A/HRC/19/54
been developed over the years. By contrast, relatively little exists for IDPs outside camps.
A number of factors often converge to focus assistance and attention to IDPs in camp
situations. In many case, camps or settlements are constituted spontaneously by mass
influxes of IDPs seeking protection and assistance, or in reaction to emergency situations in
which immediate and often life-saving responses require concentrated assistance in certain
areas (e.g. sites of natural disasters). With the passage of time, however, protracted
displacement in artificial camp settings has often given rise to important humanitarian,
protection and development concerns, for the IDP population, the country and sometimes
for a region as a whole. In some instances, they may even become a pull factor for poor
sectors of the population who may move into camps in order to have access to its basic
services and assistance, thus compounding the problem.
25.
In this regard, weaknesses in response systems, such as the gap between
humanitarian, and early recovery and development interventions (which promote durable
solutions), have been recognized and are increasingly being discussed. The Special
Rapporteur is of the view that in addition to addressing such weaknesses, a more effective
and systematized management of IDPs outside camps can also improve the overall response
to internal displacement, anchor it within a human rights based approach, and contribute to
durable solutions. Moreover, he notes that the benefits of improved responses to IDPs
outside camps may become increasingly relevant in the context of global trends such as
rapid global urbanization, and climate change induced displacement.
Addressing the causes of neglect of IDPs outside camps: through data collection
26.
Relevant normative frameworks, including international and regional human rights
instruments and international standards on internal displacement, all emphasize the primary
responsibility of national authorities for providing protection and assistance to IDPs. The
first concrete task in the discharge of this responsibility is the collection of data and
“credible information on the numbers, locations and conditions of the internally displaced
[which] is essential to designing effective policies and programs to address their needs and
protect their rights”.14 Yet, a recent survey of 15 displacement-affected countries found a
striking lack of accurate figures on IDPs outside of camps. 15 Establishing this information
at the outset and during displacement is a fundamental step but is often jeopardized by the
lack of effective and timely data collection and response systems. Such systems are
especially crucial in the early phase of an emergency and at the first site to which IDPs
have fled, in order to ensure that IDPs who later become dispersed within the larger
population (rather than remaining in camps), can be followed up on and assisted. In some
cases, political or financial pressures may limit or inflate the numbers of IDPs, 16 as can the
methodology, scope and timelines of data collection or registration procedures for example.
Particularly in conflict situations, data collection and registration procedures, should
contain sufficient safeguards to protect the confidentiality and human rights of IDPs, and
ensure the purely humanitarian nature of the exercise. The collaboration of the international
community in such exercises, amongst other measures, could contribute to such safeguards.
27.
At times, information and data collection on internal displacement will only be
possible or take place when IDPs are already dispersed and mixed within the wider
population. IDPs may prefer not to be identified at the beginning of displacement due to
security concerns, or data collection systems may simply not yet be in place. New and
14
15
16
The Brookings Institution-University of Bern Project on Internal Displacement, Addressing Internal
Displacement: A Framework for National Responsibility, undated, p. 14.
Brookings-LSE Internal Displacement project, "From Responsibility to Response: Assessing National
Approaches to Internal Displacement" 2011, p. 51.
Global Protection Cluster Working Group (GPC), Handbook for the Protection of Internally
Displaced Persons, March 2010, p. 345.
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