Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)

  • Protect or Neglect: Toward a More Effective United Nations Approach to the Protection of Internally Displaced Persons

    Document Type: 
    IASC Product
    Product Category: 
    Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
    Authoring Bodies: 
    Focal Points
    Published Date: 
    November 1, 2004

    One of the more daunting challenges of the 21st century is to provide assistance and protection to people uprooted within their own countries, especially those who are vulnerable to starvation, physical violence, acts of genocide or other serious abuse of their human rights. The recommendations present a formidable challenge to the UN and to governments. The UN must assume a leadership role in advocating for the protection of the displaced, and in working with governments and others in the international community, to safeguard the human rights of people caught up in rampages of violence and destruction in their own countries.

     This product consists of two parts:

    1) The first part defines protection as follows: who is responsible for what and to whom.

    2) Part two elaborates on protection in practice, such as environment, dissemination and advocacy, engaging non-state actors, early warning and preparedness, and strengthening local and national protection capacity. It also includes a vulnerability assessment, monitoring and reporting on protection needs and how to integrate protection into development strategies, instruments and in the design of humanitarian programmes. 

  • Implementing the Collaborative Response to Situations of Internal Displacement. Guidance for UN Humanitarian and/or Resident Coordinators and Country Teams [IASC Policy Package on Internal Displacement]- English

    Document Type: 
    IASC Product
    Product Category: 
    Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
    Authoring Bodies: 
    Focal Points
    Published Date: 
    September 1, 2004
    The international community is confronted with the monumental task of ensuring protection for persons forcibly uprooted from their homes by violent conflicts, gross violation of human rights and other traumatic events, but who remain within the borders of their own countries. They often suffer from severe deprivation, hardship and discrimination. The Representative of the Secretary-General on Internally Displaced Persons developed the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement to meet this challenge in the 1990s; they were then endorsed by the IASC. In 2004, the IASC produced practical guidance to help humanitarian country teams implement a collaborative response to situations of internal displacement. 
    In situations where national authorities are unable or unwilling to meet their responsibilities towards internally displaced persons, international humanitarian and development organizations are expected to provide assistance and protection to IDPS suffering and support national efforts.
    The document consists of two parts.
    1) Part one introduces the responsibility of the national authorities, the collaborative response and the IASC policy package.
    2) Part two sets out roles and responsibilities at headquarters and field level, and implementation of responsibilities of the Humanitarian Coordinator and/or Resident Coordinator and of the country team.

  • Procedural Steps for Developing an IDP Response Strategy

    Document Type: 
    IASC Product
    Product Category: 
    Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
    Authoring Bodies: 
    Focal Points
    Published Date: 
    April 14, 2004

    Based on humanitarian risk analysis and/or early warning assessments, Country Teams and Humanitarian Coordinators (HCs)/Resident Coordinators (RCs) need to be aware of all factors that could potentially lead to displacement or cause a change in an existing crisis of internal displacement. Pursuant to existing policy, all Country Teams in countries experiencing internal displacement should have in place a comprehensive strategic action plan for meeting the protection and assistance needs of internally displaced persons (IDPs).

    If this is not yet the case, or if a new displacement situation develops or changes significantly, the strategy proposes to activate the following procedures:

    1) HC/RC alerts the Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC), who in turn alerts donors and IASC Principals

    2) HC/RC ensures consultations with the UNCT, other international organisations, the Red Cross movement, NGOs and organizes, to the extent possible, a joint needs assessment ensuring inter-agency participation

    3) HC/RC and agencies develop a strategic action plan to respond to the protection and assistance needs of IDPs

    4) HC/RC consults with all agencies to identify which actors on the ground have the expertise and capacity to respond in the ways identified accordingly

    5) The HC/RC consults NGOs again at the country level to discuss the strategy and their consultations with headquarters to obtain agreement from agencies on how to fill any gaps

    6) If the strategy is adopted, the ERC will share the strategy with the Working Group and seek political and donor support for agencies implementing the plan

    7) If the strategy is not adopted, the ERC shares the plan with the IDP Unit and IASC working group and requests that agencies at the headquarters level try and resolve the gaps in response or raise it up to the level of the IASC Principals 

  • The Protection Survey

    Document Type: 
    IASC Product
    Product Category: 
    Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
    Authoring Bodies: 
    Focal Points
    Published Date: 
    October 1, 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 

  • IDP Response Matrix: methodology, data, analysis and issues for consideration

    Document Type: 
    IASC Product
    Product Category: 
    Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
    Authoring Bodies: 
    Focal Points
    Published Date: 
    October 24, 2002

    This report attempts to extract international trends and patterns in the response to internal displacement. Some of the challenges that were found in the report were notable operational gaps within the senior network. The report discloses many sectors of assistance and protection of internal displaced persons that are not sufficiently covered. Likewise, there are several indications of failure to implement key recommendations of IASC policy which comprises the collaborative approach.

