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A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2012
- Document code
- A/HRC/19/54
Document
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- While common images of IDPs often portray them as living compactly in large camps, spontaneous informal settlements or collective IDP centres, the reality is that most IDPs live outside these clearly defined settings, or "outside camps". The expression IDPs outside camps in this report refers to IDPs who may live instead in a variety of settings or situations; they may be in urban, rural, or remote areas, renting, owning a housing, sharing a room, living with a host family, homeless, occupying a building or land that they do not own, or living in makeshift shelters and slums. A number of factors often result in the neglect and virtual "invisibility" of IDPs outside camps, thereby affecting their access to protection, assistance and durable solutions to their displacement. While the importance of the issue has gained increased recognition over the last several years, more concerted attention is necessary, including by the international community, in order to achieve a more equitable humanitarian response and lasting solutions for IDPs outside camps, as well as better support structures to communities which may be hosting them. Such an approach also ensures compliance with international law relating to IDPs, including international humanitarian and human rights law, regional instruments such as the Kampala Convention, and with international standards such as the Guiding Principles, which provide guarantees of non-discrimination and make no distinction between IDPs in or outside camps or other settings.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- The following report is intended as a contribution by the Special Rapporteur towards a larger process which will require consultations and the continued engagement of a broad range of stakeholders. It highlights why IDPs outside camps require specific interventions by national authorities, humanitarian and development actors, and details 3 specific areas of focus, namely, IDPs in urban contexts, host communities, and the role of provincial and municipal authorities. This report is also in follow-up to previous work by the mandate on the issue, including: reports to the Human Rights Council which identify this as a key challenge in the field of internal displacement and a priority area for the mandate; steps bringing it to the attention of the wider humanitarian community via the IASC; and specific attention to the issue in the context of country visits by the mandate. Several other areas of special relevance to IDPs outside camps are also mentioned in this report, such as data collection, and suggested for attention by relevant actors.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur acknowledges that several other aspects relating to IDPs outside camps may also need attention or require more specific analysis than is provided in this initial contribution, including assistance to IDPs living in rural or isolated settings, and possible distinctions between natural disaster, conflict and complex emergency situations. He further acknowledges the valuable comments made in the course of previous consultations, including discussions within the IASC in July 2010, during which both substantive and process issues were raised on how to achieve a more equitable humanitarian response to IDPs outside camps. These point to the range and complexity of the issues and the need for an ongoing process of developing expertise and enhanced operational response by all concerned actors. The Special Rapporteur intends to maintain close engagement with national and international stakeholders on all of these issues, in addition to the particular aspects addressed in the present report.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- An estimated 27.5 million people in the world today remain displaced within their own countries due to armed conflict, generalized violence and human rights violations. An additional 42 million were internally displaced due to sudden-onset natural disasters in the course of 2010. It is estimated that only a minority of these live in camp-like settings. Although camps have their own particular disadvantages (e.g. isolation from the community, dependency on external assistance) it has generally been considered easier to provide assistance to IDPs living in collective settlements than to those dispersed throughout the population. The former are more visible to authorities, easier to distinguish from the local population, and delivery of services is rendered logistically simpler than when communities are dispersed. In the case of persons displaced due to generalised violence and armed conflict, it has been found that "in countries where IDPs were living in both gathered and dispersed settings, national authorities and humanitarian actors were twice as likely to provide assistance and protection to IDPs in gathered settings than to those in dispersed settings".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 24
- Paragraph text
- Numerous guidance tools and coordination structures to respond to the needs of IDPs living in camps, such as the Camp Coordination and Camp Management Cluster, have been developed over the years. By contrast, relatively little exists for IDPs outside camps. A number of factors often converge to focus assistance and attention to IDPs in camp situations. In many case, camps or settlements are constituted spontaneously by mass influxes of IDPs seeking protection and assistance, or in reaction to emergency situations in which immediate and often life-saving responses require concentrated assistance in certain areas (e.g. sites of natural disasters). With the passage of time, however, protracted displacement in artificial camp settings has often given rise to important humanitarian, protection and development concerns, for the IDP population, the country and sometimes for a region as a whole. In some instances, they may even become a pull factor for poor sectors of the population who may move into camps in order to have access to its basic services and assistance, thus compounding the problem.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- In this regard, weaknesses in response systems, such as the gap between humanitarian, and early recovery and development interventions (which promote durable solutions), have been recognized and are increasingly being discussed. The Special Rapporteur is of the view that in addition to addressing such weaknesses, a more effective and systematized management of IDPs outside camps can also improve the overall response to internal displacement, anchor it within a human rights based approach, and contribute to durable solutions. Moreover, he notes that the benefits of improved responses to IDPs outside camps may become increasingly relevant in the context of global trends such as rapid global urbanization, and climate change induced displacement.