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21 July 2000
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21 July 2000
Statement of the Representative of the Secretary-General
on Internally Displaced Persons, Dr. Francis M. Deng
ECOSOC - Humanitarian Segment
Geneva, 21 July 2000
Mr. Chairman,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen
In these dawning months of the millennium, we have seen an increased and indeed welcome focus on the problem of internal displacement. In January, the Security Council focused its attention on Africa and the plight of its internally displaced. Since then, the issue has drawn unprecedented attention in United Nations circles, not only with respect to Africa, but worldwide. The problem of internal displacement is, after all, a global one. While Africa is host to half the world's internally displaced, the crisis of displacement affects some 20 to 25 million people in over 50 countries in literally all regions of the world – in Asia, Africa the Americas and Europe.
The countries selected for examination by the ECOSOC Humanitarian Segment's IDP panel two days ago and in the recently issued 'Status Report' by OCHA provide essential 'snapshot' glimpses of the complexity and magnitude of the problem of internal displacement. In looking at the different cases, it is important to bear in mind that internal displacement does not just take place in 'complex emergencies'. In my missions to the South Caucasus, for example, I found protracted situations of displacement requiring attention even though the emergency had long passed. In addition, there are situations of internal displacement which are not recognized as problems or addressed by the international community, sometimes because access is barred.
Whatever the circumstances of internal displacement, protection concerns are often paramount, in addition to basic assistance needs -- for adequate shelter, food, safe water, health care and education. Too often, however, the focus is only on assistance when physical insecurity and human rights concerns also demand urgent attention.
Protection and assistance needs are particularly acute in Angola, one of the case studies presented two days ago. Today, an estimated 3.8 million Angolans are internally displaced. But only less than half of Angola's estimated displaced population has been registered by a UN agency or NGO. As United States Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Carolyn McAskie, and most recently Under Secretary-General Ibrahim Gambari have found, many displaced Angolans remain in desperate need of protection and deprived of the basic necessities of life.
The tenuous situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is also cause for serious concern. Humanitarian needs remain significant. The human cost of the conflict in DRC includes some 1.8 million internally displaced persons. In May, the International Rescue Committee reported that 1.7 million excess deaths took place over the past 22 months because of the fighting in the eastern part of the country. It reported that the highest death rates were among displaced populations, and that forty-seven percent of these deaths were of women and children. Funding of international humanitarian efforts therefore remains vital. At the same time, however effective the international response to the immediate needs of the internally displaced, it is only in sustained efforts towards a political resolution to the conflict that a durable solution to their plight can be found. Unfortunately, initiatives to bring peace have thus far not been felt on the ground and there are an increasing number of displaced persons, whose precise numbers and locations are not always known.
Turning to Georgia, as had been explained at the panel discussion the day before yesterday, a “New Approach” to internal displacement has been developed by the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the World Bank and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and has been endorsed by the Government. Building upon a similar initiative launched in Azerbaijan, it is an important effort towards more effectively addressing the needs of persons internally displaced for protracted periods. The New Approach continues to advocate the right of internally displaced persons to return to their homes in safety and dignity, but absent these conditions, recognises their right to be treated in the same manner as all citizens and to be able to resume productive lives in the areas where they now reside. Accordingly, it seeks to provide through income generating and other projects an opportunity for the internally displaced to build skills and self-reliance, and thereby to help bridge the gap between humanitarian relief and development assistance. In my view, its success holds great potential not only for Georgia but can also serve as a model for how the international community can best address the needs of the internally displaced in similar situations of protracted displacement. It is therefore all the more critical that the relevant actors - the UN agencies, the World Bank, and the Government – and donors ensure that the resources and other requirements necessary to begin implementation of the New Approach are made available without delay. At the same time, given that the root causes of internal displacement in Georgia, as in most cases of internal displacement, are inherently political in nature, there is need also for an intensification of efforts towards peaceful resolution of the conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Speaking of Georgia, at the request of the Government, I undertook an official visit there in May. Country missions indeed constitute one of the most important pillars of my mandate. Undertaking such missions provide an opportunity to study the situation of the internally displaced, to assess the effectiveness of national and international responses in bringing them needed protection and relief, and, most importantly, to engage in solutions-oriented dialogue with the authorities and other relevant actors. So far, I have undertaken 18 country missions, the latest being to Burundi, East Timor and most recently Georgia and Armenia. Looking ahead, plans are underway for me to visit Angola, the Sudan and Turkey. I also look forward to being able to visit Indonesia, the Philippines, and the Russian Federation over the next year. In my missions, my approach is one of respecting the sovereignty of Governments while also underscoring the responsibility that this entails. In this connection, I have often appealed to the national authorities to give positive meaning to the concept of sovereignty as responsibility. Sometimes my missions are in fulfillment of the collaborative approach with relevant UN agencies. For example, during my mission to Burundi, I transmitted the IASC policy on forced relocation to the Government and strongly advocated the dismantling of the 'regroupement' camps. I welcome the Government of Burundi's decision to close all camps by 31 July and express the hope that this will be carried out in a humane and transparent manner.
