Background

The Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Ms. Paula Gaviria Betancur, invites all representatives of States, including central and local authorities, national human rights institutions, human rights defenders, civil society organizations, academics, UN agencies, internally displaced persons, host communities, and other stakeholders to share their views and thoughts on her proposed thematic priorities for the implementation of her mandate, which she will detail in her forthcoming report to the General Assembly.

Objectives

The Special Rapporteur will examine from an intersectional perspective how different groups are impacted by major drivers of displacement and to what extent their participation and specific needs are addressed as part of the process to deliver durable solutions to their displacement. She will study displacement drivers, barriers to, and catalysts for protection and enjoyment of human rights, and durable solution on the following themes:

• Climate change and internal displacement
• Internal displacement due to generalized violence, including the role of criminal violence
• Internally displaced persons and peace negotiations, mediation and peace processes, and peacebuilding
• Sustainable integration and/or reintegration into the communities in which they settle or return to.

The Special Rapporteur wishes to identify aspects of these themes that merit a particular focus by the mandate, including issues that may have been neglected by other stakeholders or challenges which are particularly complex to resolve.
 

Key questions and types of input/comments sought

The following questions are meant to guide the formulation of inputs.

Climate change and internal displacement

1. What issues related to internal displacement and climate change are most serious in terms of protecting human rights, reducing barriers, and fostering conditions for progressively achieving durable solutions that would warrant the Special Rapporteur’s attention and reporting?
2. What specific groups or populations are particularly or differentially affected by climate change and internal displacement? Is their meaningful and full participation ensured and if so, how? If not, what are the main obstacles?
3. What actions would you suggest the Special Rapporteur take to address these issues, within the purview of her mandate and complementary to the actions of her predecessors?
4. What are the main elements of effective preventive strategies for internal displacement driven by climate change, including adaptation measures and planned relocation policies?

(N.B. As the Special Rapporteur is particularly interested in topics which have not previously been addressed, see A/75/2017, A/66/285, A/64/214, A/HRC/10/13/Add. 1, and A/60/338 for examples of the mandate’s previous work on this theme)

Internal displacement due to generalized violence

5. What kind of situations or issues fall under the umbrella of “generalized violence” as a cause for internal displacement in your countries or contexts?
6. What issues related to generalized violence and internal displacement are most serious in terms of protecting human rights, reducing barriers, and fostering conditions for progressively achieving durable solutions that are insufficiently considered by other stakeholders that would warrant the Special Rapporteur’s attention and reporting?
7. What drivers of generalized violence are most serious in terms of their human rights implications? Which of them are insufficiently considered by other stakeholders that would warrant the Special Rapporteur’s attention?
8. What disproportionate impact does such violence have on specific groups? How are specific groups particularly or differentially affected by generalized violence and internal displacement?
9. What are the main elements of effective preventive strategies to mitigate internal displacement driven by generalized violence?
10. What actions would you suggest the Special Rapporteur take to address these issues, within the purview of her mandate and complementary to the actions of her predecessors?
11. What can different stakeholders do to address the root causes of generalized violence?

(N.B. As the Special Rapporteur is particularly interested in topics which have not previously been addressed, please see A/76/169, A/HRC/38/39/Add. 1, and A/HRC/32/35/Add.4 for examples of the mandate’s previous work on this theme)

Internally displaced persons in peace negotiations or mediation processes and in peacebuilding to achieve sustainable peace

12. What issues related to the human rights of internally displaced persons are most serious and/or least considered in such processes that would warrant the Special Rapporteur’s attention and reporting?
13. How and when should internally displaced persons participate in peace negotiations, mediation processes and in peacebuilding?
14. What specific groups or populations among internally displaced persons are underrepresented in or excluded from participation in such processes?
15. What actions would you suggest the Special Rapporteur take to address these issues, within the purview of her mandate and complementary to the actions of her predecessors?
16. How should peace negotiations, mediation processes and peace processes attempt to address the root causes of internal displacement?
17. Do peace and/or mediation processes and peacebuilding efforts adequately address the needs of all internally displaced persons? What factors enable or inhibit this?
18. What are effective strategies to ensure peace negotiations, peacebuilding efforts, other peace mediation processes, and peace agreements prevent future internal displacement?

(N.B. As the Special Rapporteur is particularly interested in topics which have not previously been addressed, please see A/73/173, A/68/225, A/HRC/10/13, and A/62/227 for examples of the mandate’s previous work on this theme)

(Re)integration of internally displaced persons

19. What issues related to integration or reintegration of internally displaced persons are most serious in terms of protecting human rights, reducing barriers and fostering conditions for progressively achieving durable solutions that would warrant the Special Rapporteur’s attention and reporting?
20. What specific groups or populations among internally displaced persons face particular challenges in integrating or reintegrating, and what are these challenges? Which challenges are faced by host communities and how to address them?
21. What factors enable or impede the sustainability of integration or reintegration of internally displaced persons? Please refer to social cohesion, mental and psychological health, identity, cultural and spiritual factors.
22. What actions would you suggest that the Special Rapporteur take to address these issues within the purview of her mandate and complementary to the actions of her predecessors?

(N.B. Please consider the theme of integration/reintegration of internally displaced persons within the context of and complementary to the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Framework on Durable Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons and the work of the Office of the Special Adviser on Solutions to Internal Displacement)

How inputs will be used

Please note that all submissions will be published by default unless confidentiality is expressly requested.