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- Relevant normative frameworks, including international and regional human rights instruments and international standards on internal displacement, all emphasize the primary responsibility of national authorities for providing protection and assistance to IDPs. The first concrete task in the discharge of this responsibility is the collection of data and "credible information on the numbers, locations and conditions of the internally displaced [which] is essential to designing effective policies and programs to address their needs and protect their rights". Yet, a recent survey of 15 displacement-affected countries found a striking lack of accurate figures on IDPs outside of camps. Establishing this information at the outset and during displacement is a fundamental step but is often jeopardized by the lack of effective and timely data collection and response systems. Such systems are especially crucial in the early phase of an emergency and at the first site to which IDPs have fled, in order to ensure that IDPs who later become dispersed within the larger population (rather than remaining in camps), can be followed up on and assisted. In some cases, political or financial pressures may limit or inflate the numbers of IDPs, as can the methodology, scope and timelines of data collection or registration procedures for example. Particularly in conflict situations, data collection and registration procedures, should contain sufficient safeguards to protect the confidentiality and human rights of IDPs, and ensure the purely humanitarian nature of the exercise. The collaboration of the international community in such exercises, amongst other measures, could contribute to such safeguards.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 27
- Paragraph text
- At times, information and data collection on internal displacement will only be possible or take place when IDPs are already dispersed and mixed within the wider population. IDPs may prefer not to be identified at the beginning of displacement due to security concerns, or data collection systems may simply not yet be in place. New and different methodologies are usually required in order to gather data on IDPs in these contexts. Important efforts have been made in recent years, to improve data-collection methodologies at these different stages and in different contexts of internal displacement. These include methodologies, such as: profiling which can be used to estimate figures and needs of IDPs outside camps; population-tracking mechanisms; disaggregated data collection techniques (according to location, age, gender etc) and vulnerability criteria, which enable more targeted assistance; household surveys which permit the identification of IDP needs while avoiding singling them out; and community outreach approaches, which use local partners and community structures to identify and reach out to IDPs. However, continued efforts in this regard, both of a technical nature and in terms of awareness-raising, are necessary. In many countries, included those visited by this mandate, the lack of effective and timely data collection and profiling systems, have resulted in a lack of identification and assistance to large numbers of IDPs outside camps, with a direct impact on their human rights and durable solutions.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- There has often been an implicit assumption that IDPs living outside of camps are less in need of protection and assistance because they are being cared for by family, neighbours or friends, or that they have somehow found a solution on their own. While some may indeed have elected to stay out of camps because they did not want or need assistance, and others managed to progress towards durable solutions on their own, many IDPs outside camps are not in these situations. In some cases, IDPs may need the assistance and protection of an organized camp, but may not have that option: they may be displaced in isolated or remote locations (where there is no camp or host community), not be able to physically make it to camp areas, fear detection by authorities, or camps may be simply be closed or discouraged due to government policies. Moreover, even when IDPs outside camps benefit from initial resources and the support and structures of a host community, these resources tend to degrade over time. In many cases IDPs with sufficient resources to cope in the initial months of displacement, often find these quickly dwindling as they struggle with the high costs of housing, lack of access to land and livelihoods, inability to access social services, the loss of most of their material possessions, and the absence of their usual support structures. As a result, some IDPs outside camps may become more vulnerable over time.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- Moreover, while family, friends and communities may initially welcome and assist IDPs, when their stay drags on, for months or years, strains on resources may lead to an eventual breaking point and the need for IDPs to find alternative assistance or living arrangements, often resulting in secondary movements and a more precarious situation. Even when specific IDP assistance exists in the form of food or other emergency assistance, distribution of assistance to non-camp IDPs, often tends to be one-off distributions at the beginning of displacement rather than the sustained assistance which is needed. Similarly, while State assistance programmes may sometimes be available for vulnerable groups in society, these will often be insufficient to take into account the heightened needs brought about by displacement, may be contingent on local residency or identity documents which IDPs may not be able to provide, or IDPs may not access them out of fear of drawing attention to themselves, for security reasons. Discrimination on the basis of their being displaced may also create an additional barrier to accessing State services. The considerations below aim to provide an initial framework for strengthening humanitarian and development responses to the needs of IDPs outside camps and those of their host communities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- Recent trends in internal displacement point to a significant and growing number of IDPs living in urban areas, the majority of whom do not live in formal camps. Once in urban environments, IDPs tend to live mixed among the general population and become difficult to identify, protect or assist. Many reasons compel IDPs to move to urban