One of the tools that have proved useful in my dialogue with Governments are the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. It should be recalled that when I first became Representative of the Secretary-General in 1992, one of my first tasks was to study the normative gap that existed with regard to the internally displaced. Together with a team of legal experts, and at the express request of the United Nations Commission for Human Rights and the General Assembly, we prepared a Compilation and Analysis of Legal Norms pertaining to internal displacement. Further to this study, the Commission and the General Assembly requested that I develop a comprehensive normative framework for the internally displaced on the basis of its findings. Thus commenced the work that led eventually to the development of the Guiding Principles, which I presented to the Commission in 1998.
The process by which the Guiding Principles was drafted was an inclusive broad-based one. It brought together legal experts from all different parts of the world and included representatives of international organizations, regional bodies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) at the international and local level, and research and academic institutions. Although not a binding instrument, these Principles are a restatement of existing norms of human rights and humanitarian law as well as analogous refugee law. They set forth the rights of internally displaced persons and the obligations of Governments, insurgent groups and other actors toward these populations in all phases of displacement. They bring together in one compact document existing international law applicable to the internally displaced.
The Principles have proved valuable to international organizations, NGOs, displaced communities and also to Governments. Indeed, over the past three years, I have regularly reported on how they are being used by all actors dealing with the displaced. As is well known, the Commission on Human Rights and the General Assembly unanimously adopted resolutions in 1998 taking note of the Principles and of my intention to use them in my work. The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) also took note of the Principles. And in 1999 the General Assembly welcomed the fact that I have been using the Guiding Principles in my dialogues with governments and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, and requested that I continue these efforts. The General Assembly further noted with appreciation that UN agencies, regional and non-governmental organizations were using the Principles in their work and encouraged the further dissemination and application of the Principles. It should be recalled that the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) welcomed the Principles in 1998 and encouraged its member agencies to share them with their executive boards and staff and to apply them in their activities in the field on behalf of the internally displaced -- a decision noted by the Commission on Human Rights and ECOSOC that year.
Furthermore, the Secretary-General, in his report to the Security Council on the 'Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict', highlighted the Guiding Principles and the importance of promoting their observance. Additionally, earlier this year in the Presidential statement on the situation of refugees and internally displaced persons in Africa, the Security Council made reference to the fact that UN agencies, regional and non-governmental organizations in cooperation with governments are making use of the Principles and emphasized the need for better implementation of relevant norms of international law with regard to internally displaced persons. The Council also has begun to refer to the Guiding Principles when addressing specific situations of internal displacement, as in the case of Burundi.
Indeed, it has been a source of gratification to me that this normative framework has contributed to efforts on behalf of the internally displaced. Regional bodies, such as the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States (OAS), have acknowledged the Principles and begun to circulate them. These inter-governmental bodies have also been hosting seminars at which the Principles have been introduced. For example, in October 1998, the OAU, together with UNHCR and the Brookings Institution, co-sponsored a regional workshop on internal displacement in Africa, at which the Principles were presented and discussed. In May of this year, the OSCE co-hosted a seminar on internal displacement in the South Caucasus region at which the Principles were presented as well. Governments from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia participated in the seminar, along with international organizations and NGOs. In Asia, representatives of various national human rights commissions were among the participants from sixteen countries assembled at a regional conference held in Bangkok in February. There have also been country-level seminars on the Guiding Principles in which Governments have actively participated in Uganda, Colombia and the Philippines. In my own country, the Sudan, representatives of the Government will participate in the seminar on internal displacement that is being planned for next year and in which the Guiding Principles will be discussed. The Commission on Human Rights in its resolutions has encouraged the further dissemination and application of the Principles through such seminars on internal displacement.
