mandates and in multi-year frameworks, to end aid dependency and promote self-reliance; and adopt and implement regional and national legal and policy frameworks on internal displacement.

These innovative and creative global approaches cannot be achieved through “business as usual”. The Summit challenged the world to undertake a “fundamental shift in our approach to internal displacement … one that goes from meeting immediate humanitarian needs to one that preserves the dignity and improves the lives and self-reliance of displaced persons”. Such new approaches will require humanitarian and development actors to work together differently towards the common goal of reduction of displacement. Equally, national Governments were urged to deliver political will and resolve to address the causes of displacement, including conflict, and to support internally displaced persons into sustainable situations of improved lives and livelihoods.

Putting the most vulnerable people first was a major Summit theme, with the objective of leaving no one behind, which was one of five key responsibilities identified in line with the 2030 Agenda. World leaders and other participants at the Summit agreed to “reach the furthest behind”. It was made clear that this category includes displaced people globally. The Special Rapporteur was one of the high-level leaders at the round table in which core commitments that are directly relevant to internally displaced people were addressed.⁶ These are:
Core commitment 1. Commit to a new approach to addressing forced displacement that not only meets immediate humanitarian needs but reduces vulnerability and improves the resilience, self-reliance and protection of refugees and internally displaced persons. Commit to implementing this new approach through coherent international, regional and national efforts that recognize both the humanitarian and development challenges of displacement. Commit to take the necessary political, policy, legal and financial steps required to address these challenges for the specific context.
Core commitment 2. Commit to promote and support safe, dignified and durable solutions for internally displaced persons and refugees. Commit to do so in a coherent and measurable manner through international, regional and national programmes and by taking the necessary policy, legal and financial steps required for the specific contexts and in order to work towards a target of 50 per cent reduction in internal displacement by 2030.
Core commitment 3. Acknowledge the global public good provided by countries and communities which are hosting large numbers of refugees. Commit to providing communities with large numbers of displaced population or receiving a large number of returnees with the necessary political, policy and financial support to address the humanitarian and socioeconomic impact. To this end, commit to strengthen multilateral financing instruments. Commit to foster host communities’ self-reliance and resilience, as part of the comprehensive and integrated approach outlined in core commitment 1.
Core commitment 5. Commit to actively work to uphold the institution of asylum and the principle of non-refoulement. Commit to support further accession to and strengthened implementation of national, regional and international laws and policy frameworks that ensure and improve the protection of refugees and internally displaced persons, such as the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees, the Kampala Convention and the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement.

6. Core commitment 4 is not reflected here as it relates solely to refugees. ↩

These commitments provide a valuable starting point for renewed and innovative national and international attention to internally displaced persons. To that end, in a statement to the high-level round table the Special Rapporteur addressed each core commitment in turn and proposed concrete recommendations that could be used by the United Nations system to achieve the commitments that are reflected in the different sections and recommendations of the present report.

Several States and organizations made specific commitments on internally displaced persons, notably as follows: the European Union committed to implement its strategic vision on forced displacement, including promoting collaboration between humanitarian and development partners at the outset of crises, to strengthen data collection and analysis and to engage with Governments to ensure the inclusion of displaced persons in national development plans; the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland committed to increase multi-year humanitarian funding to protracted displacement situations; the United States of America committed to increase funding for humanitarian action and to increase financing sustainability in protracted displacement situations; Uganda committed to host a secretariat for the Kampala Convention; Somalia shared its plan to adopt a policy on internally displaced persons, in line with the Convention; the Philippines committed to adopt a national bill on internally displaced persons; and the World Bank vowed to tackle forced displacement as a high priority.

Several countries pledged to prioritize access to education for internally displaced persons (Malta, Portugal). A new education platform (Education Cannot Wait) was launched at the Summit. This platform could serve to mobilize additional funding and galvanize new partners to make sure that internally displaced persons and other vulnerable children have access to education.

The Summit presented to participants five core responsibilities under which concrete commitments should be made: (a) political leadership to prevent and end conflicts; (b) uphold the norms that safeguard humanity; (c) leave no one behind; (d) change people’s lives: from delivering aid to ending need; and (e) invest in humanity. Below, the Special Rapporteur considers each of these responsibilities in the context of the goal to reduce internal displacement.

The nexus between conflict and internal displacement is clear and it is evident that the most important measures that States can take to reduce internal displacement are measures to prevent conflict before it takes place and resolve ongoing conflicts. Numerous global leaders recognized the centrality of political will to effectively prevent and end conflicts, address root causes, reduce fragility and strengthen good governance; yet brutal conflicts continue to break out and fuel massive increases in internal displacement.

The massive displacement figures alone do little to reveal the devastating impact of conflict on civilians, particularly where international humanitarian law and human rights law are violated. Prevention and resolution of conflict are primarily the responsibility of national authorities. While, as recent experience of conflicts demonstrates, not all can be prevented or easily resolved, some conflict and violence can be prevented. It requires political will and leadership, but also concerted and timely action, strategic planning, institutional and governance structures and dedicated resources. With these in place, States can take effective steps in the area of prevention of conflict and internal displacement.