areas, including employment opportunities and in some cases the relative safety of anonymity. By 2030 it is estimated that urban populations will exceed 5 billion and that 80 per cent of these will live in urban centres in the developing world - regions where urban growth is accentuated by increasing number of refugees and IDPs who tend to move to cities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- Urban areas are viewed by many IDPs as environments where they can rebuild their lives, have better access to public services, employment opportunities, and resources, either for an interim period or on a long-term basis. With the necessary support systems, urban planning and frameworks, many cities and towns can offer more likely sites for local integration than segregated IDP camps or remote and rural displacement locations. At the same time, IDPs outside camps who live in urban settings - and particularly certain categories of vulnerable groups or those with few resources or support - are often exposed to a number of dangers. As newcomers with little, if any, access to financial resources, documents or proof of income necessary to rent housing elsewhere, IDPs often have to resort to living in slum areas or dangerous and impoverished parts of a city which offers no security of tenure, less access to services, are more prone to disasters, and make them potential targets of urban violence, forced evictions and secondary displacements. The high rents characterizing many urban centres around the world, a trend also likely to increase, render IDPs particularly vulnerable to homelessness and to precarious housing situations - thus contributing to the increase in slums. In the context of the visit to Iraq by this mandate in late 2010, it was found that in Baghdad alone more than 200,000 persons, many of whom were believed to be IDPs, were living in slum settlements, in inadequate shelters, with little or no access to water, and other services such as sanitation and garbage collection. IDPs in many of these sites, who resorted to living there due to an inability to pay high rents or of their host families to continue supporting them, were also at risk of imminent eviction.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- During his recent country visit to Kenya in September 2011, the Special Rapporteur found that of an estimated 664,000 IDPs resulting from the 2007/2008 post-election violence in the country, over 300,000 had dispersed into the wider population (many in towns and cities) and neither been registered nor assisted by the State. Many displaced in previous cycles of displacement (e.g.1990s) in Kenya were also unassisted. While it is generally presumed that these IDPs found their own solution through host families and friends, the Special Rapporteur remains concerned that many of these IDPs, a large part of whom had already been poor, had seen their situation further deteriorate and could be living in urban slums or on the street. In this regard, the Special Rapporteur received reports of a significant increase in street children, many of whom were believed to be IDPs, in a number of large towns and cities since the 2007/2008 post- election violence.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- While in many cases, non-camp IDPs living in impoverished urban environments have many needs in common with others living in these environments, they also have specific needs and should be part of assistance programmes, and political and durable solutions strategies to address internal displacement in the country. This process may include, but is nonetheless distinct from the general socio-economic and development challenges related to urban poverty. Failing to recognize this often results in a "policy by default" which only treats IDPs within the wider, and often intractable problem of the urban poor. The Special Rapporteur believes that a combined approach, which includes community-based approaches and punctual IDP specific interventions is necessary in most contexts - in order to address IDP specific needs, constraints, human rights concerns and durable solutions, while taking into account the wider host community needs. Moreover, such an approach prevents harm through the exacerbation of poverty resulting from the neglect of specific IDP needs and solutions to their displacement. Assisting IDPs, particularly when combined with support to host communities, can reduce overcrowding, joblessness, poverty, homelessness and consolidate peace and reconstruction efforts, for the benefit of IDPs and the city as a whole.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- In situations where mass internal displacement is due to political, ethnic or sectarian violence, addressing internal displacement is also necessary to national reconciliation and peace processes. IDPs dispersed in urban areas should be included and participate in such processes, and related durable solutions.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- The predicted increase in internal displacement due to the effects of climate change and related frequency and severity of natural disasters is a further factor pointing to the need to develop a more consistent, equitable and systemized response to IDPs outside camps. The erosion of livelihoods, in part provoked by climate change, is considered a key "push" factor for the increase in rural to urban displacement and migration, most of which is likely to be to urban slums and informal settlements offering precarious living conditions. The Special Rapporteur believes that the urban dimensions of climate-change-induced displacement should be a key consideration in medium and long-term national development strategies, as well as adaptation measures.. These should include strengthened systems to monitor influxes of IDPs, and to address the assistance and durable solutions needs of IDPs outside camps living in urban areas. IDPs, who are more likely to be unlisted and undocumented, are also likely to have less access to services and livelihoods, and to live in slum areas which are often situated in hazard-prone locations such as low-lying areas and landfill sites -thereby making them vulnerable to further risks, including to their physical safety, the loss of housing, and secondary displacement.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- In addition to displacement into cities, natural disasters, violence and conflict are also likely to cause complex intra-city displacement, such as was the case in Haiti in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake. By virtue of the concentration of populations, resources, assets and services in cities, the impact of damages to cities due to conflict or natural disasters can be especially debilitating, including to humanitarian and recovery efforts. In such situations, an approach which addresses IDP-specific needs, as well as wider community needs (e.g. infrastructure and basic services needs) through a neighbourhood- or community-based approach, as has been advocated by this mandate, will likely be the most beneficial.