During the first half of 2004, hundreds of thousands of people were newly displaced around the globe by civil wars, inter-communal violence and human rights abuses. The international community is struggling to fill the gaps left by national governments unwilling or unable to stop the violence, protect their citizens and provide them with adequate assistance. Recent developments point in the right direction but it remains to be seen what their concrete impact will be on the ground.
The UN Human Rights Commission in April requested the Secretary-General to establish a "mechanism" to address the problem of internal displacement, building upon the work of the Representative of the Secretary-General on Internally Displaced Persons. The mandate of Francis Deng, who was appointed Representative in 1992 and played an important role in promoting the development of more effective responses to internal displacement, expired at the end of July. As of late August, it was still unclear how the resolution would be implemented and who would head the mechanism.
UN agencies and other organisations involved in the international response to internal displacement adopted the first element of a comprehensive IDP policy package in May. This 'road map' details the steps necessary for the development of IDP strategies by UN country teams in countries affected by internal displacement. It has been sent out to UN humanitarian/resident coordinators for implementation; the full policy package, which will provide further guidance and tools, is expected to be adopted in September. The policy package could play an important role in ensuring that the UN and other organisations address the protection and assistance needs of IDPs more systematically and consistently. But for that to happen, the UN humanitarian/resident coordinators must be held accountable for implementing their IDP-related responsibilities, and the different agencies involved must demonstrate full commitment to a genuinely collaborative response to internal displacement.
It is hoped that the recent strengthening of the Inter-Agency Internal Displacement Division (previously the Unit) within the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) will contribute to increased accountability within the UN system and improved collaboration at field level. The Division, under the new leadership of Dennis McNamara, is to focus its efforts on a few priority countries where it can be expected to make a real difference in making the collaborative approach work, including Uganda, Somalia, Sudan, Liberia, Burundi and Colombia. (1)
At the regional level, further progress was made with regard to promoting the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. The ministerial council of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe and the general assembly of the Organisation of American States formally acknowledged the usefulness of the Guiding Principles and called on member states to use them as a framework when dealing with internal displacement. In June, Africa's Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights appointed Bahame Tom Nyanduga of Tanzania as Special Rapporteur on Refugees and IDPs in Africa. (2)
The issue of internal displacement clearly remains high on the international agenda. With the proliferation of actors, however, there is an urgent need for more coordination and cooperation in order to avoid overlap and duplication - and it is crucial that these improvements be translated into concrete action in the field. Improving the international community's ability to prevent internal displacement is an even greater challenge. The Global IDP Project will continue to support these processes by monitoring and reporting on situations of internal displacement, including national and international responses, conducting training to enhance local capacity to deal with IDPs, and advocating for the rights of the displaced.
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