A deeper understanding of the causes of conflict and displacement is required. The Special Rapporteur has highlighted that where a history of violence or conflict exists, perhaps along ethnic or religious lines or due to general or gang violence that has led to population displacements, Governments can take concrete national measures to prevent violent clashes and displacement in the future. Such measures may include specific protection and policing initiatives to safeguard vulnerable communities, anti-discrimination and social integration policies, dialogue and reconciliation initiatives aimed at reducing the possibility of violence breaking out, as well as economic or social policies to remove the triggers of violence that may exist in such issues as poverty, discrimination or inequality.

Carrying out risk assessments to identify communities that may be at risk of conflict and displacement would enable Governments to put in place effective prevention measures or to respond rapidly with contingency planning in place when displacement occurs. Prevention requires the identification of who may be at risk of displacement, where they are, and why, as well as an assessment of what preventive measures are required. In his 2016 report to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/32/35) the Special Rapporteur urged greater understanding of the vulnerability of some disadvantaged and marginalized groups to violence and displacement, including ethnic and religious minorities and indigenous peoples.

Establishing early warning mechanisms for conflict and resulting displacement based on research and indicators can be helpful in predicting and preventing displacement. Indicators may include a history of ethnic, religious or other conflict or violence; significant social inequality between groups; the exclusion (in law or in fact) of some groups from political office, positions of power or employment in state institutions; evidence of discrimination and violent attacks against those belonging to certain groups; and identification of conflict and displacement triggers such as elections, among many others.

Improved political leadership must be reflected in the recognition of national challenges, including internal displacement, and a political resolve to address them comprehensively. In numerous States, including those affected by generalized, gang-related, ethnic or other forms of violence, large-scale internal displacement issues are not fully recognized or addressed. Consequently, legal and policy safeguards and protection and assistance measures are absent and some States avoid their primary responsibility for protecting and assisting internally displaced persons. While some States downplay the extent of displacement, others close sites or camps hosting internally displaced persons without achieving durable solutions. Recognizing internal displacement is a prerequisite to preventing and reducing it, including through durable solutions.

A consistent message of the Summit was that full respect for and implementation of international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law and standards, is vital to the protection of those affected by crises. The Summit provided a strong message that abiding by international laws and standards is an obligation that must be upheld in practice and offers the “last protection against barbarity”. Nevertheless, the targeting of civilians and residential areas, including attacks on camps for internally displaced persons, the besieging of populations and restrictions on civilians seeking safety is frequent in some ongoing conflicts. Displacement could be reduced if international humanitarian law was respected by all parties to armed conflict, in particular the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution and the prohibition on ordering the displacement of the civilian population for reasons related to an armed conflict, unless their security demands it. Improving compliance with international humanitarian law and increasing efforts to protect civilians and limit the harm they can be exposed to is vital to reducing displacement.

Internally displaced persons are frequently subjected to a wide range of violations of their rights. In addition to attacks on civilian areas forcing them to flee their homes, such violations include arbitrary detention, summary or arbitrary execution, disappearance, torture and ill treatment, sexual and gender-based violence, restrictions on freedom of movement and access to safety, and violations of economic and social rights. Greater attention must be given to the protection of internally displaced persons and ensuring that their fundamental rights are protected and their humanitarian needs are met. Access to justice and legal remedy for internally displaced persons is an often neglected concept in humanitarian situations that must come to the fore, recognizing them not only as assistance recipients but rights holders.

The Special Rapporteur urges respect for the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement globally, and the Kampala Convention in Africa. Internally displaced persons retain their human rights and guarantees stipulated in the Guiding Principles even in emergencies or armed conflict, and such rights provide the foundation upon which assistance, protection and durable solutions can be implemented. He was among participants recognizing the wider value of human rights norms prior to as well as during conflict and as a means of preventing violence and conflict. The equal weight given to international human rights law alongside international humanitarian law in the Summit constitutes an important recognition that human rights must be protected and rights-based approaches employed as essential elements of prevention and protection in all phases of humanitarian and development responses.

In the 2005 World Summit Outcome, Heads of State recognized the Guiding Principles as an important international framework for the protection of internally displaced persons. They constitute a vital articulation of minimum standards for States, from prevention of displacement to protection during displacement, and provide guidance on applicable legal principles for protection and assistance, return, resettlement or reintegration. Regional frameworks, including the Kampala Convention, national policies and legal frameworks are also essential to ensuring that international standards are translated into regional and State law. Responses to internal displacement are hampered by the lack of domestic legal and policy frameworks related to internally displaced persons.

The Special Rapporteur is concerned that knowledge of standards relating to the rights of internally displaced persons, including the Guiding Principles and the Framework on Durable Solutions, and their implementation is poor. A new era of capacity-building and operationalizing existing norms is required to increase awareness among national authorities responsible for upholding them and the wider populations who they exist to protect. Respecting and ensuring respect for such norms by non-state armed groups and terrorists is now more important than ever before.

Incorporating the Guiding Principles into regional human rights frameworks remains much needed. African States and the African Union have shown leadership, while much work remains to ensure that the Kampala Convention is ratified by all African States and implemented, including by establishing a conference of States parties. Creating such a mechanism will galvanize action and promote implementation of the Convention. It could develop tools, programmes and resources to allow it to be a regional authority on internal displacement that is able to provide practical assistance to States and foster regional solidarity to confront the challenges, including conflicts, disasters and climate change.

