Economic and Social Council Humanitarian Segment: Panel Discussion on Internal Displacement

Chairman's Summary of the Discussion
The Vice-President of ECOSOC opened the session welcoming all participants. The Vice-President then gave the floor to the Emergency Relief Coordinator, a.i., Ms. Carolyn McAskie, who moderated the Panel Discussion.

In her introductory remarks, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, a.i., stated that the time had come to "rehumanise" the issue on internal displacement. A number of simplifications in the general perception of the problem had to be corrected, including the notion that "internally displaced persons (IDPs) were not eligible for international assistance". This was of course wrong, they are eligible as are all victims of humanitarian crises. The question therefore was not one of eligibility but rather one of the adequacy of the national and international response to the needs of the displaced. UN Country teams needed added dynamism and stronger support from agency headquarters and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in order to develop and implement common operational strategies with the authorities of their country. The policy exchange with donor governments and affected countries needed to be intensified.

The first Panelist was the Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator for Angola. She said that during the past two decades more than 20 per cent of the population in Angola had been displaced because of the conflict. The total number of internally displaced persons was 3.8 million people with some 300,000 people displaced in areas inaccessible to relief organizations. More than 500,000 were living in camps and transit centres. Populations hosting internally displaced persons were themselves becoming seriously affected, as newcomers were competing for limited resources. Almost all of the population living in camps benefitted from some international assistance. The Angolan Government had also initiated a National Programme for Emergency Humanitarian Assistance, with a budget of $55 million. In the search for durable solutions, reducing dependency and promoting self-reliance were also key goals for UN agencies. Security remained a major concern. In the last several weeks, the humanitarian community had been the object of a number of threats.

The second Panelist was the Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator for the Democratic Republic of Congo. He said that out of a total population of over 50 million, as of the beginning of June 2000, there were 1.6 million IDPs in 10 out of the country's 11 provinces. However only 1 million IDPs were accessible. Roughly 250,000 persons received substantial and systematic assistance. One-time food distributions targeted at over 500,000 IDPs were carried out in June 2000. The epidemiological situation in the country was disastrous. The country had one of the highest infant mortality rates in the region and the highest maternal mortality rate in the world. Health agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) received little or no funding for their operations. The food situation was also precarious. In this regard the humanitarian community envisaged a dual approach of feeding and nutritional projects; and attempting to restore a minimum production capacity among IDP households. However, humanitarian response to food insecurity was still rather weak in the provinces of Equateur, Northern Katanga and Kasai, due to lack of safe access. He said widespread insecurity prevented adequate humanitarian responses from reaching all the displaced and affected communities.

The third Panelist was the Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator for Georgia. He said that half of the 280,000 displaced had been living in collective centres for over seven years. Given the frozen conflict situation, the people affected lived in a state of limbo. In order to address this problem a new approach to IDP assistance had been elaborated. Its objective was to improve the lives of internally displaced persons, through the promotion of self-reliance, and, by doing so, improve conditions in Georgia. A quick move to development-oriented assistance was vital if the international community was to mitigate the social and economic marginalization that threatened the displaced. However, while the displaced have unique needs, assistance that was too narrowly focused on them might risk extending the social and economic marginalization that had threatened them in the first place. Therefore, early development-oriented programmes should aim to address the social needs of the population as a whole. The lesson from Georgia in an age of frozen conflict was that a frank assessment of return conditions, coupled with early development aid was the best assistance to the displaced both before and after their return.

