Protection of and Assistance to Internally Displaced Persons

A/RES/62/153View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 70b Human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms, published in 2008.

What other versions does this mandate have?

16 versions · 1996–2025

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/80/211

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2025	A/RES/80/211	Protection of and assistance to internally displaced persons	6,278	97%Compare
2023	A/RES/78/205	Protection of and assistance to internally displaced persons	6,248	93%Compare
2022	A/RES/76/167	Protection of and assistance to internally displaced persons	5,898	92%Compare
2020	A/RES/74/160	Protection of and assistance to internally displaced persons	5,628	26%Compare
2018	A/RES/72/182	Protection of and assistance to internally displaced persons	5,137	74%Compare

What’s in this document?

24 operative paragraphs

Takes note with appreciation of the report of the Representative of the Secretary-General on the human rights of internally displaced persons⁶ and of his conclusions and recommendations;

⁶See A/62/227.

Commends the Representative of the Secretary-General for the activities undertaken so far, for the catalytic role that he plays in raising the level of awareness about the plight of internally displaced persons and for his ongoing efforts to address their development and other specific needs, including through the mainstreaming of the human rights of internally displaced persons into all relevant parts of the United Nations system;

Encourages the Representative of the Secretary-General, through continuous dialogue with Governments and all intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations concerned, to continue his analysis of the root causes of internal displacement, the needs and human rights of those displaced, the development of benchmarks for assessing when displacement ends, measures of prevention and ways to strengthen protection, assistance and durable solutions for internally displaced persons, taking into account specific situations;

Also encourages the Representative of the Secretary-General, through continuous dialogue with Governments and all intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations concerned, to continue his efforts to promote comprehensive strategies that focus on prevention of displacement, on better protection and assistance and on durable solutions for those displaced, taking into account in this regard the primary responsibility of the States within their jurisdiction;

Expresses its appreciation to those Governments and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations that have provided protection and assistance to internally displaced persons and have supported the work of the Representative of the Secretary-General;

Expresses particular concern at the grave problems faced by many internally displaced women and children, including violence and abuse, sexual exploitation, forced recruitment and abduction, and welcomes the commitment of the Representative of the Secretary-General to pay more systematic and in-depth attention to their particular assistance, protection and development needs, as well as to other groups with special needs, such as severely traumatized individuals, older persons and persons with disabilities, taking into account the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and bearing in mind Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) of 31 October 2000;

Notes with appreciation the increasing role of national human rights institutions in assisting internally displaced persons and in promoting and protecting their human rights;

Notes the importance of taking the human rights and the specific protection and assistance needs of internally displaced persons into consideration, when appropriate, in peace processes, and emphasizes that durable solutions for internally displaced persons, including through voluntary return, sustainable reintegration and rehabilitation processes and their active participation, as appropriate, in the peacebuilding process, are necessary elements of effective peacebuilding;

Welcomes the role of the Peacebuilding Commission in this regard, and urges the Commission to intensify its efforts, within its mandate, in cooperation with national and transitional Governments and in consultation with the relevant United Nations entities, to incorporate the rights and the specific needs of internally displaced persons, including their voluntary return, reintegration and rehabilitation, as well as related land and property issues, when advising on or proposing country-specific peacebuilding strategies for post-conflict situations in cases under consideration, where applicable;

Recognizes the Guiding Principles on Internal DisplacementError: Reference source not found as an important international framework for the protection of internally displaced persons, welcomes the fact that an increasing number of States, United Nations agencies and regional and non-governmental organizations are applying them as a standard, and encourages all relevant actors to make use of the Guiding Principles when dealing with situations of internal displacement;

Welcomes the fact that the Representative of the Secretary-General continues to use the Guiding Principles in his dialogue with Governments and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and other relevant actors, and requests him to continue his efforts to further the dissemination, promotion and application of the Guiding Principles and to provide support for efforts to promote capacity-building and the use of the Guiding Principles, as well as the development of domestic legislation and policies;

Encourages States to continue to develop and implement domestic legislation and policies dealing with all stages of displacement, including through the identification of a national focal point within the Government for issues of internal displacement and through the allocation of budget resources, and encourages the international community and national actors to provide financial support and cooperation to Governments, upon request, in this regard;

Urges all Governments to continue to facilitate the activities of the Representative of the Secretary-General, in particular Governments with situations of internal displacement, and to give serious consideration to inviting the Representative to visit their countries so as to enable him to continue and enhance dialogue with Governments in addressing situations of internal displacement, and thanks those Governments that have already done so;

Invites Governments to give serious consideration, in dialogue with the Representative of the Secretary-General, to the recommendations and suggestions addressed to them, in accordance with his mandate, and to inform him of measures taken thereon;

Calls upon Governments to provide protection and assistance, including reintegration and development assistance, to internally displaced persons, and to facilitate the efforts of relevant United Nations agencies and humanitarian organizations in these respects, including by further improving access to internally displaced persons;

Emphasizes the central role of the Emergency Relief Coordinator for the inter-agency coordination of protection of and assistance to internally displaced persons, and welcomes continued initiatives taken in order to ensure better protection, assistance and development strategies for internally displaced persons, as well as better coordination of activities regarding them;

Takes note of the efforts currently under way by the United Nations humanitarian system, emphasizes the need to strengthen further inter-agency arrangements and the capacities of the United Nations agencies and other relevant actors to meet the immense humanitarian challenges of internal displacement, and underlines in this regard the importance of an effective, accountable and predictable collaborative approach;

Encourages all relevant United Nations agencies and humanitarian assistance, human rights and development organizations to enhance their collaboration and coordination, through the Inter-Agency Standing Committee and in countries with situations of internal displacement, and to provide all possible assistance and support to the Representative of the Secretary-General;

Notes with appreciation the increased attention paid to the issue of internally displaced persons in the consolidated inter-agency appeals process, and encourages further efforts in this regard;

Recognizes the relevance of the global database on internally displaced persons advocated by the Representative of the Secretary-General, and encourages the members of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee and Governments to continue to collaborate on and support this effort, including by providing relevant data on situations of internal displacement and financial resources;

Welcomes the initiatives undertaken by regional organizations, such as the African Union, the Organization of American States, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the Council of Europe, the Commonwealth and the Economic Community of West African States, to address the protection, assistance and development needs of internally displaced persons, and encourages them and other regional organizations to strengthen their activities and their cooperation with the Representative of the Secretary-General;

Requests the Secretary-General to provide his Representative, from within existing resources, with all necessary assistance to carry out his mandate effectively, and encourages the Representative to continue to seek the contributions of States, relevant organizations and institutions in order to create a more stable basis for his work;

Requests the Representative of the Secretary-General to prepare, for the General Assembly at its sixty-third and sixty-fourth sessions, a report on the implementation of the present resolution;

Decides to continue its consideration of the question of protection of and assistance to internally displaced persons at its sixty-fourth session.

Protection of and Assistance to Internally Displaced Persons

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