"Internal displacement remains one of the world’s most significant human rights and humanitarian challenges, as millions of people continue to be internally displaced every year by conflict, violence, human rights violations, disasters and development projects", warned today the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Chaloka Beyani.

"Over 26 million people were internally displaced at the end of 2011 due to armed conflict, generalized violence or human rights violations, while nearly 15 million persons were newly displaced during that same year due to sudden onset natural hazards', Mr. Beyani recalled as he presented his report on "Protection of and assistance to internally displaced persons" to the UN General Assembly.

"These last twenty years have witnessed important advances in the normative framework as well as the response to internal displacement by the international community", the expert noted, recalling that 2012 marks the 20th Anniversary of the creation of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, by the then UN Commission on Human Rights. […]

Regarding the human rights of migrants, the Council called upon States to respect the right of everyone to education and encouraged them to take steps that promote the prevention and elimination of discriminatory policies that deny migrant children and children of migrants access to education. […]

Concerning regarding trafficking in persons, especially women and children, the Council reiterated its concern at the high number of persons who are being trafficked within and between regions and States; and requested the Office of the High Commissioner to organize consultations on the draft basic principles on the right to effective remedy for trafficked persons.[…]

Regarding the human rights of internally displaced persons, the Council called upon States to provide durable solutions and assist affected countries in their national efforts relating to internally displaced persons. […]

UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres warned on Thursday that factors causing mass population flight are growing and over the coming decade more people on the move will become refugees or displaced within their own country. In comments marking the launch in New York of "The State of the World's Refugees: In Search of Solidarity," Guterres said displacement from conflict was becoming compounded by a combination of causes, including climate change, population growth, urbanization, food insecurity, water scarcity and resource competition. […]

Chapter 5, entitled “Protecting the Internally Displaced”, reviews progress achieved during the past six years in establishing a broad understanding of what the protection of internally displaced persons (IDPs) means in practice, as well as the continuing need for national and international engagement. It begins by outlining how internal displacement has become an international concern, goes on to describe the role of the international community, including in legal and operational protection, and then considers the conditions needed for displacement to end. It concludes with an assessment of future prospects, and offers some directions for future progress. […]