Operational Review of UNHCR’s Engagement in Situations of Internal Displacement

Abstract

September 2017 UNHCR has responded to the needs of internally displaced persons [IDPs] for many decades. In doing so and deriving from its mandate for refugees and stateless persons, it has drawn from an intimate knowledge of forced displacement – its root causes, the protection risks that arise from it and the requirements for sustainable solutions. Alongside other UN agencies and international organizations, UNHCR’s engagement in IDP situations has become more robust in recent years, in particular as a result of the United Nations Humanitarian Reform [2005] and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee [IASC] Transformative Agenda [2011].1 In 2007, UNHCR developed a comprehensive IDP policy,2 which was strengthened in 2016 with the issuance of Operational Guidelines3 and an Internal Note on Protection Leadership in Complex Humanitarian Emergencies.4 Equally important are UNHCR’s Strategic Directions for 2017–2021, which amplify the fundamental purpose of protection in the Office’s pursuits and make IDPs an integral part of UNHCR’s overall response to forced displacement. UNHCR is also an active partner on internal displacement in the IASC, where it leads the Global Protection Cluster [GPC] and co-leads the Global Shelter Cluster and the Global Camp Coordination Camp Management Cluster [CCCM].