In his report for the World Humanitarian Summit (A/70/709), the Secretary-General stated that such “instruments and policies should be developed and applied in other regions and countries”, making a strong call for further normative development. The Special Rapporteur urges other regional and subregional intergovernmental bodies to commit to processes leading to the adoption of new regional standards on the human rights and protection of internally displaced persons, with monitoring and advisory bodies in place as key regional tools to tackle internal displacement.

In Africa, the evolution of a regional framework for internally displaced persons has helped to clarify the roles and responsibilities of States. The Kampala Convention requires States to incorporate its provisions into domestic law and to designate an authority responsible for coordinating activities aimed at protecting and assisting internally displaced persons and assign responsibilities to appropriate organs, including cooperation with international organizations or agencies. Ratifying States must adopt measures, strategies and policies on internal displacement at the national and local levels, taking into account the needs of host communities. They must provide funds for protection and assistance and incorporate principles of the Convention into peace negotiations and agreements aimed at finding sustainable solutions to internal displacement.

These requirements have resulted in a higher and increasing level of legal, policy and institutional developments in the African region. Numerous countries, including some in Europe, Asia and Latin America, have also adopted or are in the process of drafting national laws and policy documents on internal displacement. This is a positive trend but one which should be greatly enhanced as a measure of preparedness across all States in all regions. National laws and policies provide legal guarantees to internally displaced persons that are essential to the protection of their rights in practice, as well as establishing a legal framework for the allocation of budgets and funds dedicated to their assistance.

The message of leaving no one behind has been at the core of international processes to address deficits in development and humanitarian action, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and now the World Humanitarian Summit. Identifying, reaching and assisting internally displaced persons and other most-vulnerable populations must be the highest priority for the present and future efforts to prevent and respond to humanitarian crises. This commitment demands that States and the international community pay new attention and take new and innovative action to protect those at risk of or experiencing internal displacement.

Internally displaced persons are some of the most vulnerable, having lost their homes, livelihoods, security and social and community networks and support. Many suffer from family separation during flight and trauma and health problems related to displacement and/or conflict or disasters. They may be at risk when they are present in or close to ongoing conflicts or disasters, or having to fend for themselves with little access to humanitarian or development assistance. The majority are outside of camps and difficult to reach. Innovative and creative approaches are needed to integrate their protection and assistance needs into development processes.

It is frequently some of the most marginalized and most vulnerable in societies, including national, ethnic or religious minorities, or indigenous peoples, who are at risk of displacement. Conflict or disaster may create a downwards spiral of vulnerability in which already marginalized populations face displacement which exacerbates their vulnerability and places them into highly perilous situations of insecurity and extreme poverty, usually driving them to informal settlements in urban areas in search of anonymity and livelihoods. Displacement may be combined with discriminatory attitudes or policies, including denial or deprivation of citizenship, and neglect of the primary responsibility for protection as required under international standards.

Particular challenges face some people within internally displaced populations, including older persons, persons with disabilities, unaccompanied minors, or members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender community. Women are made particularly vulnerable by displacement, including to sexual or gender-based violence and other human rights violations, and consequently require specific protection measures. A key protection element is disaggregated data to provide an evidence base to build a profile of internally displaced persons and assess their needs according to their circumstances. Such data is often lacking and this gap reinforces the significance of the work carried out by bodies such as the Joint Internally Displaced Person Profiling Service (JIPS; see www.jips.org/en/home).

The plight of those in protracted displacement is relatively neglected. Failure to resolve protracted displacement accounts in large measure for the increasing populations of internally displaced persons at the global level, as new waves of displacement add to protracted layers of displacement. The longer the duration of displacement, the lower the prospect that durable solutions will be achieved. Equally, internally displaced persons outside camps are often assumed to have found their own solutions (see A/HRC/19/54). Most have not and some have chosen to remain invisible owing to protection concerns. Different methodologies are required, such as helplines and outreach programmes to identify and profile them, assess their needs in the overall context of the hosting communities and address such needs using humanitarian and development approaches. Addressing such internally displaced populations is essential to achieving national goals to solve and reduce internal displacement.

The relationship between humanitarian and development actors has been the subject of perennial discussion. In the Chair’s summary, the Summit recognized that humanitarian needs can no longer be viewed in isolation from broader sustainable development efforts that tackle the root causes of prolonged and recurrent need. The Summit took an important step towards transcending the humanitarian-development divide while reinforcing the importance of respecting humanitarian principles and space. A commitment to action on collaborating in a new way of working⁷ was signed by the Secretary-General and eight United Nations entities and endorsed by the World Bank and the International Organization for Migration.

7. See https://consultations2.worldhumanitariansummit.org/bitcache/50b4cd3ad07469f44235f 8a4c60353dfda17dbb0?vid=581741&disposition=inline&op=view. ↩

The commitment to action emphasizes that new ways of working require using resources and capabilities better, improving Sustainable Development Goal outcomes for people in situations of risk, vulnerability and crisis and shrinking humanitarian needs over the long term. It requires galvanizing new partnerships and collaboration, including the private sector, local actors and multilateral development banks, to provide additional capabilities and resources to achieve collective and measurable outcomes, based on a shared understanding of sustainability, vulnerability and resilience. Operationally, it will require shared data, analysis and information, joined-up planning and programming processes and more effective leadership, as well as new financing modalities to support collective outcomes.7 In this new way of working, internally displaced persons must be taken fully into account by States and international partners in their efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, as examined by the Special Rapporteur in his 2015 report to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/29/34).

