Unlike refugees who cross national borders and benefit from an established system of international protection and assistance, those forcibly uprooted within their own countries, by armed conflict, large-scale development projects, systematic violations of human rights, or natural disasters, lack predictable structures of support. There are currently 27.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in more than 50 countries. No continent has been spared. Internal displacement has become one of the more pressing humanitarian, human rights and security problems confronting the international community.
The Project on Internal Displacement was created to promote a more effective national, regional, and international response to this global problem and to support the work of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons in carrying out the responsibilities of the mandate. The Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement monitors displacement problems worldwide, promotes the dissemination and application of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, works with governments, regional bodies, international organizations and civil society to create more effective policies and institutional arrangements for IDPs, convenes international seminars on internal displacement, and publishes major studies, articles and reports.
While maintaining its role as the leading research and advocacy platform for populations uprooted by violent conflict and civil unrest, the project is increasingly also a pioneering source of information and policy prescriptions related to displacement caused by natural disasters and climate change.
The project is co-directed by Elizabeth Ferris, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and Chaloka Beyani, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons.
BROOKINGS STAFF
Elizabeth Ferris
Co-Director, IDP Project
The Brookings Institution
eferris@brookings.edu
Bryce Campbell
Assistant Director, IDP Project
The Brookings Institution
bcampbell@brookings.edu
Jacqueline Geis
Associate Director of Development, Foreign Policy
The Brookings Institution
jgeis@brookings.edu
Ellen Higgins
Senior Financial Manager, Foreign Policy
The Brookings Institution
ehiggins@brookings.edu
Leah Denman
Project Assistant, IDP Project
The Brookings Institution
ldenman@brookings.edu
Chareen Stark
Senior Research Assistant, IDP Project
The Brookings Institution
cstark@brookings.edu
Daniel Petz
Senior Research Assistant on Natural Disasters, IDP Project
The Brookings Institution
dpetz@brookings.edu
UN STAFF
Chaloka Beyani
UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons
Co-Director, IDP Project
C.beyani@lse.ac.uk
Rosa Da Costa
Special Adviser
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
RDaCosta@ohchr.org
Neddie Akello
Research Assistant to Dr. Chaloka Beyani
N.E.Akello@lse.ac.uk
CONTACT INFORMATION
Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement
The Brookings Institution
1775 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
USA
Tel: +1 (202) 797-2477
Fax: +1 (202) 797-2970
IDP@brookings.edu
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
Houghton Street
London
United Kingdom
WC2A 2AE
Tel: +41 (31) 631-4838