In line with its mandate by the Geneva Conventions, the ICRC provides protection and assistance to all persons affected by armed conflict and violence – including internally displaced persons (IDPs). The ICRC views internal displacement as a key factor of vulnerability and works to prevent displacement, when possible, and to protect mobility space, when desired. When displacement occurs, the ICRC helps to mitigate the consequences for IDPs and other affected populations – such as host communities, those at risk of displacement, and those left behind – and contributes to resolving situations of displacement in a sustainable and holistic manner. Throughout all phases of displacement, the ICRC engages with IDPs and other affected populations, taking into account their specific needs and vulnerabilities.
Promoting respect for International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law, as well as developing and strengthening national legislation and regional frameworks on internal displacement (such as the Kampala Convention in Africa) present some of the ICRC’s key areas of work on the issue. Recent years, which have been characterized by record numbers of IDPs worldwide (in particular in protracted displacement), urbanization, and climate change, have led the ICRC to increasingly focus its work on (1) urban internal displacement; (2) the intersection between climate risks, conflict, and mobility; and (3) finding interim and durable solutions to internal displacement.
When Rain Turns to Dust: Understanding and Responding to the Combined Impact of Armed Conflicts and the Climate and Environment Crisis on People’s Lives (2020)
Displaced in Cities: Experiencing and Responding to Urban Internal Displacement Outside Camps (2018)
https://www.icrc.org/
https://www.icrc.org/en/war-and-law/protected-persons/internally-displaced-persons
Contact emails:
[email protected] (Mathilde de Riedmatten, Global Advisor on Internal Displacement)
[email protected] (Mala Dutta, IDP Associate