Thematic Focus: Internal Displacement

In light of 2018 being the 20th anniversary year of the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, a number of initiatives and special publications relating to internally displaced persons are in the works. Calls have also been made for IDPs to be more explicitly addressed in the Global Compacts. Here is a sampling of relevant resources:

Events & opportunities:

Symposium on Internal Displacement, Washington, DC, 22 May 2018 [info]
- No deadline indicated.

CFP: Forced Migration Review [info]
- Articles sought on the theme of "Twenty Years of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement." The deadline is 4 June 2018.

Revitalising the IDP Field: 20 Years of the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, London, 20 July 2018 [info]
- No deadline indicated, although only a limited number of places are available.

Publications:

2018: Time to Reframe Policy and Practice on Internal Displacement (IDMC Blog, April 2018) [text]

Internal Displacement is Not a Footnote (IDMC Blog, Feb. 2018) [text]
- "Three reasons why internal displacement should be more firmly embedded in the global compact on refugees... ."

IOM DG Swing Calls for Greater Assistance, Protection for the Internally Displaced (IOM, April 2018) [text]

Open Letter from the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons on the Inclusion of IDPs in the Global Compact on Safe, Regular and Orderly Migration, in Line with the New York Declaration on Refugees and Migrants, 12 March 2018 [text]

The Unaddressed Plight of Internally Displaced Persons (IPI Global Observatory, March 2018) [text]

Campaign & Plan of Action:

20th Anniversary of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement: A Plan of Action for Advancing Prevention, Protection and Solutions for Internally Displaced People 2018-2020 [access]
- Launched on 17 April 2018, the "goal of the Plan of Action is to reduce and resolve internal displacement through prevention, protection and solutions for IDPs consistent with the Guiding Principles. The objectives centre around four priority issues: IDP participation; national law and policy on internal displacement; data and analysis on internal displacement; and addressing protracted displacement and securing durable solutions." See also related IDMC and UNHCR press releases.

Internal Displacement: 20 Years of Action [access]
- "While the Guiding Principles have helped to raise awareness and address internal displacement, much remains to be done. Unacceptable numbers of people are still displaced each year, and more and more people live in situations of prolonged displacement with no solution in sight." Launched by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) and other organizations.

Watch for:

The 2018 Global Report on Internal Displacement will be launched on 16 May 2018. Check IDMC's web site.

A forthcoming special issue of the International Journal of Refugee Law will mark the 20th anniversary of the Guiding Principles.

*A panel discussion on the human rights of internally displaced persons in commemoration of the twentieth anniversary of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement will be held at some point during the 38th Session of the UN Human Rights Council, which meets in Geneva from 18 June-6 July 2018.

*UPDATED

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.