The Special Rapporteur has consistently emphasized that transcending the humanitarian-development divide is essential for achieving durable solutions for internally displaced persons. A commitment to reduce internal displacement means a commitment to achieve durable solutions, which goes beyond the capacity of humanitarian actors alone and requires the integration of development actors at the outset of internal displacement. This will require increasing the understanding of what durable solutions are in practice and the complex process that is required to achieve them, as laid out in the Framework for Durable Solutions.⁸

8. The Brookings Institution-University of Bern Project on Internal Displacement, “Inter-Agency Standing Committee Framework on Durable Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons” (Washington, D.C., 2010). Available from www.unhcr.org/50f94cd49.pdf. ↩

The Framework states that “a durable solution is achieved when internally displaced persons no longer have specific assistance and protection needs that are linked to their displacement and can enjoy their human rights without discrimination resulting from their displacement”. It outlines three routes to durable solutions (sustainable reintegration, local integration or integration in another part of the country) and provides a starting point for analysis, advocacy and programming. Eight criteria determine the extent to which a durable solution has been achieved: safety and security; adequate standard of living; access to livelihoods; restoration of housing, land and property; access to documentation; family reunification; participation in public affairs; and access to effective remedies and justice.

A key objective of the Special Rapporteur is to ensure universal adherence to such standards. He is currently working with JIPS on a project to establish indicators or benchmarks to guide States and all stakeholders on measuring progress towards durable solutions when implementing the Framework.

Some poor practices have been evident and may constitute or lead to violations of the rights of internally displaced persons. Such policies include the closing of camps and collective shelters without meeting international standards for the closure of camps or settlements or carrying out the necessary processes and safeguards for internally displaced persons, let alone ensuring durable solutions, and the payment of cash grants, which are often a transitory measure aimed at improving the well-being of internally displaced persons and yet are sometimes mistaken for durable solutions. Forced or unsustainable return not in safety or dignity, do not constitute durable solutions and must not be considered by States or the international community as constituting progress towards reducing internal displacement.

While displacement frequently happens rapidly, achieving durable solutions requires a much slower and often complex process, challenging the expertise, resources and capacity of the State. Reconstructing homes and infrastructure, re-establishing livelihoods, entire communities and institutions, and ensuring justice and psychological healing takes time, focused effort and resources. Protecting internally displaced persons and supporting solutions requires leadership, commitment and consultation with and participation of the internally displaced themselves. It requires improving self-reliance and integrating internally displaced persons into national safety nets, education programmes, labour markets and development plans, building on local capacity and knowledge.

Positive developments relating to durable solutions exist and should be developed, among them the Secretary-General’s Policy Committee decision on durable solutions for internally displaced persons and returning refugees (2011), which recognized the enormous gap in response for these groups in the aftermath of conflict. Some States such as Côte d’Ivoire and Mali have developed durable solution strategies. The Solutions Alliance (see www.solutionsalliance.org) was established in 2014 and brings Governments and humanitarian and development partners together to solve concrete problems. The work of JIPS helps to develop a nationally owned evidence-base for operational decision-making and IDMC enhances relevant analysis at the global level, while the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank and multiple donors have committed to address internal displacement as a development issue, and not just a humanitarian one.

At the Summit, States, United Nations agencies, international and local organizations and the private sector committed to strengthen laws and policies to protect internally displaced persons and to support solutions to displacement. The World Bank and development actors also committed to engage earlier to support the self-reliance of internally displaced persons and host communities. Indeed, better integration of humanitarian and development efforts at the onset of displacement is essential to building resilience and self-reliance, both of which are key elements that can lead to durable solutions within a rights-based approach.2

The Summit reinforced the crucial role of financing as the key enabling and catalytic factor towards meeting and reducing needs relating to internally displaced persons. Significantly enhanced resources are required to meet the challenge of reducing internal displacement. The Special Rapporteur has consistently encountered challenges to assistance and protection for internally displaced persons and to making progress towards durable solutions directly linked to funding shortfalls and too-short funding cycles that restrict the potential for longer-term planning and programmes. Without significant changes to the funding system the resolution of displacement will be severely hampered in practice.

There remains a vital need to increase direct, timely and predictable humanitarian financing across protection and related humanitarian sectors, including food, health, basic needs, water and sanitation. Funding must also be enhanced for neglected sectors, including livelihoods, social cohesion and early recovery. In the Syrian Arab Republic and Iraq significant funding shortfalls have reduced the ability of the United Nations to provide essential assistance, leaving internally displaced persons and others in dire need. As at 6 December, the 2015 Syrian Arab Republic humanitarian response plan had received only $1.17 billion (41 per cent) of overall funding requirements. The United Nations has raised its 2016 global humanitarian funding appeal to a record $21.6 billion from $19.7 billion.⁹ By the end of June, the 2016 appeal had so far received only a quarter of the total amount requested.¹⁰

9. According to an analysis group, Development Initiatives, the amount requested through United Nations appeals in 2015 was $19.8 billion, a slight drop from the previous year, but contributions fell by considerably more, leaving an unprecedented shortfall of 45 per cent ($8.9 billion). ↩
10. Humanosphere, “United Nations increase 2016 humanitarian appeal to record $21.6 billion”, 29 June 2016, available from www.humanosphere.org/basics/2016/06/u-n-increases-2016-humanitarian-appeal-to-record-21-6-billion/. ↩

New financing modalities are needed to support the Summit’s vision of new ways of working and to ensure that funding is available for emergency humanitarian response, development work, and for the earliest transition into the recovery without time lags. An important Summit outcome was a commitment to a “grand bargain” to promote and increase predictable, multi-year, unearmarked, collaborative and flexible humanitarian funding towards greater efficiency, effectiveness, transparency and accountability of humanitarian action. It seeks to ensure that more funds reach national and local partners who are well placed to work with local communities, and that more donor money reaches those most in need. This has importance for the optimum utilization of funds, potentially allowing more flexibility for cash transfers and recovery programmes.

