Shanghai Model United Nations XVIII 2016 | Research Reports

Forum:

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Issue:

Protecting and providing humanitarian assistance to internally

displaced persons

Student Officer: Donna Qi

Position:

Deputy President

Introduction
According to the Norwegian Refugee Councils Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring
Centre (IDMC), there was a record-breaking 38 million people who had become displaced within their
own country by the end of 2014. During 2014 alone there were 11 million newly uprooted IDPs, equating
to around 30,000 newly uprooted people a day. This has largely been due to violence within the country.
Amongst the 11 million newly uprooted IDPs, 2.2 million Iraqi Civilians suffered the new displacement, at
least 40 percent of Syrias population have been displaced and Europe has also suffered massive
enforced displacement due to the war in Eastern Ukraine, where more than 640,000 people were forced
to leave their homes.
The primary challenge that IDPs face is heightened vulnerability in various areas. Displaced
persons suffer from significantly higher mortality rates, a high risk of physical attack, sexual abuse and
abduction, and often lack adequate shelter, food and health services. The majority of IDPs are also
women and children, who are especially vulnerable to abuse of their rights. The Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights also reported that compared to refugees, IDPs tend to remain close to
or become trapped in zones of conflict, caught in the cross-fire and at risk of being used as pawns,
targets or human shields by the belligerents. The key difference between a refugee and an IDP is the
crossing of international border; to be considered a refugee, a person needs to leave the country.
Despite enduring very similar challenges, IDPs, unlike refugees, do not have any special rights that
pertain to their specific situation under international law. Due to the fact that IDPs either are forced to or
choose to reside in the country where they have been displaced, sovereignty is a crucial element. The
international communitys efforts can only be complementary to the governments actions to protect their
citizens, making it crucial to strengthen a governments ability to protect IDPs in order to resolve the
issue.

Definition of Key Terms

Displacement

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The forced departure of a person from their home or place of residence; typically due to war, persec
ution, or natural disaster. May be internal or external.
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
Persons who are forced to flee or depart from their home but continue to remain within his or her cou
ntrys borders; often referred to as refugees, but do not fall within the same definition.
Refugees
Persons who are bored to flee or depart from their home and have left the country of their nationality;
often used interchangeably with the term Internally Displaced Persons, but do not fall within the sa
me definition.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
A United Nations agency mandated to protect and support the rights and and well-being of refugees
by working with voluntary repatriation, local integration, resettlement into a new country etc. Althoug
h UNHCRs original mandate does not include the protection of IDPs, they have been protecting and
assisting them throughout the years.

