A/70/334 persons, adopted in 2007. He nevertheless noted that the Government should provide internally displaced persons with better information and consult them systematically (A/HRC/26/33/Add.1). Data and profiling 38. The Special Rapporteur has consistently called for better data and profiling of internally displaced persons. Figures on internally displaced persons tend to vary according to the source, owing to such factors as data-gathering and registration discrepancies and, in some cases, the desire on the part of Governments to distort the extent of displacement. He stresses that registration, profiling and needs assessment exercises are essential in responding effectively to the needs of internally displaced persons. Information such as who is displaced and where, their profile and specific needs, as well as surveys of intent that reveal their desires, are all critical to address their situations in the most suitable way. 39. The following sections describe some of the challenges and positive pr actices in the governance and management of internal displacement at different phases. B. Governance for prevention, preparedness and mitigation of displacement 40. According to the Guiding Principles, “all authorities and international actors shall respect and ensure respect for their obligations under international law, including human rights and humanitarian law, in all circumstances, so as to prevent and avoid conditions that might lead to displacement of persons ” (principle 5). Furthermore, “States are under a particular obligation to protect against the displacement of indigenous peoples, minorities, peasants, pastoralists and other groups with a special dependency on and attachment to their lands ” (principle 9). These principles underline States’ obligations to take preventive measures to avoid displacement. However, States often lack adequate governance structures to prevent, prepare for and mitigate the consequences of internal displacement before the onset of a displacement crisis. 41. As emphasized in a study on assessing national responses to internal displacement published by the Brookings Institution and the London School of Economics, “preventing displacement is the most important step that a government can take in exercising its responsibility to protect internally displaced persons. Yet it also is probably the most difficult and the least likely to be taken, both by national authorities and by the international community.” 7 While displacement can be difficult to predict, authorities at all levels must be more proactive and innovative, notably by devoting more resources to prevention mechanisms and to mitigation and adaptation measures where displacement is foreseeable or inevitable. 1. Monitoring mechanisms and early warning systems 42. Causes of displacement are manifold, and in some situations they are not clear-cut but overlap. States can benefit from putting in place monitoring and early warning systems to help prevent displacement. Specialized monitoring bodies can __________________ 7 12/26 Elizabeth Ferris, Erin Mooney and Chareen Stark, From Responsibility to Response: Assessing National Approaches to Internal Displacement (Washington, D.C., 2011). 15-12504