A/HRC/56/47
group that advised the review team. In addition, she regularly engaged with the Committee
principals and deputies, with whom she advocated for greater attention to the protection and
human rights of internally displaced persons in ongoing humanitarian crises, including in the
Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Myanmar, the
Sudan and Ukraine. The Special Rapporteur also issued numerous communications, news
releases and media statements, engaging in regular discussions on them and on other internal
displacement situations.
10.
As a co-lead of the IDP Protection Expert Group, together with the Office of the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Global Protection
Cluster, the Special Rapporteur led a mission with IDP Protection Expert Group members to
Ukraine in November 2023 at the invitation of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for
Human Rights. The mission coincided with the first meeting of the nationwide Ukrainian
forum of councils for internally displaced persons, convened by the Deputy Prime Minister
and Minister for Reintegration.
11.
The Special Rapporteur made keynote opening remarks for online courses on internal
displacement in Spanish, French and English at the International Institute of Humanitarian
Law and and contributed to numerous events, such as the 2024 Economic and Social Council
Partnership Forum, the Internal Displacement and Solutions Conference, the Global
Conference on Internally Displaced Persons and the twenty-fifth anniversary event held by
the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre.
III. Planned relocations of people in the context of disasters and
the adverse effects of climate change
A.
Conceptual approach
12.
Internal displacement in the context of sudden and slow-onset disasters and the
adverse effects of climate change is expected to increase as climate change intensifies. 8 The
impact of climate change also increasingly intersects with conflict. Of the 20 countries most
vulnerable to climate change, the majority are at war.9 Moreover, 70 per cent of internally
displaced persons are in fragile or conflict-affected States that are particularly vulnerable to
the adverse effects of climate change.10 As internally displaced persons are highly vulnerable
as a result of displacement, it is critical to reflect on how to mitigate the harm they endure.
13.
People have the fundamental right to stay in their homes or return after displacement.
Priority should therefore be given to climate adaptation and mitigation measures and disaster
prevention to keep human settlements intact whenever possible. Relocation should only be
regarded as a last resort, if necessary to protect life and health and based on consultation with
affected communities or at their request.
14.
Planned relocations should only be undertaken in exceptional circumstances where
they are unavoidable and absolutely required owing to the impracticality of sustaining human
settlements in areas prone to danger. 11 They must be conducted in a non-discriminatory
manner, be consistent with the human rights obligations of the State, meet substantive and
procedural safeguards and take place in conditions of safety and dignity. Particular care must
be taken to protect groups with a special dependency on and attachment to their lands.
15.
Provided that human rights and community well-being are fully respected, protected
and prioritized throughout all phases, planned relocations can foster durable solutions for
8
9
10
11
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, “Technical summary”, in Climate Change 2022: Impacts,
Adaptation and Vulnerability (Cambridge and New York, Cambridge University Press, 2022).
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), When Rain Turns to Dust: Understanding and
Responding to the Combined Impact of Armed Conflicts and the Climate and Environment Crisis on
People’s Lives (2020).
See www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/issues/climatechange/cfis/cfi-loss-damagestudy/submissions/subm-impact-loss-damage-un-enti-unhcr.docx.
Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement., principles 7 (1) and 24.
3