A/70/334 I. Introduction 1. The present report by the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Chaloka Beyani, is submitted in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 23/8 and General Assembly resolution 68/180. 2. Section II of the report provides an overview of the activities undertaken by the Special Rapporteur since his last report to the Assembly. Section III considers positive practices in establishing governance structures for preventing and responding to the different stages of displacement internal displacement that can be adapted to the given national and local contexts. II. Mandate and activities of the Special Rapporteur A. Mandate 3. The Human Rights Council, in its resolution 23/8, mandated the Special Rapporteur to address the complex problem of internal displacement, in particular by engaging in coordinated international advocacy and action for improving protection of and respect for the human rights of internally displaced persons; continuing and enhancing dialogue with Governments, intergovernmental, regional and non-governmental organizations and other relevant actors; working towards strengthening the international response to internal displacement; and mainstreaming the human rights of internally displaced persons in to all relevant parts of the United Nations system. B. Country visits 4. Since his last report to the General Assembly (A/68/225), the Special Rapporteur undertook official and working visits to Ukraine ( A/HRC/29/34/Add.3), the Central African Republic, Iraq, the Syrian Arab Republic and the Philippines. Central African Republic 5. The Special Rapporteur visited the Central African Republic from 10 to 14 February 2015, on a joint mission with the Assistant Secretary-General of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Director of Operations of the Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department of the European Commission. The delegation was joined by the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic. 6. At that time, some 500,000 persons remained internally displaced. He stressed that their plight deserves concerted international attention and that the tragic humanitarian situation must not be forgotten. The delegation witnessed many internally displaced persons, in particular from minority and nomadic groups, who remained trapped by the continued violence and were living in precarious and desperate conditions. The Special Rapporteur emphasized that no one should be prevented from moving to safe locations best suited to their protection needs and that their choices must be respected. 4/26 15-12504