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- While IDPs living in both camp and non-camp settings are greatly affected by relations with host communities, non-camp IDPs are particularly entwined with their hosts, as in many cases, they may not be able to rely on other actors such as international organizations or aid groups. In one analysis of IDP trends, it was found that in the majority of countries reviewed, most IDPs in non-camp settings had no assistance beyond that provided by the host community or host family. Better understanding of the role and specific assistance provided by host communities may therefore suggest ways of supporting them in their effort to assist the displaced living among them.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- The term "host community" has been used to depict a community hosting a camp, or a non-camp population. However it has also become a "catch-all" term, which often obscures the complexity and variety of communities in which IDPs live. The kinds of host communities vary widely across contexts. In many cases, 'host communities' simply refers to communities in which relatives or friends take in a family member. At other times, they refer to communities in locations to which IDPs have fled and remain during their period of displacement. Often host communities and host families may be poor or living in precarious conditions themselves. They may lack physical security, adequate access to basic services, and may have been impacted by conflict or a natural disaster as well. In some cases host communities are receiving new arrivals while in others they may be reintegrating returnees. In other contexts, such as those subject to repeated or cyclical displacements, host communities may be made up of IDPs who have simply been displaced longer.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- Despite these challenges, host communities are often the key to ensuring essential assistance services to IDPs, to the work of humanitarian organizations, and to finding durable solutions. They are most often the "first responders" to a crisis, and may welcome, support and assist IDPs upon their arrival. But as displacement becomes protracted, tensions can often result due to competition over scarce resources, employment opportunities, or from underlying religious, ethnic, cultural or other differences - frequently related to or exacerbated by the conflict causing the displacement in the first place. Without IDP frameworks and institutions in place to respond to the particular context and needs of IDPs living within these communities, these tensions and competition over resources and services will usually have a disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable IDP groups, such as female-headed households, children and older persons, and leave them exposed to human rights violations, exploitation and poverty.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Older persons
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- Tensions may also arise due to perceptions by host communities that their own needs are being neglected or that IDPs are receiving preferential treatment. A recent study in two urban neighbourhoods in Bogota, Colombia, found tensions between host communities and IDPs, due largely to IDPs being regarded as receiving preferential treatment in a context of widespread urban poverty. In Guinea, host communities struggling to rebuild after attacks on their community, became increasingly vulnerable as they shared meagre resources with IDPs. While some of these challenges can also arise in the context of IDP camps, IDPs who live within the community will be especially affected given their level of dependency on informal community support. In this respect, a greater focus on assisting host communities in tandem with IDP assistance in order to prevent tensions, inequalities or the increasing vulnerability of hosts is a challenge for both development and humanitarian actors.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- A number of actors, both national and international, have already been implementing a community-based approach to IDP assistance and protection programmes, or have included IDPs in wider community projects, such as poverty reduction strategies and livelihood projects. Many of the experiences gained in the implementation of such initiatives provide valuable lessons learnt or good practices. Yet, these often remain discreet, ad hoc, or undocumented. As a result they have not articulated or included in efforts to strengthen and systematize the overall humanitarian and development response to IDPs outside camps. However, some initial steps have more recently been taken in this regard: the issue of IDPs outside camps was discussed within the IASC in 2010, and several agencies or IASC sub-groups have initiated their own review or other processes, such as the collection of good practices. This mandate has also included considerations relating to IDPs outside camps and community-based approaches, in the course of country visits, and the development of guidance tools. More concerted and comprehensive efforts however, will continue to be necessary in this regard.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur has consistently encouraged donors, humanitarian and development agencies to expand their focus to supporting the communities which host IDPs. He believes that while the displacement-specific needs of IDPs must be addressed, a community based approach which also addresses the needs of displacement-affected communities and host families is necessary. The development of more predictable support systems, good practices and standards for this purpose would greatly facilitate such strategies. The Special Rapporteur is also of the opinion, however, that in order to be successful, assistance to displacement-affected communities and IDPs must often go beyond the delivering of humanitarian aid and include recovery and development interventions.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- Improved and more systematized responses to IDPs outside camps, can also help address a number of other issues, including the precarious nature and protection problems raised by unmonitored and unassisted hosting arrangements such as those between IDPs and host families or friends. Highly or entirely dependent on the assistance and shelter provided by host families, certain groups of IDPs, such as vulnerable categories of women, children and the elderly, may be particularly at risk of a number of protection concerns, including abuse, exploitation, and sexual violence by their hosts. In this regard, this mandate has recommended the establishment of appropriate monitoring and ombuds-mechanisms, and other activities such as visits by social workers, working with local associations and counselling centres, and the establishment of a hotline, in order enhance the protection of IDPs living within host-family arrangements.