The primary responsibility of the State to protect and assist internally displaced persons extends to funding. While some States are among the poorest and require significant international support, others are middle income and must allocate appropriate resources from national budgets to meet their needs. The international humanitarian and development community should not be long-term primary deliverers in situations where the State can step up and bear the cost of its own responses. This helps to ensure that international support is targeted where it is needed and strengthens the capacity of the State to respond to ongoing and future displacement situations.

Resource constraints must not be used to justify lack of progress towards durable solutions. The Special Rapporteur has urged affected State Governments to establish budgetary allocations and legally guarantee domestic funds that can be allocated to the challenges of displacement over the long-term and until durable solutions are achieved. In Azerbaijan he welcomed a guaranteed allocation of oil revenues for support to internally displaced persons and he recommended that other States, including Iraq, consider similar policies. In the Philippines, local government units must allocate 5 per cent of their internal revenue allotment to “calamity funds” from which funds can be drawn for relief and recovery programmes.

The following sections set out some key actions and principles that the Special Rapporteur considers to be essential to meeting the goal of reducing internal displacement.

Good governance is an essential element of national efforts to prevent and reduce internal displacement. The Guiding Principles underline the obligations of States to take preventive measures to avoid displacement. However, States often lack adequate governance structures to prevent, prepare for and mitigate against the consequences of internal displacement before the onset of a displacement crisis. All States, particularly those at risk of, or experiencing, internal displacement should establish effective and accountable governance structures to respond to all phases of internal displacement. The need to improve disaster risk governance, for example, has been recognized, including in the context of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, as disasters can affect any State.

In his 2015 report to the General Assembly (A/70/334), the Special Rapporteur provided recommendations on the governance and management of internal displacement, from prevention to durable solutions. Key among them is to put in place institutional frameworks at the earliest possible time. This is particularly important for maintaining national readiness and ongoing cross-sectoral attention to internal displacement. He suggested the designation of a high-level institutional focal point to lead in coordinating national policy on and responses to all forms of displacement. A focal point has to be a high-level mechanism exercising authority over dedicated line ministries, departments, agencies and other expert bodies.

Composed of representatives of different ministries, such a mechanism could coordinate the national responsibility for internally displaced persons over each line agency or ministry and be responsible for maintaining common roles and differentiated responsibilities across government bodies and other stakeholders. Such a mechanism helps to ensure holistic responses that recognize, for example, the important relationship between housing, employment and livelihood and service provision, as well as education, health, reproductive health care for women and the need to ensure protection at every phase of internal displacement.

Key elements of good governance include establishing monitoring mechanisms and early warning systems for conflict and disaster-induced displacement, maintaining disaster risk reduction and management systems, and the implementation of mitigation and preparedness measures. It is imperative to provide essential training to local and subnational authorities, who are often first responders, including about international standards and their obligations towards internally displaced persons. What must be clearly understood is the long-term need for governance and dedicated attention to internally displaced persons until durable solutions are achieved. Such mechanisms exist, for example in Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Serbia. The United Nations and international partners should provide technical cooperation and capacity-building, including training of bodies in charge of coordination.

To prevent and improve responses to internal displacement, it is imperative to have comprehensive and reliable information upon which to base both humanitarian and development interventions. This includes baseline data from which to make informed decisions, measure progress, create data tracking and monitoring mechanisms, and comprehensive trends analysis. Reliable data and evidence are a precondition for good policy and programming and are vital for strengthening coordination and collaboration between different actors. Many States lack accurate information about the number, profile and needs of internally displaced persons. Globally, the available figures on displacement do not reveal the full picture. As IDMC points out, current global estimates indicate only the scale of displacement caused by conflict and yearly estimates of disaster-induced displacement. Serious gaps exist in data on those displaced by disasters. Slow-onset disasters, development projects and generalized violence constitute significant data blind spots.

The lack of reliable and comprehensive data on internal displacement hampers the ability to respond effectively and put in place immediate and longer-term measures to reduce displacement. Detailed profiling of situations of internally displaced persons is needed to ensure that information goes beyond simple numbers and basic needs to include population data disaggregated by sex, age, location and diversity, particular protection or other concerns, coping mechanisms and capacities within internally displaced populations as well as knowledge about host communities they live with and affect. Gathering data on those outside camps has proven difficult and there is a need to find creative solutions to ensure that they do not fall through protection and support nets, including by exploring new technology.

Where States lack the capacity for data gathering and analysis they should collaborate with expert international partners. Among important data initiatives, the Special Rapporteur highlights JIPS, an inter-agency service helping Governments, humanitarian and development agencies to acquire, maintain and update reliable data and analysis on internal displacement situations, including disaggregated population data. The Service recognizes that informed solutions must be based on a more complete data picture of internally displaced persons. In Honduras, a Government-led profiling exercise supported by JIPS helped to build an evidence base and inform policy development on internal displacement providing a good example that could be replicated.

