The Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement: 10 Year Anniversary

 

(Image of children lining up during a food distribution for internally displaced people on the outskirts of Mogadishu by Ismail Taxta/Reuters)

Ten Years. Thirty Principles. In 1998, 30 basic principles describing the human rights standards for the internally displaced were presented to the United Nations. The Representative for the UN Secretary General and the Brookings Project on Internal Displacement developed these principles over the course of two years of expert consultations and drafting. Known as the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement and distilled from existing international human rights and humanitarian law, these 30 principles are the international standard protecting the rights of the tens of millions of internally displaced persons (IDPs) globally. 

For the past ten years, the Brookings Project on Internal Displacement has worked to raise awareness about the Guiding Principles and the needs of internally displaced persons. Much has been accomplished in the past ten years—internal displacement remains on the international community’s agenda and 15 governments, most recently Georgia and Iraq, have adopted national laws and policies on internal displacement. But just as this anniversary provides an opportunity to reflect on these successes, it also serves as a reminder of what is yet to be accomplished.

GP10 Conference—Oslo

This week, a ministerial-level conference in Oslo marks the tenth anniversary of the Guiding Principles. Gathering together senior leaders from the United Nations, governments, and civil society, the conference will reflect on the impact of the Guiding Principles to date and the continuing and future challenges to addressing the needs of the internally displaced. Learn More 

The Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement

The Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement are based upon international humanitarian and human rights law and analogous refugee law and are intended to serve as an international standard to guide governments, international organziations and all other relevant actors in providing assistance and protection to IDPs.

The Principles identify the rights and guarantees relevant to the protection o fthe internally displaced in all phases of displacement. They provide protection against arbitrary displacement, offer a basis for protection and assistance during displacement, and set forth guarantees for safe return, resettlement and reintegration. Although they do not constitute a binding instrument, the Principles reflect and are consistent with international law.

The Guiding Principles have been translated into over 35 languages. The English language edition is the original language in which the Principles were drafted and is the authoritative version for reference. These translations can be downloaded from our web site at www.brookings.edu/projects/idp/gp_page.aspx

English language version

Research and Commentary on the Guiding Principles

"Ten Years of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement," Special Issue of Forced Migration Review, December 2008
Summary
This 40-page special issue of FMR reflects discussions at the international conference on the Ten Years of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement – GP10 – held in Oslo on 16-17 October 2008. It will be available in English, Arabic, French and Spanish. The English edition is now online at http://www.fmreview.org/GuidingPrinciples10.htm

"Displacement and Human Rights: A Continuing Challenge," Opinion by Carlos Pascual, Vice President and Director, Foreign Policy, The Brookings Institution
Summary
Sixty years ago the international community responded to the needs of those crossing national borders because of persecution and conflict by adopting a convention on refugees and creating a UN refugee agency; however, the fate of those displaced within their countries' borders was largely ignored. In an effort to address this gap in the international humanitarian system, the Brookings Project on Internal Displacement took on the task of developing basic standards for the treatment of internally displaced persons.

"Displacement Caused by the Effects of Climate Change: Who Will Be Affected and What are the Gaps in the Normative Frameworks for Their Protection?" Background Paper by Walter Kälin, Representative of the UN Secretary-General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons and Co-Director, Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement
Summary
Most causes of displacement triggered by climate change, such as flooding, hurricanes, desertification or even the "sinking" of stretches of land, are not new. However, their frequency and magnitude are likely to increase. The challenge is to better analyze these causes of displacement, to identify the areas where the effects of climate change are most likely to occur and to examine the character of forced displacement and other population movements they could trigger.


Other Related Documents

Throughout the past 10 years, the Project and others have published documents related to the Guiding Principles. These publications provide in depth explanations of the Principles as well as expand upon them.  

Protecting Internally Displaced Persons: A Manual for Law and Policymakers (2008)
A significant part of the mandate of the Representative of the UN Secretary-General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons (RSG) has been the promotion of the incorporation of the Guiding Principles into national and regional laws and policies. This manual is designed to assist policymakers in drafting laws and policies consistent with the Guiding Principles.

The Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, Annotations, Revised Edition (2008)
This second edition of the Annotations follows very closely the structure and content of the first edition but reflects the significant legal developments that have taken place since the first publication in 2000. 

Human Rights and Natural Disasters: Operational Guidelines and Field Manual on Human Rights Protection in Situations of Natural Disaster (2008)
This Manual serves as a complement to the IASC's Operational Guidelines on Human Rights and Natural Disasters by providing the human rights background underpinning the Guidelines and lists practical operational steps to provide humanitarian workers with examples of how the Guidelines can best be implemented.

When Displacement Ends: A Framework for Durable Solutions (2007)
It is usually easy to say when refugees stop being refugees; however, for IDPs determining when displacement has ended is far more difficult to assess as they do not have a special legal status that ends at a particular time. In 2007, the Brookings-Bern Project published this Framework for Durable Solutions to assist in determining when displacement ends.

Protecting Persons Affected by Natural Disasters: IASC Operational Guidelines on Human Rights and Natural Disasters (2006)
With scientists predicting an increase in the number and severity of natural disasters, RSG Walter Kälin drafted Operational Guidelines on Human Rights and Natural Disasters. They address the human rights protection concerns of uprooted people. These Guidelines were endorsed by the UN Inter-Agency Standing Committee Working Group and published by the Brookings-Bern Project to provide the UN and NGOs with information to develop a rights-based approach to emergency response. These Guidelines have been translated into Bahasa, Chinese, French, Spanish, and Thai.

Addressing Internal Displacement: A Framework for National Responsibility (2005)
Because IDPs remain within the borders of their own countries, primary responsibility for protecting and assisting them rests with their national authorities. In 2005, the Brookings-Bern Project published the Framework to assist policymakers by setting benchmarks for an effective national response to displacement. Since its original publication in English it has been translated into Arabic, Azerbaijani, French, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Sinhala, Spanish, Tamil and Thai. These translations and the English version are available at www.brookings.edu/projects/idp/20050401_nrframework.aspx

The Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement and the Law of the South Caucasus: Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan (2003)
This book, published by the Brookings Project and the American Society of International Law (ASIL) analyzes national laws and policies in terms of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement and makes recommendations for strengthening national legal protection for IDPs.

Handbook for Applying the Guding Principles on Internal Displacement (2000)
The Handbook for Applying the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, published by the Brookings Project and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, uses non-technical language to explain how to use the Guiding Principles in the field. It is available in English, Albanian, Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia, French, Macedonian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish (also Peruvian), and Thai (unofficial).

The Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, Annotations (2000)
The Annotations to the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, published by the Brookings Project and ASIL, were prepared to clarify and explain the key aspects of the Guiding Principles and set forth in detail their legal antecedents. The Annotations should provide an in depth understanding of the Principles for the legal community and for others seeking to strengthen international law so that it might better protect internally displaced persons. The Annotations have been translated into both Russian and Turkish from the English language original.