    The report contains eight parts:

    1)     The first part gives the background of the report

    2)     The second part explains the methodology used in the report

    3)     The third part introduces the respondents: countries, organizations, resident and humanitarian coordinators

    4)     The fourth part presents the GAP analysis of coordinators, organizations and by sector.

    5)     The fifth part maps organizational activities

    6)     The sixth part presents the policy and strategic environment such as coordinators and organizations responses

    7)     The seventh part describes coordination among international organizations, including donor coordination and information management

    8)     Part eight presents the conclusions and some issues for considerations by the senior network on internal displacement. It also includes effectiveness of the collaborative approach, types of activity and coordination, protection and promotion of rights, the role of resident coordinators and humanitarian coordinators, and finally country and sector analysis 

  • IDP Training Strategy

    Document Type: 
    IASC Product
    Product Category: 
    Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
    Authoring Bodies: 
    Focal Points
    Published Date: 
    January 1, 2002

  • Protection of Internally Displaced Persons: Inter-Agency Standing Committee Policy Paper

    Document Type: 
    IASC Product
    Product Category: 
    Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
    Authoring Bodies: 
    Focal Points
    Published Date: 
    December 1, 1999

    Protection problems are endemic to the plight of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). They arise not only as a cause of flight, but also during displacement and in the search for durable solutions. The objective of the paper is to outline the IASC policy on the protection of internally displaced persons. The IASC emphasizes that the protection of internally displaced persons must be of concern to all humanitarian/development agencies. The policy paper identifies fourteen strategic areas to focus on in order to build a protective environment and to integrate protection features into operational response and remedial action: the need for advocacy, prevention and preparedness including the promotion of the Guiding Principles; the strengthening of national and local capacities as well as integrated training activities; the need for systematic efforts to support community-based protection and to develop protection strategies for women, children and other vulnerable groups; the search for durable solutions is a central concern in ensuring the protection of the internally displaced,; and highlights the importance of coordinated programming, monitoring and reporting.

    The paper consists of four parts:

    1)     Part one examines the nature and content of protection for internally displaced persons

    2)     Part two sets out a number of strategic areas of activity for ensuring that protection responsibilities are discharged effectively

    3)     Part three contains a short analysis of the responsibilities of action

    4)     Part four develops basic principles for allocating responsibilities in specific country situations to increase the predictability of response and facilitating the work of the Humanitarian Coordinators and/or Resident Coordinators in addressing gaps 

  • Manual on Field Practice in Internal Displacement: Examples from UN agencies and Partner Organizations of Field-Based Initiatives Supporting Internally Displaced Persons

    Document Type: 
    IASC Product
    Product Category: 
    Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
    Authoring Bodies: 
    Focal Points
    Published Date: 
    January 1, 1999

    All too often governments are either unwilling or unable to meet the protection needs of their displaced populations. The international community, therefore, has an important responsibility to ensure that these populations are assisted. This must include effective safeguarding of all rights guaranteed by international humanitarian and human rights law. This manual on field practice describes a number of concrete activities that may be undertaken in situations of internal displacement so as to strengthen the link between assistance and protection activities.

    The manual consists of seven parts:

    1)     Part one introduces the context of the manual, its purpose and how it is organized

    2)     Part two gives a compendium of field practice examples

    3)     Part three briefs on the general support for the guiding principles

    4)     Part four presents principles related to protection from displacement

    5)     Part five presents principles related to protection and assistance during displacement such as enhancing protection of physical security and freedom of movement, preserving family and community among the internally displaced, protecting social, economic and cultural rights, and protecting rights to identity and basic freedoms

    6)     Part six briefs on humanitarian principles

    Part seven presents on principles related to return, resettlement and reintegration

  • Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement

    Document Type: 
    IASC Product
    Product Category: 
    Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
    Authoring Bodies: 
    Focal Points
    Published Date: 
    January 1, 1999

    These Guiding Principles address the specific needs of internally displaced persons worldwide. They identify rights and guarantees relevant to the protection of persons from forced displacement and to their protection and assistance during displacement as well as during return or resettlement and reintegration.
    They provide guidance to:
    (a) The Representative of the Secretary-General on internally displaced persons in carrying out his mandate;
    (b) States when faced with the phenomenon of internal displacement;
    (c) All other authorities, groups and persons in their relations with internally displaced persons; and
    (d) Intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations when addressing internal displacement.

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