A/70/334
3.
Mitigation and preparedness measures
51. Those States with a history of displacement due to disaster or with histories of
internal conflict should be proactive and have displacement preparedness measures
in place. Where the occurrence of disaster is cyclical, adequate preparedness and
mitigation measures must be explored to prepare for potential displacement flows.
The Cancun Adaptation Framework, adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, held in Cancun,
Mexico, in 2010, invites Parties “to strengthen and, where necessary, establish
and/or designate national-level institutional arrangements, with a view to enhancing
work on the full range of adaptation actions, from planning to i mplementation”.
These include displacement-related adaptation measures. During his visit to South
Sudan, the Special Rapporteur called on the authorities to explore and implement
effective disaster risk reduction and mitigation measures, especially in area s prone
to repeated disaster (A/HRC/26/33/Add.3).
52. In some cases displacement can be predicted to result from actions taken by
Governments, which should therefore put appropriate measures in place. Fo r
example, development projects have displaced millions of people in all regions.
Development-induced displacement requires careful management and consultation
with the internally displaced persons and other affected communities. However, this
is rarely done, resulting in violations of human rights, including forced
displacement and violence. International standards must be adhered to, notably the
Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169) of the International
Labour Organization, which requires obtaining the free, prior and informed consent
of indigenous peoples regarding issues affecting them and their ancestral lands and
territories. The basic principles and guidelines on development -based evictions and
displacement (A/HRC/4/18, annex I) developed in 2007 by the Special Rapporteur
on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
provide valuable guidance to assist States in the development of policy and
legislation to prevent forced evictions.
C.
Governance for assistance to and protection of internally
displaced persons
53. The Government has the primary responsibility, at the national, regional and
local levels, to protect and assist all internally displaced persons who fall under its
jurisdiction, without discrimination. Once displacement has taken place, appropriate
early responses require such elements as rapid provision of appropriate shelter and
humanitarian assistance, protection measures to ensure safe and organized transit to
secure locations and safety at those locations and mobilization of specialist national
personnel, including military, police and civil authorities. The immediate response
can be highly challenging and requires the rapid mobilization of multiple resources.
54. In some of the countries visited by the Special Rapporteur, authorities
recognized that they had been caught unprepared by internal displacement and that
it took them some time to put adequate institutional arrangements in place to
respond to the needs. The first few days and weeks of a displacement crisis are
critical and time could more profitably be used if countries already have effective
structures in place. In the following paragraphs the Special Rapporteur analyses, on
the basis of information gathered in different displacement situations, good
15-12504
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