A/RES/70/165
Protection of and assistance to internally displaced persons
of States and the international community to further strengthen their protection and
assistance, including by respecting and protecting the human rights and fundamental
freedoms of all internally displaced persons, with a view to finding durable solutions,
Emphasizing that States have the primary responsibility to provide protection
and assistance to internally displaced persons within their jurisdiction, without
discrimination, as well as to address the root causes of the displacement problem and
support solutions in appropriate cooperation with the international community,
Reaffirming that all persons, including those who are internally displaced, have
the right to freedom of movement and residence and should be protected against
arbitrary displacement,
Noting the need for increased awareness by the international community of the
issue of internal displacement worldwide, including the situation of millions living in
protracted situations of displacement, many of them outside camp settings and in
urban areas, and the urgency of providing adequate humanitarian assistance to and
protection for internally displaced persons, ensuring protection from landmines and
other explosive remnants of war, supporting local host communities, addressing the
root causes of displacement, and finding durable solutions for internally displaced
persons in their countries and addressing possible obstacles in this regard, and
recognizing that durable solutions include voluntary return in safety and with dignity,
as well as voluntary local integration in the areas to which persons have been
displaced or voluntary settlement in another part of the country, without prejudice to
the right of internally displaced persons to leave their country or to seek asylum,
Emphasizing that ensuring durable solutions for internally displaced persons,
including the right of voluntary return in safety and with dignity, should be
approached from a humanitarian and development perspective,
Recalling the relevant norms of international law, including 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, 2
Recalling also the relevance of international humanitarian law, including the
Geneva Conventions of 1949 3 and the Additional Protocols thereto of 1977, 4 as a vital
legal framework for the protection of and assistance to civilians in armed conflict and
under foreign occupation, including internally displaced persons,
Recognizing that violations of international humanitarian law can cause
displacement, and recalling that displacement could be reduced if interna tional
humanitarian law was respected by all parties to armed conflict, in particular the
fundamental principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution, as well as the
prohibition of forced displacement of the civilian population, unless the securi ty of the
civilians involved or imperative military reasons so demand, 5
Welcoming the increasing dissemination, promotion, application and integration
into domestic laws and policies of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement
when dealing with situations of internal displacement,
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2
E/CN.4/1998/53/Add.2, annex.
United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 75, Nos. 970–973.
4
Ibid., vol. 1125, Nos. 17512 and 17513.
5
Ibid., vol. 1125, No. 17513, arts. 13 and 17.
3
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