IASC, The Protection Survey, 2003

In 1999 the IASC adopted a policy paper on the protection of internally displaced persons (IDPs), through which the heads of UN agencies acknowledged that the protection of internally displaced persons “must be of concern to all humanitarian/development agencies”. The policy paper was described as part of a growing effort by international organisations “to address more proactively the needs of internally displaced persons, to assess and analyse those needs, and to act when the rights of the internally displaced are being violated.” The survey illustrates to what extent the UN agencies have addressed the problem of providing effective and meaningful protection to the displaced. It also examines through a series of country missions the way in which country teams and other relevant actors work to support states in discharging their primary responsibility for the protection of internally displaced persons or, in some cases, directly provide protection themselves.

The survey consists of three parts:

1) The first part of the report describes the theoretical context of the survey, with an explanation of what is meant by the term protection. It also discusses the question of who is responsible for acting to protect displaced persons and those at risk of displacement

2) The second part presents protection in practice and observations from the field. These include environmental building such as dissemination and promotion of the guiding principles, advocacy, engaging non-state actors, prevention, early warning, awareness and preparedness, strengthening local and national protection capacity and training. The second part also includes operational response and remedial action, such as vulnerability assessment, coordinated programming of assistance, promoting protection in the design of assistance and return/reintegration or resettlement/integration programmes, support to community-based protection, protection strategies for women, children and other vulnerable groups and monitoring and reporting in the field on protection needs

3) The third part briefs on conclusions and recommendations, such as the need for more assertive and effective advocacy, ensuring implementation of HC/RC responsibilities, coordination, planning and strategizing on protection, standardizing monitoring and reporting mechanisms and enhanced and meaningful international presence