As noted earlier, in my dialogues with Governments, I regularly discuss the Guiding Principles. In Colombia, for instance, my use of the Guiding Principles as a basis for dialogue was well received by Government officials. Since my visit, the Ombudsman's Office has included the Principles in its public awareness campaign about internal displacement, and the Red de Solidaridad Social, the government agency focusing on internal displacement, has included the Principles in its book, Attention to the Population Displaced by the Armed Conflict. Furthermore, the Colombian Ministry of Health and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) are planning to translate the Handbook for Applying the Guiding Principles into Spanish so as to promote its use in Colombia, where there are more internally displaced persons than anywhere else in the Americas. Other Governments have also used the Guiding Principles to good advantage, for example, the Governments of Azerbaijan and Georgia. The Government of Armenia, with which I had the opportunity to discuss the Principles during my mission in May, has undertaken to translate, publish and disseminate the Guiding Principles as part of a public awareness campaign.
With respect to institutional arrangements at the international level, there are several institutional possibilities for responding to situations of internal displacement. Among the various options presented over the years have been the creation of a special agency for the internally displaced, the designation of an existing agency to assume full responsibility for them, and collaboration among the different agencies in the field. The Secretary-General’s reform programme of 1997 opted for the collaborative approach through the IASC, under the Chairmanship of the Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC). The ERC has been undertaking efforts to strengthen collaboration in the field. I welcome the increased attention to the internally displaced by the inter-agency process, in particular its efforts to enhance coordination on the ground as exemplified by the most recent proposal of a Senior Inter-Agency Network for this purpose.
We heard two days ago about the efforts being made in Angola, the DRC and Georgia to address the needs of the internally displaced. We also heard about the difficulties encountered by our colleagues in doing so. I should like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to these and other field colleagues for their dedication and perseverance in working towards ameliorating the plight of so many under what I know are trying conditions.
To conclude, the plight of the internally displaced remains one of the most serious humanitarian, human rights and political and security problems confronting the global community. While definite progress has been made to raise visibility to the plight of internally displaced persons and address their needs, much still remains to be done. There is a need for the entire international community to work together to ensure that the pressing needs of internally displaced persons are adequately addressed, that the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement are observed and that the institutional divisions of labor decided upon are effective in delivering protection and assistance. These are challenges that must be met if we are to develop an effective and comprehensive system of protection and assistance for the millions of persons displaced within the borders of their own countries. I welcome the attention that ECOSOC is giving to their plight and hope that as a result of your deliberations further constructive steps will be taken to address this global crisis.
Thank you.
Statement of the Representative of the Secretary-General
on Internally Displaced Persons, Dr. Francis M. Deng
ECOSOC - Humanitarian Segment
Geneva, 21 July 2000
Mr. Chairman,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen
In these dawning months of the millennium, we have seen an increased and indeed welcome focus on the problem of internal displacement. In January, the Security Council focused its attention on Africa and the plight of its internally displaced. Since then, the issue has drawn unprecedented attention in United Nations circles, not only with respect to Africa, but worldwide. The problem of internal displacement is, after all, a global one. While Africa is host to half the world's internally displaced, the crisis of displacement affects some 20 to 25 million people in over 50 countries in literally all regions of the world – in Asia, Africa the Americas and Europe.
The countries selected for examination by the ECOSOC Humanitarian Segment's IDP panel two days ago and in the recently issued 'Status Report' by OCHA provide essential 'snapshot' glimpses of the complexity and magnitude of the problem of internal displacement. In looking at the different cases, it is important to bear in mind that internal displacement does not just take place in 'complex emergencies'. In my missions to the South Caucasus, for example, I found protracted situations of displacement requiring attention even though the emergency had long passed. In addition, there are situations of internal displacement which are not recognized as problems or addressed by the international community, sometimes because access is barred.
Whatever the circumstances of internal displacement, protection concerns are often paramount, in addition to basic assistance needs -- for adequate shelter, food, safe water, health care and education. Too often, however, the focus is only on assistance when physical insecurity and human rights concerns also demand urgent attention.
Protection and assistance needs are particularly acute in Angola, one of the case studies presented two days ago. Today, an estimated 3.8 million Angolans are internally displaced. But only less than half of Angola's estimated displaced population has been registered by a UN agency or NGO. As United States Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Carolyn McAskie, and most recently Under Secretary-General Ibrahim Gambari have found, many displaced Angolans remain in desperate need of protection and deprived of the basic necessities of life.
