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| Internally Displaced: Desperate life behind borders |
| Thousands remembered refugee children for the holiday season |
| Iraq: 14% of the population displaced |
| In Action: Emergency Response Teams hit the ground |
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Tim Irwin , Public Infor-mation Officer, USA
They have been forced from their homes for many of the same reasons as refugees, but have not crossed an international border. Often persecuted or under attack by their own governments, they are frequently in a more desperate situation than refugees. They also outnumber refugees by four to one. They are not easily counted; they are largely invisible to formal registration or census taking. No international agency has a formal mandate to aid them.
They are the internally displaced persons (IDPs).
23.7 million. That’s how many people are estimated to be displaced within their own countries without adequate human rights protections from their own governments. This figure increases by millions if one includes those affected by natural disasters.
Many who flee are sometimes unable to cross natural obstacles like rivers, lakes or mountains, or perhaps they are reluctant to leave their country, their culture, and their language. However, it is believed that the main reason for the significant increase in the number of IDPs in the last decade is simple: host countries are unable or unwilling to accept refugees and asylum seekers. Security concerns, food, land, and water shortages, domestic poverty, and simple fear and mistrust are just some of the reasons for the growing hostility towards people fleeing for their lives.
It is widely accepted that the primary responsibility for internally displaced people remains with the national government. However, it is clear that many national governments lack the resources, the structure and in some cases the political will to help IDPs, especially if the IDP population is perceived as a national threat.
The former High Commissioner for Refugees, Sadako Ogata, was asked why the UN had not been able to do more for internally displaced. She responded simply, “The problem is sovereignty.” International agencies may not unilaterally enter into a country without the consent of the host government, except under extraordinary circumstances.
Nonetheless, the UN humanitarian agencies have not with-drawn from the needs of IDPs. Instead, in 2006, lead agencies take responsibility to lead the development programs in different sectors: Emergency Shelter, Non-Food Items, Logistics, Health, and Education, for example.
UNHCR leads the Protection Cluster, in which our staff are responsible for the coordination of protection monitoring, conflict mediation and reconciliation activities at the village level, IDP registration, high level advocacy with the military, protection and human rights training and, camp management for the small proportion of IDPs who live in camps.
UNHCR is also a co-leader of the Early Recovery Cluster (with UNDP) which focuses on return and reintegration issues, including for IDPs. In both clusters, obviously, UNHCR has expertise from 50 years of working with refugees.
Currently, UNHCR is providing tangible assistance to 5.6 million IDPs. However, it is clear that there are many who are not receiving even the most basic of support and protection.
For more information about UNHCR’s work with IDPs, visit www.unhcr.ca/IDP
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In the Democratic Republic of Congo, estimates suggest there are perhaps 3 internally displaced for every one who becomes registered as a refugee outside the country. Currently, 1.1 million are presumed to be displaced internally while 400,000 have sought asylum in nine neighbouring countries.
In Iraq, we are seeing tens of thousands flee the country, but 1.9 million remain displaced internally according to estimates done by our staff. An estimated 712,000 have been internally displaced just since the Samarra bombing on February 22, 2006. (see story on Iraq for more details)
Colombia remains one of UNHCR’s largest internally displaced operations. Our projects work with 350,000 of the estimated 3 million IDPs. Last year alone, more than 170,000 people were forced to flee their homes because of violence, political instability and gross human rights violations. Hundreds of thousands more have crossed into the surrounding countries or further afield.
Sri Lanka has the longest standing UNHCR program for internally displaced, in operation since the early 1990’s. There are an estimated 325,000 who remain displaced, many of them were forced from their temporary homes because of the devastation of the 2004 Tsunami.
Azerbaijan is a country in which the state has incorporated the needs of approximately 500,000 IDPs into its National plans. UNHCR is working with the government to provide both information and material assistance.TOP: © UNHCR / N. Ng
With us, they can get the practical assistance and protection they so desperately need.