At the Summit, Member States committed to improve practices around data collection, analysis and early warning, including the establishment of a global risk platform. The Secretary-General committed to making all United Nations plans and programmes risk informed. On behalf of seven multilateral development banks, the World Bank and the European Investment Bank committed to close collaboration in order to generate more evidence and data to guide solutions in fragile States with an objective of promoting economic resilience.

While there is general agreement on the need to engage and involve development actors in displacement responses at an earlier stage, this must be informed by data and analysis to best identify where, when and how development actors should intervene to best effect. Improving “development-relevant” data and analysis on displacement will help to justify or trigger a more “displacement-sensitive” development approach in affected countries.¹¹ While it remains difficult to generate an analysis that serves the information needs of all actors and to reach agreement on evidence-based priorities for response through genuinely collaborative efforts, this has been achieved in several contexts including integrating displacement issues into national development plans. A recent profiling exercise in Mogadishu, supported by JIPS, is a good example of this.

11. Chaloka Beyani, Natalia Krynsky Baal and Martina Caterina, “Conceptual challenges and practical solutions in situations of internal displacement”, Forced Migration, vol. 52 (May 2016). Available from www.fmreview.org/solutions/beyani-baal-caterina.html. ↩

New approaches need to engage displaced persons as partners and not simply beneficiaries. These approaches should achieve better consultation with and the participation of displaced communities as part of a broader process of assessment and informed response, including in the application of durable solutions. This helps to ensure the human agency of internally displaced persons as those with the greatest understanding of the community’s needs and vulnerabilities, but also its wishes, expectations, skills and resilience capacity. Assessments of needs should go hand in hand with assessment of potential, including the capacity to lead or benefit from resilience, recovery and livelihood initiatives.

Internally displaced persons must have a greater say and role in shaping the nature of assistance and support that they receive and the solutions targeted at them. The Special Rapporteur has found that the common message from internally displaced persons is that they are deprived of their dignity, have little hope and feel that nobody is listening to them, let alone consulting them. Meaningful consultation and participation of internally displaced persons guarantee the durability and legitimacy of solutions and help to re-establish dignity and hope. The voices and views of displaced women, older persons, youth and those with disabilities for example, must be given equal weight to ensure that solutions are appropriate and meet the needs of all.

The skills and abilities that exist within displacement-affected communities should be better utilized and developed. Recognizing internally displaced persons as economic agents offers new possibilities to employ the talent and capacity that exists within internally displaced populations as an essential component of the transition towards durable solutions. Assessment of their capacity for recovery is also key to engaging development partners based on evidence and data that demonstrates the potential to move beyond the emergency assistance phase.

Strengthening the resources and capacity of national non-governmental organizations, community and faith-based organizations and others, including volunteer groups, helps to ensure that local partners are closely involved in achieving local- and area-based solutions. As stated by the Secretary-General “We must become better at supporting and strengthening national and local capacities rather than replacing them” (see A/70/709, para. 170). Not only is this valuable in the short-term, it helps to build national capacity to respond to long-term displacement challenges.

As the Special Rapporteur highlighted in his report on his country visit to the Syrian Arab Republic (see A/HRC/32/35/Add.2), UNDP focused on building the resilience of the affected population in the Syrian Arab Republic to stabilize livelihoods and strengthen capacities to cope with the shocks and negative impacts of the crisis.¹² In 2014, UNDP scaled up its early recovery and resilience interventions targeting 14 governorates. By March 2015, it was implementing over 100 recovery, resilience and livelihood projects, many in close collaboration with local partners.

12. See United Nations Development Programme, “365 days of resilience in Syria”, 2014, available from www.sy.undp.org/content/syria/en/home/library/poverty/365-days-of-resilience-in-syria.html. ↩

National responses to internal displacement are often not integrated into national action or development plans. They are often ad hoc and conducted without clear time frames or long-term strategies or budgets in place. Attention may wane over time, resources may diminish and initial plans are revised or go unimplemented. In some cases displacement becomes protracted and transitional solutions become permanent. The political will and programme momentum may dissipate or disappear leaving internally displaced persons abandoned. Maintaining attention and resources through to the completion of durable solutions would benefit greatly from the establishment of national action plans under the framework of the Summit goal to reduce internal displacement by 2030.

This target must be considered as a concrete commitment to action on a level with commitments and targets established under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. States affected by or facing the threat of internal displacement should consider strategic national action plans to resolve displacement, with clear time frames and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms in place, and with focused attention to achieve durable solutions. This should be done nationally and for each displacement scenario in view of the specificities of each situation and in full consultation with internally displaced persons.

Action plans should be drawn up in collaboration with national partner institutions and international humanitarian, development and donor partners. Consultation, verification and approval processes should be established and budgets developed to cover immediate responses and medium and longer-term requirements for durable solutions. Where appropriate, States could seek donor funds to support implementation of national action plans. Donor Governments and international partners are urged to consider specific donor relationships with States based on action plans and an established process with monitoring and accountability mechanisms.

Models for cooperation between national and international partners include those established previously in the context of the Millennium Development Goals. The Millennium Development Goal country reports and poverty reduction strategy papers, which States develop in cooperation with UNDP, have proved to be valuable tools and modalities. Similar advisory, technical assistance and operational partnerships between States and international partners could be envisaged for national internal displacement action plans. Engagement with international partners would help States to articulate and refine national strategies and programmes addressing prevention and specific displacement scenarios.