Background Information
Internally displaced persons
In 1992, then Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali appointed the first special representative
on the issue of IDPs. Following that, at the request of the Commission on Human rights, the Guiding
Principles on Internal Displacement was developed by Francis Deng. Despite that, IDPs continue to be
frequently been grouped together with refugees due to the fact that they largely face the same issues.
However, there is a very key difference in the status of IDPs as compared to refugees. Unlike refugees,
IDPs have no special legal status in the international community, therefore the primary responsibility for
them falls upon the shoulders of the countries in which they have been displaced, making sovereignty an
important aspect to consider. The international community has also tried to shoulder some of that
responsibility through working to protect and provide humanitarian assistance to IDPs by providing aid,
raising awareness, and guiding the creation of laws and policies for countries experiencing high numbers
of IDPs.
Respecting sovereignty
Sovereignty is the authority of the state to govern itself. Because IDPs have not yet fled the
country in which they have been displaced, this is a very important aspect to the issue. Above all,
an organizations actions can only provide support to the individual governments actions and
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cannot infringe upon national sovereignty because it is the government of the states where IDPs
are found that are responsible for their protection. For these reasons, no specific organization has
been designated to specifically providing assistance to IDPs. Nevertheless, many organizations
providing assistance to IDPs have developed ways to help that respect national sovereignty but
also respond to the issues that IDPs face.
Shared responsibilities
Due to sovereignty, multiple organizations have had to work together and cooperation between
them has been a key component to providing effective humanitarian assistance to IDPs. Many of
these organizations have different goals. For example, the OHCHR are invested in issues
concerning IDPs because the reasons for their displacement can be linked to human rights
abuses. Although the UNHCRs original mandate does not specify providing assistance to IDPs,
they have invested their resources towards helping them due to the fact that the issues they often
face are very similar to that of refugees. Foreign aid organizations like USAID have a vested
interest in issues that IDPs face as they are interested in promoting freedom, security, and
opportunity and cite foreign assistance as a key aspect to ensuring national security. Despite the
different goals of these organizations, they have worked together through the IASC to provide
funding, guidelines, reports that work towards improving the circumstances for IDPs.
Cultivating laws and policies
An important step that many organizations have taken is the development of guides that help to
inform national policies and laws that assist IDPs. Instead of being directly involved in the
cultivation of laws, many documents such as the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement and
the Brookings Bern Project on Internal Displacement have served as the basis for the the
creation of laws that go on to assist IDPs in the various states that house them. This does not
infringe on national sovereignty but strengthens the humanitarian assistance that individual
governments can provide for their people. However, a number of issues threaten the security of
IDPs. The reasons for displacement are varied, and each reason demands specific solutions to it.
For the majority of IDPs, it is possible that they lack job security, shelter, sanitation systems,
access to food and education etc.. Having said that, when IDPs are displaced because of
protracted crises that involve ongoing violence, they are at vulnerable to much more, such as
higher mortality rates. In addition to that, due to the fact that a very high percentage of IDPs are
women and children, they are at risk of much more, such as increased chances of being sexually
assaulted and at risk of abuse of their basic rights. This makes it very important for governments
to address the specific problems that IDPs are experiencing in their country through their laws
and policies as an umbrella or one size fits all approach to it will likely not adequately address
the issues they have been experiencing.
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Current strategies and solutions and the issues within

In many countries facing high number of IDPs, official camps have been designated by local
governments and have alleviated some of the issues that IDPs face. However, due to a lack of
means, many areas cannot provide official camps, resulting in IDPs seeking out other public
buildings to stay at. Many IDPs also move into the homes of friends and other families, possibly
resulting in the concealment of a serious IDP problem. Other countries, such as Colombia, have
also developed legal frameworks to respond to internal displacement. Despite being reported to
have one of the most developed frameworks designed to respond to internal displacement, an
issue that has been found is the commitment that countries have to enforcing them. Poor
enforcement often exacerbates the issue and also disguises the fact that there is one because it
is seemingly prevented by policies already in place.
Raising awareness
Organizations like the UNHCR and the IDMC have involved themselves with the issue by
creating annual reports that raise awareness and shed light on the issues that IDPs are currently
facing. The IDMC specifically monitors internal displacement, and analyses the information
gathered, and reports on them to keep organizations updated on internal displacement and
where they can improve. Again, most organizations that are dedicated to internal displacement
can merely provide financial aid to countries experiencing high levels of it or report on it and
suggest solutions as to how to solve ongoing problems.

Major Countries and Organizations Involved

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Although the UNHCR mandate does not include assisting IDPs, they have been one of the key
organizations who have worked to provide humanitarian assistance to IDPs for many years. The UNHCR
works with committees such as the IASC and the OHCHR to provide humanitarian assistance to
refugees and have many IDP operations that work towards enhancing humanitarian response. They are
also working to expand their role in response to to Internal Displacement situations.
The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC)
The IDMC primarily works to fulfill the gaps within the UN Summit on refugees and migrants.
They do so by providing quarterly updates and annual reports that pertain to IDPs, specifically monitoring
the amount of IDPs and keeping a database on the law and policies of other countries that respond to
crises either resulting in or relating to IDPs.

