Internally displaced must have a say in development decisions to help avoid rights abuse: UN expert

NEW YORK (18 October 2022) – Expanding the participation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in decisions that affect them, including decisions related to development, is crucial to protecting one of the most vulnerable groups worldwide, a UN expert said.

“Throughout my tenure, I have emphasised that the effectiveness of interventions to protect IDPs or support solutions to their displacement is contingent on an approach that views IDPs as agents in their own right, rather than passive beneficiaries of assistance,” said Cecilia Jimenez-Damary, Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons. “This enables them to take control of their lives and decide on their futures.”

Presenting her final report to the General Assembly after six years as Special Rapporteur, Jimenez-Damary noted that development as a potential driver of displacement had been given little attention compared with other causes, such as conflict or disasters.

“While development is an inalienable human right and an essential part of solutions to internal displacement, development projects can also provoke displacement when communities are forced to move due to project land requirements or negative impacts on their health and livelihoods,” the expert said. Such displacement could be prevented through appropriate policy choices, she said.

The Special Rapporteur detailed potential human rights impacts of development-induced displacement, including on the right to adequate housing, the right to livelihood, and the right to an adequate standard of living. She said some communities may be particularly marginalised by displacement, notably women and indigenous peoples.

Jimenez-Damary said structural challenges that contribute to development-induced displacement include a lack of adequate disclosure and consultation with affected communities, the absence of global data on the topic, insufficient due diligence, and the prevalence of development models that prioritise growth over addressing inequality.

“The Declaration on the Right to Development emphasises that development should improve the well-being of all individuals, the rights of all people to participate in development and determine their own development priorities, and that development benefits should be fairly distributed,” she said. “A rights-based approach to development implies that every individual should benefit equally.”

Reflecting on her tenure, the Special Rapporteur recalled her mandate’s key priorities, in addition to promoting the participation of IDPs, had included building on the standard-setting legacy of her predecessors in the role through mainstreaming relevant standards in the work of the international community through initiatives such as the State-led GP20 Plan of Action.

She welcomed the international community’s increased efforts to achieve solutions and underlined the importance of ensuring a human-rights based approach to all efforts in support of IDPs.

ENDS