Protection of and Assistance to Internally Displaced Persons

A/RES/64/162View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 69b Human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms, published in 2010.

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?

26 operative paragraphs

Welcomes the report of the Representative of the Secretary-General on the human rights of internally displaced persons¹⁰ and the conclusions and recommendations contained therein;

¹⁰See A/64/214.

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 and of the needs and human rights of those displaced, to continue the development of benchmarks for achieving durable solutions and measures of prevention, including early warning, as well as ways to strengthen protection, assistance and durable solutions for internally displaced persons, and to continue to promote comprehensive strategies, taking into account the primary responsibility of States for the protection of and assistance to internally displaced persons 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;

Calls upon States to provide durable solutions, and encourages strengthened international cooperation, including through the provision of resources and expertise to assist affected countries, and in particular developing countries, in their national efforts and policies related to assistance, protection and rehabilitation for internally displaced persons;

Expresses particular concern at the grave problems faced by many internally displaced women and children, including violence and abuse, sexual exploitation, trafficking in persons, forced recruitment and abduction, and encourages the continued commitment of the Representative of the Secretary-General to promote action to address their particular assistance, protection and development needs, as well as those of 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 of the Security Council and giving appropriate consideration to annex I to the report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, entitled “Rights and guarantees for internally displaced children”;¹¹

¹¹See A/64/254.

Emphasizes the importance of consultation with internally displaced persons and host communities by Governments and other relevant actors, in accordance with their specific mandates, during all phases of displacement, as well as the participation of internally displaced persons, where appropriate, in programmes and activities pertaining to them, taking into account the primary responsibility of States for the protection of and assistance to internally displaced persons within their jurisdiction;

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 peace process, are necessary elements of effective peacebuilding;

Welcomes the role of the Peacebuilding Commission in this regard, and continues to urge 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 in safety and with dignity, 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;

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 organizations 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 ongoing use of the Guiding Principles by the Representative of the Secretary-General in his dialogue with Governments, 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, in an inclusive and non-discriminatory way, 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;

Expresses its appreciation that an increasing number of States have adopted domestic legislation and policies dealing with all stages of displacement;

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 respond favourably to requests from the Representative for visits 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 the relevant United Nations agencies and humanitarian organizations in these respects, including by further improving access to internally displaced persons and by maintaining the civilian and humanitarian character of camps and settlements for internally displaced persons where they exist;

Emphasizes the central role of the Emergency Relief Coordinator for the inter-agency coordination of protection of and assistance to internally displaced persons, 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, and emphasizes the need to strengthen the capacities of the United Nations organizations and other relevant actors to meet the immense humanitarian challenges of internal displacement;

Encourages all relevant United Nations organizations and humanitarian assistance, human rights and development organizations to enhance their collaboration and coordination, through the Inter-Agency Standing Committee and United Nations country teams in countries with situations of internal displacement, and to provide all possible assistance and support to the Representative of the Secretary-General, and requests the continued participation of the Representative in the work of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee and its subsidiary bodies;

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

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

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 financial resources and relevant data on situations of internal displacement;

Welcomes the initiatives undertaken by regional organizations, such as the African Union, the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, the Organization of American States and the Council of Europe, to address the protection, assistance and development needs of internally displaced persons and to find durable solutions for them, and encourages 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 assistance necessary to carry out his mandate effectively, and encourages the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in close cooperation with the Emergency Relief Coordinator, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of the Secretariat and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and all other relevant United Nations offices and agencies, to continue to support the Representative;

Encourages the Representative of the Secretary-General 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-fifth and sixty-sixth 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-sixth session.

Protection of and Assistance to Internally Displaced Persons

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