A/79/334 I. Introduction 1. Enabling durable solutions for internally displaced persons and achieving sustainable peace are inextricably linked by their shared dependence on addressing the root causes of conflict and displacement, implementing measures to prevent the recurrence of crises and future human rights violations and ensuring restitution and remedy for victims. Following their displacement, internally displaced persons have the right to freely choose whether to return, integrate locally or resettle elsewhere. 1 For these to be truly durable solutions, however, it is crucial that broader elements of lasting peace also be in place, including security guarantees, the restoration of housing, land and property, community reconciliation, post-conflict reconstruction and development, transitional justice and access to remedy, as well as the re-establishment of rule of law and a legitimate Government. 2 2. It is regrettable that the world today is marked by more armed conflicts that at any time in the past three decades, the majority of which are internal conflicts. 3 These conflicts are also increasingly deadly, 4 and many have been characterized by mass atrocities and crimes against humanity. There has been a parallel surge in forced displacement. Globally, more than 117 million people are forcibly displaced, more than double the share of the population displaced a decade ago. 5 Over half of those forcibly displaced – approximately 76 million people worldwide – are internally displaced, with conflict being the principal cause of displacement. 6 Displacement is also increasingly protracted, with contemporary displacement ranging from 10 to 26 years. 7 These sobering statistics underscore the imperative for States and the international community to redouble their efforts to secure sustainable peace and durable solutions to internal displacement and to prevent further violence and conflict. 3. Comprehensive peace agreements have been declining steadily since the 1970s, 8 while informal approaches to peacebuilding are on the rise. The increasingly complex nature of contemporary conflicts, their interlinkages with the climate crisis, the weaponization of new and emerging technologies and the proliferation of non -State armed groups have challenged traditional approaches to peacebuilding and the search for durable solutions to internal displacement. There are also challenges in ensuring coordination among international, national, regional and local tracks of peacebuilding and in ensuring that all actors responding to internal displacement crises understand the importance of integrating internal displacement considerations into peacebuilding processes. 9 4. In conflict situations, internally displaced persons may be both victims and actors with the potential to end the conflict, build sustainable peace and prevent further conflict. The unique perspective and understanding that internally displaced __________________ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 24-15773 Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, principle 14. Walter Kälin, “Foreword by the Representative of the UN Secretary -General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons”, in The Brookings Institution -University of Bern Project on Internal Displacement, Addressing Internal Displacement in Peace Processes, Peace Agreements and Peace-Building (September 2007). Peace Research Institute Oslo, “New figures show conflict-related deaths at 28-year high, largely due to Ethiopia and Ukraine wars”, 7 June 2023. The number of conflict deaths increased in 2023 in 57 countries. See Institute for Economics & Peace, Global Peace Index 2024: Measuring Peace in a Complex World (Sydney, June 2024), p. 11. See www.unhcr.org/global-trends. Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, Global Report on Internal Displacement 2024 (Geneva, 2024). See www.iom.int/high-level-panel-internal-displacement. Twenty-three per cent of conflicts in the 1970s and 4 per cent of conflicts in 2010 were concluded through peace agreements. See Institute for Economics & Peace, Global Peace Index 2024, p. 5. See A/73/173. 3/24