The tenuous situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is also cause for serious concern. Humanitarian needs remain significant. The human cost of the conflict in DRC includes some 1.8 million internally displaced persons. In May, the International Rescue Committee reported that 1.7 million excess deaths took place over the past 22 months because of the fighting in the eastern part of the country. It reported that the highest death rates were among displaced populations, and that forty-seven percent of these deaths were of women and children. Funding of international humanitarian efforts therefore remains vital. At the same time, however effective the international response to the immediate needs of the internally displaced, it is only in sustained efforts towards a political resolution to the conflict that a durable solution to their plight can be found. Unfortunately, initiatives to bring peace have thus far not been felt on the ground and there are an increasing number of displaced persons, whose precise numbers and locations are not always known.
Turning to Georgia, as had been explained at the panel discussion the day before yesterday, a “New Approach” to internal displacement has been developed by the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the World Bank and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and has been endorsed by the Government. Building upon a similar initiative launched in Azerbaijan, it is an important effort towards more effectively addressing the needs of persons internally displaced for protracted periods. The New Approach continues to advocate the right of internally displaced persons to return to their homes in safety and dignity, but absent these conditions, recognises their right to be treated in the same manner as all citizens and to be able to resume productive lives in the areas where they now reside. Accordingly, it seeks to provide through income generating and other projects an opportunity for the internally displaced to build skills and self-reliance, and thereby to help bridge the gap between humanitarian relief and development assistance. In my view, its success holds great potential not only for Georgia but can also serve as a model for how the international community can best address the needs of the internally displaced in similar situations of protracted displacement. It is therefore all the more critical that the relevant actors - the UN agencies, the World Bank, and the Government – and donors ensure that the resources and other requirements necessary to begin implementation of the New Approach are made available without delay. At the same time, given that the root causes of internal displacement in Georgia, as in most cases of internal displacement, are inherently political in nature, there is need also for an intensification of efforts towards peaceful resolution of the conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Speaking of Georgia, at the request of the Government, I undertook an official visit there in May. Country missions indeed constitute one of the most important pillars of my mandate. Undertaking such missions provide an opportunity to study the situation of the internally displaced, to assess the effectiveness of national and international responses in bringing them needed protection and relief, and, most importantly, to engage in solutions-oriented dialogue with the authorities and other relevant actors. So far, I have undertaken 18 country missions, the latest being to Burundi, East Timor and most recently Georgia and Armenia. Looking ahead, plans are underway for me to visit Angola, the Sudan and Turkey. I also look forward to being able to visit Indonesia, the Philippines, and the Russian Federation over the next year. In my missions, my approach is one of respecting the sovereignty of Governments while also underscoring the responsibility that this entails. In this connection, I have often appealed to the national authorities to give positive meaning to the concept of sovereignty as responsibility. Sometimes my missions are in fulfillment of the collaborative approach with relevant UN agencies. For example, during my mission to Burundi, I transmitted the IASC policy on forced relocation to the Government and strongly advocated the dismantling of the 'regroupement' camps. I welcome the Government of Burundi's decision to close all camps by 31 July and express the hope that this will be carried out in a humane and transparent manner.
One of the tools that have proved useful in my dialogue with Governments are the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. It should be recalled that when I first became Representative of the Secretary-General in 1992, one of my first tasks was to study the normative gap that existed with regard to the internally displaced. Together with a team of legal experts, and at the express request of the United Nations Commission for Human Rights and the General Assembly, we prepared a Compilation and Analysis of Legal Norms pertaining to internal displacement. Further to this study, the Commission and the General Assembly requested that I develop a comprehensive normative framework for the internally displaced on the basis of its findings. Thus commenced the work that led eventually to the development of the Guiding Principles, which I presented to the Commission in 1998.
The process by which the Guiding Principles was drafted was an inclusive broad-based one. It brought together legal experts from all different parts of the world and included representatives of international organizations, regional bodies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) at the international and local level, and research and academic institutions. Although not a binding instrument, these Principles are a restatement of existing norms of human rights and humanitarian law as well as analogous refugee law. They set forth the rights of internally displaced persons and the obligations of Governments, insurgent groups and other actors toward these populations in all phases of displacement. They bring together in one compact document existing international law applicable to the internally displaced.
The Principles have proved valuable to international organizations, NGOs, displaced communities and also to Governments. Indeed, over the past three years, I have regularly reported on how they are being used by all actors dealing with the displaced. As is well known, the Commission on Human Rights and the General Assembly unanimously adopted resolutions in 1998 taking note of the Principles and of my intention to use them in my work. The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) also took note of the Principles. And in 1999 the General Assembly welcomed the fact that I have been using the Guiding Principles in my dialogues with governments and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, and requested that I continue these efforts. The General Assembly further noted with appreciation that UN agencies, regional and non-governmental organizations were using the Principles in their work and encouraged the further dissemination and application of the Principles. It should be recalled that the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) welcomed the Principles in 1998 and encouraged its member agencies to share them with their executive boards and staff and to apply them in their activities in the field on behalf of the internally displaced -- a decision noted by the Commission on Human Rights and ECOSOC that year.