Action plans should involve a process of consultation, research and profiling, the findings of which could inform detailed assessments and strategic planning. They should be in full conformity with the Framework on Durable Solutions and constitute an application of this Framework to real displacement challenges. Action plans should cover all displacement (new and protracted), including that caused by conflict, disaster, development and generalized violence.

A programme and time frame for implementation, evaluation and monitoring should be developed and targets and indicators established towards which progress can be assessed. Action plans should be complementary to and function in harmony with national commitments under other international processes, including mechanisms and action processes in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Establishing targets and indicators is essential to meeting the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals for States and the international community. Establishing targets and indicators to monitor progress on solving internal displacement will also be vital to achieving reduction. Global targets and indicators should be established to help inform and guide the development of national level targets and indicators specifically tailored to national and local situations. Key to these efforts is accurate and consistent data.

The Special Rapporteur, in collaboration with JIPS, has initiated a project on “Informing responses to support durable solutions for internally displaced persons”¹³ to promote the implementation of the Framework on Durable Solutions.8 The project’s objectives are to develop a library of tested indicators, methodologies and tools to measure progress towards durable solutions in displacement situations, and provide guidance and capacity-building material for Governments and humanitarian and development actors. It aims to support Governments and humanitarian and development actors to pursue evidence-based joint responses through transforming the Framework into field appropriate tools.

13. See www.jips.org/en/profiling/durable-solutions. ↩

The Summit commitment to establish an annual update to review progress in taking forward and implementing its commitments will be an essential means to monitor progress in the reduction of internal displacement through durable solutions, as well as helping to maintain momentum on key objectives and commitments. A commitment to action platforms will be established and made publicly accessible, allowing alignments and individual and joint commitments made at the Summit to be reflected and participants to be held accountable for the commitments they have made.

The message “one humanity: shared responsibility” is one that resonated throughout the Summit process and urges greater solidarity to better prevent and respond to humanitarian crises. This can be achieved through greater commitments from more countries to make resources available for long-term humanitarian financing to help to integrate humanitarian and development approaches for solving internal displacement. However, shared responsibility must go beyond funding alone if it is to truly fulfil the vision of solidarity between and across countries.

In the area of disaster risk reduction, mitigation and response, much scope and many opportunities for further international cooperation and solidarity in prevention and preparedness exists and should be developed. As has been demonstrated in disaster contexts, such as Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines and the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, numerous countries rapidly respond with funds, personnel and equipment when disaster strikes. Expanding the scope and nature of this collaboration and assistance beyond the immediate aftermath of disaster to prevention, preparedness and longer-term recovery should be part of a new global compact. Shared responsibility and solidarity to better find and implement solutions to disaster-related displacement should mean opening the doors to shared technology use and technical assistance between States in a spirit of international cooperation.

This means increasing international focus and cooperation on risk reduction and resilience based on the 2015 Sendai Framework and the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. The Summit addressed displacement in the context of disasters and climate change and participants called for the development of an international mechanism and legal framework for the protection of those displaced by the adverse impacts of climate change. The 2010 Cancun Agreements recognized climate-induced displacement, and the Special Rapporteur examined this in his report to the General Assembly in 2011 (A/66/285). Disaster-related internal displacement is closely linked with disaster-related cross-border displacement. He welcomes the Agenda for the Protection of Cross-Border Displaced Persons in the Context of Disasters and Climate Change endorsed by 110 countries in 2015 under the Nansen Initiative.

For some countries, expertise in dealing with displacement is lacking and must be quickly developed. Benefiting from technical assistance and the experience of countries that have gone through displacement encourages good practice and sharing of experiences. Establishing a central repository of guidelines, tools and best practices would assist States and could be developed to also function as a platform for dialogue between States and different international actors. In this respect, the Solutions Alliance, established in 2014, may provide a useful platform and resource. It works to support responses to forced displacement through collaborative approaches among States and humanitarian and development actors, among others, and to enable the transition of displaced persons away from dependency on aid towards increased resilience, self-reliance and development.

The Summit gave much needed and timely attention to internal displacement. It set States and the international community an important commitment: to reduce internal displacement by half by 2030 in a safe and dignified manner. To achieve this, innovative and creative approaches, bold initiatives and new and enhanced partnerships and collaborations are required. Foremost, it requires political will and leadership to prevent and resolve conflicts that are a major global driver of forced displacement. Reducing displacement requires a new model of national and international action that is predictive rather than reactive and is focused on early warning, preparedness, mitigation and adaptation.

The task will not be achieved through business as usual. It must be achieved without shortcuts, using evidence-based approaches, informed and accurate disaggregated data and best practices consistent with respecting and ensuring respect for the human rights of internally displaced persons. It requires a commitment to preventing new displacement and to neutralizing the triggers and drivers of displacement, as well as achieving durable solutions and putting in place the necessary processes and resources. Closely monitoring State practice to ensure that reductions in displacement are fully compliant with international standards will be essential.