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- The establishment of emergency assistance and complementary support structures are also necessary in order to address situations when host family arrangements break down or are insufficient. In many cases, the assistance and hospitality provided by hosts may be primarily based on affiliations with some members of the family and not others (e.g. one of the spouses), so that when the nuclear IDP family disintegrates during the period of displacement, some members may have to leave and find their own solutions. In other situations, the strains of assisting and providing shelter to IDPs for prolonged periods may be such that host families may simply no longer be able to continue providing this support unassisted. In all of these situations, IDPs will in many cases need to leave the host family. Ensuring that systems are in place to support hosting arrangements, and to provide protection and assistance alternatives for IDPs who can no longer remain in these arrangements, will be vital in order to prevent the most vulnerable IDPs from having to adopt negative coping mechanisms, such as early marriage, dangerous and exploitative livelihood activities, and from living in precarious settings.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- Since the State has the primary responsibility for protection and assistance to IDPs, a whole-of-government approach is both required and encouraged in IDP responses. However, it is provincial and municipal authorities who are often in the front line, addressing both the immediate humanitarian aspects of an IDP influx, and the longer-term pressures related to prolonged displacement and the extension of basic services to them. Yet, they frequently lack the necessary resources to meet this challenge, indicating gaps between policies decided in the capital and what is implemented locally, and complex relationships between local and national authorities and international actors working within the country. This is perhaps most acutely felt in the case of IDPs outside camps, who are less likely to benefit from alternative assistance provided by non-governmental organizations. At the same time, provincial and municipal authorities have specific responsibilities and a critical role to play in upholding the human rights of IDPs within their communities, implementing IDP-specific and community based programmes, and facilitating durable solutions, including local integration.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
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A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- On account of their direct contact with IDPs, and their immediate role in the provision of local services, and formulation of local development strategies, local authorities are often the best placed to identify and assist IDPs outside camps living in their communities. They can support IDP profiling exercises, and facilitate the replacement or acquisition of identification, residency or other documents - both important steps enabling IDPs outside camps to access the assistance, rights and benefits to which they are entitled, both as IDPs and as citizens. This assistance will enable them to benefit from national social security systems, public services and resources available to residents, and to access a series of other rights (e.g. relating to property, civil status, housing). For example, in the case of Iraq, where food security was a problem for a large part of the population, this mandate received reports that IDPs moving from one governorate to another were often unable to transfer their food ration cards to new areas of displacement.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 47
- Paragraph text
- IDPs are often the victims of direct or indirect discrimination in host communities based on their situation or categorization as IDPs. In some cases this discrimination may be based on ethnic or other differences, while in others it is due to more structural problems. In the context of his country visits, the Special Rapporteur has found that IDPs are often denied access to basic services such as primary education and health services, due to the fact that local schools or health facilities are already underfunded or overcrowded, or for purely bureaucratic reasons. In these contexts, local health and educational institutions may request proof of residency or special fees from IDP families (for services normally free of charge), so as to be able to effectively expand their services to them. Such situations reflect the need for more effective coordination and timely financial transfer systems between central and local authorities, including the areas from which IDPs fled, which can take into account a local influx of IDPs and their related needs.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
A more systematized and equitable response to internally displaced persons outside camps 2012, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- Demographic and ethnic factors, or the political priorities of local authorities may influence the degree to which they welcome and assist IDPs or adopt an informal "policy" of non-assistance. This is particularly relevant in situations where internal displacement may affect the ethnic, religious or other composition of an area. IDPs outside camps are especially easy targets in such situations, as they are often stereotyped as 'IDPs' in their immediate neighbourhoods, and may be subject to discrimination, security problems including arbitrary detention, attacks, and secondary displacements if they are 'pushed' out of their host communities. Certain processes can exacerbate this situation, including the conduct of national or local census, or electoral processes. Local authorities can play a crucial role in such contexts, by promoting a culture of respect for human rights, rule of law and diversity, making public statements to this effect, and taking active steps to ensure IDPs are effectively protected from discrimination, harassment and persecution. Special measures to reach out to, protect and facilitate access to rights by particularly vulnerable IDP groups, including youth, female headed households and the elderly are necessary as well.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Youth
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph