RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
62/153. Protection of and assistance to internally
displaced persons
The General Assembly,
Deeply disturbed by the alarmingly high numbers of internally
displaced persons throughout the world, for reasons including armed conflict,
violations of human rights and natural or human-made disasters, who receive
inadequate
protection
and assistance, and conscious of the serious challenges that this is creating
for the international community,
Recognizing that natural disasters are a cause of
displacement and that the consequences of hazards can be prevented or
substantially mitigated by integrating disaster risk reduction strategies into
national development policies and
programmes,
Conscious of the human rights and the humanitarian dimensions of the problem of
internally displaced persons, including in long-term displacement situations,
and the responsibilities of States and the international community to
strengthen
further their protection and assistance,
Emphasizing that States have the primary responsibility to
provide protection and assistance to internally displaced persons within their
jurisdiction as well as to address the root causes of the displacement problem
in appropriate cooperation with the international community,
Noting the growing awareness of the international community of the issue of internally
displaced persons worldwide and the urgency of addressing the root causes of
their displacement and finding durable solutions, including voluntary
return in
safety and with dignity, or local integration,
Recalling the relevant norms of international human rights law, international humanitarian
law and international refugee law, and recognizing that the protection of
internally displaced persons has been strengthened by identifying, reaffirming
and
consolidating specific standards for their protection, in particular through
the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement,
Welcoming the increasing dissemination, promotion and application of the Guiding
Principles when dealing with situations of internal displacement,
Taking note of Commission on Human Rights resolution
2005/46 of 19 April 2005,2 and recalling the Vienna Declaration and Programme
of Action adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights on 25 June 1993,3
regarding the need to develop global strategies to address the problem of
internal displacement, Deploring practices
of forced displacement and their negative consequences for the enjoyment of
human rights and fundamental freedoms by large groups of populations, and
recalling the relevant provisions of the Rome Statute of the International
Criminal Court that define the deportation or forcible transfer of population
as a crime against humanity and the unlawful deportation or transfer, as well
as ordering the displacement of, the civilian population as war crimes,
Welcoming the cooperation established between the Representative of the Secretary-General
on the human rights of internally displaced persons and the United Nations as
well as other international and regional organizations, and
encouraging
further strengthening of his collaboration in order to promote better protection,
assistance and development strategies for internally displaced persons,
Acknowledging with appreciation the important and independent
contribution of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and other
humanitarian agencies in protecting and assisting internally displaced persons,
in cooperation with relevant international bodies,
Recalling its resolution 60/168 of 16 December 2005,
1. Takes note with appreciation of the
report of the Representative of the Secretary-General on the human rights of
internally displaced persons5 and of his conclusions and recommendations;
2. Commends the Representative of the
Secretary-General for the activities undertaken so far, for the catalytic role
that he plays in raising the level of awareness about the plight of internally
displaced persons and for his ongoing
efforts
to address their development and other specific needs, including through the mainstreaming
of the human rights of internally displaced persons into all relevant parts of
the United Nations system;
3. Encourages the Representative of the
Secretary-General, through continuous dialogue with Governments and all
intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations concerned, to continue his
analysis of the root causes of internal displacement, the needs and human
rights of those displaced, the development of benchmarks for assessing when
displacement ends, measures of prevention and ways to strengthen protection,
assistance and durable solutions for
internally
displaced persons, taking into account specific situations;
4. Also encourages the Representative of
the Secretary-General, through continuous dialogue with Governments and all
intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations concerned, to continue his
efforts to promote protection and assistance and on durable solutions for those
displaced, taking into account in this regard the primary responsibility of the
States within their jurisdiction;
5. Expresses its appreciation to those
Governments and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations that have
provided protection and assistance to internally displaced persons and have
supported the work of the Representative of the Secretary-General;
6. Expresses particular concern at the
grave problems faced by many internally displaced women and children, including
violence and abuse, sexual exploitation, forced recruitment and abduction, and
welcomes the commitment of
the Representative
of the Secretary-General to pay more systematic and in-depth attention to their
particular assistance, protection and development needs, as well as to other
groups with special needs, such as severely traumatized individuals, older persons
and persons with disabilities, taking into account the relevant resolutions of the
General Assembly and bearing in mind Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) of
31 October 2000;
7. Notes with appreciation the
increasing role of national human rights institutions in assisting internally
displaced persons and in promoting and protecting their human rights;
8. Notes the importance of taking the
human rights and the specific protection and assistance needs of internally