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Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC)

The IASC is an organization that is a key mechanism for inter-agency coordination of
humanitarian assistance and it involves key UN and non-UN humanitarian partners. This committee was
formed in response to the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 46/182 on strengthening
humanitarian assistance. Their current priorities are working to respond effectively to emergencies and
protracted crises, increasing accountability and inclusivity, improving displacement and protection
outcomes, and the financing of humanitarian assistance.
USAID
USAID is a United States governmental organization that provides aid to various countries to help
them address certain issues, including internally displaced people. They have also created a framework
where they have established the key issues that IDPs face and how they plan to address it. Their interest
in extending aid towards countries with high numbers of IDPs stems from a desire to promote freedom,
opportunity and security. Due to the fact that internal displacement threatens regional stability and
development, they believe that providing foreign assistance is crucial to strengthening U.S. national
security.

Timeline of Events
Date

Description of event
The Inter-Agency Standing Committee is established in response to United

June, 1992

Nations General Assembly resolution 46/182 on strengthening humanitarian

assistance. The IASC is crucial to improving humanitarian response as it
involves both UN and non-UN humanitarian partners.
At the request of the Commission on Human Rights, the Secretary general
appointed the first Representative on IDPs. In later years, this Representative

1992

was also tasked with the responsibility to further the dissemination, promotion
and application of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. A special
mandate of the special rapporteur was also established in resolution
A/HRC/RES/23/8.
The Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement was restated and compiled

February 11, 1998

in 1998. This document is important to issues relating to IDPs and a key tool
to resolving the issue as it serves as the standard for many UN agencies,
NGOs and States.

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The amount of IDPs reached 38 million people around the world, the highest
estimate for the number of people newly displaced in a year that the IDMC
2014

has ever globally reported. In their 2015 report, the causes for displacement
are multiple and often overlapping, with disasters relating to both natural
hazards and violence.

Relevant UN Treaties and Events

Protection of and assistance to internally displaced persons (A/RES/66/165)
Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (E/CN.4/1998/53/Add.2)
Strengthening the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (A/RES/46/182)
Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of IDPs (A/HRC/RES/32/11)
Human Rights and Mass Exoduses (E/CN.4/RES/2005/48)

Previous Attempts to solve the Issue

The Brookings Bern Project on Internal Displacement is conducted by the Brookings institute and
primarily works on creating guiding principles that will help nations strengthen their laws and policies
regarding internal displacement. The IASC has also been working with key non-UN and UN humanitarian
partners to strengthen humanitarian assistance. They have worked extensively to help both refugees and
IDPs. The UNHCR, like the Brookings Bern Project on Internal Displacement, has also worked to create
manuals and conventions to help law and policy makers assist IDPs.

Possible Solutions
The primary issue with IDPs is that the international communitys efforts are merely
complementary to the policies and laws of individual governments, making it imperative to cultivate
solutions through individual countries. In order to do this, documents such as the Guiding Principles on
Internal Displacement will have to be implemented and serve a key role in the cultivation of law and
policies that help strengthen the humanitarian assistance provided for IDPs in individual countries. It is
also important to ensure that key UN and non-UN humanitarian partners work together to provide better
assistance to IDPs through cooperating with governments, both local and federal. These organizations
should also help individual countries with fostering policies that provide effective humanitarian assistance
to IDPs. Organizations like the IDMC can also work towards developing an early warning system to alert
other organizations when certain countries are at risk of experiencing an increase in IDPs. That being
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said, sovereignty is a very important factor to consider, and must be respected at all times when
developing solutions to the issue at hand. In addition to that, it is very important for the distinction
between refugees and IDPs to be made. Because of an IDPs status, they are not granted the benefits
that many refugees enjoy, making it very important for further awareness to be raised regarding the
differences and for solutions to be tailored towards IDPs instead of under the general scope of refugees.

Bibliography
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Hjen, Louise. "Colombia's Invisible Crisis: Internally Displaced Persons." COHA. COHA, 23 Feb. 2015.
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