While the onus is on States as the bearers of the primary responsibility to prevent and resolve crises and displacement, the message of “one humanity: shared responsibility” underpinned the Summit. Internal displacement must be understood as a global phenomenon with national, regional and international implications that should engage us all in new prevention strategies and in finding appropriate and durable solutions for those already displaced. Without protection, dignity and safety within their countries, today’s internally displaced persons become tomorrow’s refugees in search of safety, protection and assistance. To deal with this nexus and continuum, forging a new era of international solidarity to prevent, where possible, and to respond effectively to crises and their root causes is essential.

Delivering better means learning the lessons and continuing to do what is done well while improving on it. It means being more strategic and collaborative, and working differently towards shared goals. Transcending the humanitarian-development divide will allow integrated action that invests in building self-reliance and resilience from the outset. To reduce displacement as a result of climate change, sudden and slow-onset disasters and conflict, we must act now and establish effective safeguards and benchmarks that will avoid future lost generations of displaced. No one should be left behind and the World Humanitarian Summit has taken important steps, but its commitments and promise must be realized in practice.

The Special Rapporteur recommends that States:
(a) Invest in peace and peacebuilding efforts, taking necessary steps to prevent and resolve conflicts and remove the conditions and triggers for conflict as part of their good governance, human rights and development obligations. Addressing factors including inequality, discrimination, poverty, injustice and corruption, are essential factors to prevent and reduce displacement;
(b) Comply fully with international humanitarian law and human rights law and respect the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. States affected by or at risk of internal displacement should adopt legislation and policy on internal displacement in line with international and regional law and standards;
(c) Ensure that governance and institutional frameworks on internal displacement are in place with the necessary budgets to implement strategic national action plans. Affected States should consider allocating a guaranteed percentage of national revenues to displacement and disaster preparedness, early warning, mitigation and response;
(d) Publicly undertake to meet the commitment to resolving and reducing internal displacement and develop national durable solutions and action plans in partnership with national and international partners with long-term financial allocations guaranteed;
(e) Establish baseline, evidence-based approaches to internal displacement based on disaggregated data, in collaboration with national and international partners, that provides a detailed national picture of internally displaced persons and their protection needs, as well as a comprehensive profile of situations and host communities;
(f) Based on international standards and the establishment of national targets and indicators, set time-bound and monitored objectives for the reduction of internal displacement in keeping with the Sustainable Development Goals, with particular attention given to situations of protracted displacement;
(g) Reduce the risk of new and secondary displacement by addressing the root causes of displacement as a high priority, including by taking conflict prevention measures and measures to mitigate against the impact of disasters;
(h) Undertake displacement risk assessments and establish early warning mechanisms to enable States to better predict, prepare and respond to disasters, conflict and all potential displacement situations;
(i) Give a high priority to finding solutions to protracted displacement, in consultation with internally displaced persons. Durable solutions must be approached on a humanitarian-development basis. Where return is not possible or desired, local integration or resettlement should be given due consideration;
(j) Support and fund national and local organizations, non-governmental organizations and community and faith-based organizations to increase their capacity to intervene in all phases of displacement and as key partners in programmes aimed at building self-reliance and resilience and achieving durable solutions;
(k) Identify and take steps to secure durable solutions for internally displaced persons with greater emphasis on those outside camps, and establish policy and programme measures aimed at integrating internally displaced persons into area-based development programmes for host populations;
(l) Invite the Special Rapporteur to visit officially as part of their national displacement prevention, resolution and durable solutions strategies.

The Special Rapporteur makes the following recommendations to regional intergovernmental bodies:
(a) The African Union should facilitate a conference of States parties to the Kampala Convention as a vital means to promote its implementation across African States. Member States should commit to reduce internal displacement by at least 50 per cent by 2030 for the African region;
(b) Other regional intergovernmental bodies should take the measures necessary to incorporate the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement into regional standards as part of their commitments to the outcomes of the World Humanitarian Summit. Regional mechanisms should develop legal frameworks and practical tools to assist States in their responses to internal displacement.

The Special Rapporteur recommends that the United Nations:
(a) Strengthen its capacity to address specific protection and assistance needs of internally displaced persons, linked to durable solutions, at the onset of displacement. This requires adopting a new approach to internal displacement, through joint development-humanitarian assessments, analysis and multi-year planning and programming and flexible additional multi-year financing to build self-reliance, resilience and the integration of internally displaced persons into local area-based development approaches;
(b) Make advances in generating better evidence and profiling of internal displacement situations and support durable-solution strategies for internally displaced persons in protracted displacement;
(c) Enhance collaboration with local authorities, civil society and the private sector, to support inclusive development strategies and improve the well-being of both internally displaced persons and host communities, including in urban settings;
(d) Support the strengthening of policy and legal frameworks to protect and foster inclusion of internally displaced persons, and work closely with the African Union and its members to promote ratification and implementation of the Kampala Convention. The United Nations should strengthen its technical capacity-building services to provide expertise to States and regional bodies in developing national laws, policies and strategies in line with the Guiding Principles;
(e) A special representative of the Secretary-General on internally displaced persons should be appointed, with appropriate staff and resources, working within and outside the United Nations and in dialogue with Member States and all stakeholders. This would strengthen the capacity of the United Nations by establishing a standing office and demonstrate its commitment and that of the international community to addressing internal displacement effectively;
(f) Monitor State practice and progress to ensure that reductions in internal displacement are achieved in compliance with international law and standards.

Donor countries should enhance their humanitarian and development funding and review their support in line with the “grand bargain” in order to provide flexible, multi-year, predictable and sustainable funding.