displaced persons into consideration, when appropriate, in peace processes, and
emphasizes that durable solutions for
internally
displaced persons, including through voluntary return, sustainable reintegration
and rehabilitation processes and their active participation, as appropriate, in
the peacebuilding process, are necessary elements of effective
peacebuilding;
9. Welcomes the role of the
Peacebuilding Commission in this regard, and urges the Commission to intensify
its efforts, within its mandate, in cooperation with national and transitional
Governments and in consultation with the relevant
United
Nations entities, to incorporate the rights and the specific needs of
internally displaced persons, including their voluntary return, reintegration
and rehabilitation, as well as related land and property issues, when advising
on or proposing countryspecific peacebuilding strategies for post-conflict
situations in cases under
consideration, where applicable;
10. Recognizes the Guiding Principles on
Internal Displacement1 as an important international framework for the
protection of internally displaced persons, welcomes the fact that an
increasing number of States, United Nations agencies and regional and
non-governmental organizations are applying them as a standard, and encourages
all relevant actors to make use of the Guiding Principles when dealing with
situations of internal displacement;
11. Welcomes the fact that the Representative of
the Secretary-General continues to use the Guiding Principles in his dialogue
with Governments and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and
other relevant actors,
and
requests him to continue his efforts to further the dissemination, promotion
and application of the Guiding Principles and to provide support for efforts to
promote capacity-building and the use of the Guiding Principles, as well as the
development of domestic legislation and policies;
12. Encourages States to continue to
develop and implement domestic legislation and policies dealing with all stages
of displacement, including through the identification of a national focal point
within the Government for issues of
internal
displacement and through the allocation of budget resources, and encourages the
international community and national actors to provide financial support and
cooperation to Governments, upon request, in this regard;
13. Urges all Governments to continue to
facilitate the activities of the Representative of the Secretary-General, in
particular Governments with situations of internal displacement, and to give
serious consideration to inviting the
Representative
to visit their countries so as to enable him to continue and enhance dialogue
with Governments in addressing situations of internal displacement, and thanks
those Governments that have already done so;
14. Invites Governments to give serious
consideration, in dialogue with the Representative of the Secretary-General, to
the recommendations and suggestions addressed to them, in accordance with his
mandate, and to inform him of measures taken thereon;
15. Calls upon Governments to provide
protection and assistance, including reintegration and development assistance,
to internally displaced persons, and to facilitate the efforts of relevant
United Nations agencies and humanitarian
organizations in these respects, including by further improving access to internally displaced
persons;
16. Emphasizes the central role of the
Emergency Relief Coordinator for the inter-agency coordination of protection of
and assistance to internally displaced persons, and welcomes continued initiatives
taken in order to ensure better
protection,
assistance and development strategies for internally displaced persons, as well
as better coordination of activities regarding them;
17. Takes note of the efforts currently
under way by the United Nations humanitarian system, emphasizes the need to
strengthen further inter-agency arrangements and the capacities of the United
Nations agencies and other relevant
actors
to meet the immense humanitarian challenges of internal displacement, and underlines
in this regard the importance of an effective, accountable and predictable collaborative
approach;
18. Encourages all relevant United
Nations agencies and humanitarian assistance, human rights and development
organizations to enhance their collaboration and coordination, through the
Inter-Agency Standing Committee and
in
countries with situations of internal displacement, and to provide all possible
assistance and support to the Representative of the Secretary-General;
19. Notes with appreciation the increased
attention paid to the issue of internally displaced persons in the consolidated
inter-agency appeals process, and encourages further efforts in this regard;
20. Recognizes the relevance of the
global database on internally displaced persons advocated by the Representative
of the Secretary-General, and encourages the members of the Inter-Agency
Standing Committee and Governments to continue to collaborate on and support
this effort, including by providing relevant data on situations of internal
displacement and financial resources;
21. Welcomes the initiatives undertaken
by regional organizations, such as the African Union, the Organization of
American States, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Development,
the Council of Europe, the Commonwealth and the Economic Community of West
African States, to address the protection, assistance and development needs of
internally displaced persons, and encourages them and other
regional
organizations to strengthen their activities and their cooperation with the Representative
of the Secretary-General;
22. Requests the Secretary-General to
provide his Representative, from within existing resources, with all necessary
assistance to carry out his mandate effectively, and encourages the
Representative to continue to seek the contributions
of
States, relevant organizations and institutions in order to create a more
stable basis for his work;
23. Requests the Representative of the
Secretary-General to prepare, for the General Assembly at its sixty-third and
sixty-fourth sessions, a report on the implementation of the present
resolution;
24. Decides to continue its consideration
of the question of protection of and assistance to internally displaced persons
at its sixty-fourth session.
76th plenary meeting
18
December 2007.
(www.un.org)