Furthermore, the Secretary-General, in his report to the Security Council on the 'Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict', highlighted the Guiding Principles and the importance of promoting their observance. Additionally, earlier this year in the Presidential statement on the situation of refugees and internally displaced persons in Africa, the Security Council made reference to the fact that UN agencies, regional and non-governmental organizations in cooperation with governments are making use of the Principles and emphasized the need for better implementation of relevant norms of international law with regard to internally displaced persons. The Council also has begun to refer to the Guiding Principles when addressing specific situations of internal displacement, as in the case of Burundi.
Indeed, it has been a source of gratification to me that this normative framework has contributed to efforts on behalf of the internally displaced. Regional bodies, such as the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States (OAS), have acknowledged the Principles and begun to circulate them. These inter-governmental bodies have also been hosting seminars at which the Principles have been introduced. For example, in October 1998, the OAU, together with UNHCR and the Brookings Institution, co-sponsored a regional workshop on internal displacement in Africa, at which the Principles were presented and discussed. In May of this year, the OSCE co-hosted a seminar on internal displacement in the South Caucasus region at which the Principles were presented as well. Governments from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia participated in the seminar, along with international organizations and NGOs. In Asia, representatives of various national human rights commissions were among the participants from sixteen countries assembled at a regional conference held in Bangkok in February. There have also been country-level seminars on the Guiding Principles in which Governments have actively participated in Uganda, Colombia and the Philippines. In my own country, the Sudan, representatives of the Government will participate in the seminar on internal displacement that is being planned for next year and in which the Guiding Principles will be discussed. The Commission on Human Rights in its resolutions has encouraged the further dissemination and application of the Principles through such seminars on internal displacement.
As noted earlier, in my dialogues with Governments, I regularly discuss the Guiding Principles. In Colombia, for instance, my use of the Guiding Principles as a basis for dialogue was well received by Government officials. Since my visit, the Ombudsman's Office has included the Principles in its public awareness campaign about internal displacement, and the Red de Solidaridad Social, the government agency focusing on internal displacement, has included the Principles in its book, Attention to the Population Displaced by the Armed Conflict. Furthermore, the Colombian Ministry of Health and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) are planning to translate the Handbook for Applying the Guiding Principles into Spanish so as to promote its use in Colombia, where there are more internally displaced persons than anywhere else in the Americas. Other Governments have also used the Guiding Principles to good advantage, for example, the Governments of Azerbaijan and Georgia. The Government of Armenia, with which I had the opportunity to discuss the Principles during my mission in May, has undertaken to translate, publish and disseminate the Guiding Principles as part of a public awareness campaign.
With respect to institutional arrangements at the international level, there are several institutional possibilities for responding to situations of internal displacement. Among the various options presented over the years have been the creation of a special agency for the internally displaced, the designation of an existing agency to assume full responsibility for them, and collaboration among the different agencies in the field. The Secretary-General’s reform programme of 1997 opted for the collaborative approach through the IASC, under the Chairmanship of the Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC). The ERC has been undertaking efforts to strengthen collaboration in the field. I welcome the increased attention to the internally displaced by the inter-agency process, in particular its efforts to enhance coordination on the ground as exemplified by the most recent proposal of a Senior Inter-Agency Network for this purpose.
We heard two days ago about the efforts being made in Angola, the DRC and Georgia to address the needs of the internally displaced. We also heard about the difficulties encountered by our colleagues in doing so. I should like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to these and other field colleagues for their dedication and perseverance in working towards ameliorating the plight of so many under what I know are trying conditions.
To conclude, the plight of the internally displaced remains one of the most serious humanitarian, human rights and political and security problems confronting the global community. While definite progress has been made to raise visibility to the plight of internally displaced persons and address their needs, much still remains to be done. There is a need for the entire international community to work together to ensure that the pressing needs of internally displaced persons are adequately addressed, that the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement are observed and that the institutional divisions of labor decided upon are effective in delivering protection and assistance. These are challenges that must be met if we are to develop an effective and comprehensive system of protection and assistance for the millions of persons displaced within the borders of their own countries. I welcome the attention that ECOSOC is giving to their plight and hope that as a result of your deliberations further constructive steps will be taken to address this global crisis.
Thank you.