The next Panelist was the Director General of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). He said that internal displacement was a reflection of a wider crisis affecting the entire civilian population. Issues related to internal displacement could therefore not be considered in isolation from those involving the civilian population as a whole. Internal displacement called for responses that were context-specific, broad-based and flexible. The international community had an important role to play in supporting the efforts of national authorities to better discharge their responsibilities towards civilians under their jurisdiction. He said that problems surrounding internal displacement were of such a scale and of such complexity that all organizations concerned must work together so as to maximize the overall impact of humanitarian action. The ICRC was fully committed to the objective of institutional cooperation. It was also essential for Governments to support the efforts of humanitarian organizations to reach those in need, in conformity with their duty to respect and ensure respect for international law.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees then took the floor. She said that today's focus on internally displaced persons was timely in view of the staggering human costs involved. Help received was selective and inadequate. The causes of displacement were complex, and categorizations of people affected were unclear, making it difficult to determine what assistance was needed by what category of people. The UNHCR's involvement with internally displaced persons was usually rendered at the request of the Government. The fates of refugees and internally displaced persons were usually linked, and a comprehensive approach was called for. No single agency had the expertise and capacity to work alone, she said. Interagency cooperation was therefore essential and she fully supported the arrangements agreed in the IASC. The debate however should not focus only on humanitarian response. Humanitarian action could only buy time for peace and reconstruction efforts, but could not solve the underlying problems. What was needed was a political solution to conflicts. A large and sustained commitment of resources by Governments was also essential. If the international community was supportive of more assistance to IDPs, more resources would have to follow, together with the political will to achieve solutions, she said.

The Executive Director of UNICEF said her Agency estimated that women and children together accounted for 80 per cent of the total IDP population. Yet currently, most programming for the displaced focused on men. Women were often excluded from decision-making processes and were often vulnerable to abuse during displacement. She underscored the need to take into account the special needs of women and children. It was important that the long-term needs of children, both during the period of displacement and during the reintegration period, were also taken into account. Education should be recognized as a priority humanitarian action that would contribute enormously to rehabilitation and ultimately to development. The special requirements of displaced women and girls, such as their vulnerability to sexual exploitation and rape, must be better understood and addressed. This could be achieved through better information. It was also necessary to support community structures, so necessary for the stability of children, and to allow internally displaced persons to be part of the decision- making process on issues that affected them.

The Representative of the Secretary-General on internally displaced persons, said that while Africa is amongst the worst affected, the IDP crisis is a global one. The crisis cut across all levels, and was more than mere statistics: it was a crisis of people deprived of the basics for survival. The problem was also sensitive as it involved the sovereignty of the State. Within the framework of sovereignty one had to be mindful of the concerns of Governments. However sovereignty also implied the concept of Government responsibility. The Representative emphasized the importance of having a dialogue with Governments while he engaged in country missions. In discharging his mandate the Representative analyzed different options for allocating institutional responsibility among the international community for providing assistance and protection to IDPs. The Representative stated that the 'collaborative approach', entailing an inter-agency coordinated response, had been adopted by the humanitarian community. He further emphasized that efforts were required in order to translate this approach into improved cooperation on the ground.

The Moderator then opened the floor for comments and questions.

In response to a question from the Delegation of France on how coordination works within countries, the Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator for Angola, said there were different levels of coordination. Overall coordination was handled by the Government. Various coordination mechanisms existed to ensure sectoral coordination as well as coordination within the United Nations system. The Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator for Georgia, said that coordination in Georgia focused on sharing information and identifying common needs that required the intervention of the international community. Transparency in coordination was also needed. The Humanitarian Coordinator for the Democratic Republic of the Congo explained that at the national level, the agencies met regularly. There was also a weekly meeting of officials of agencies, the ICRC and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), at which operational questions were discussed. A crisis committee had also been established, comprised of agencies, NGOs and government representatives. The Emergency Relief Coordinator went on to explain that the Emergency Relief Coordinator was the focal point at HQ level for inter-agency coordination. This responsibility was translated into action at field level through the designation of a Humanitarian Coordinator who reported to the Emergency Relief Coordinator.

The Delegation of Rwanda gave a brief description of the problems faced in the country, highlighting how there were many lessons to be learned from the Rwandan experience. In particular the Delegation said that the problem of internal displacement would persist if root causes were not effectively addressed.

The Delegation of Sierra Leone asked for some clarifications on the level of involvement of some of the humanitarian organisations in Sierra Leone. The Director-General of the ICRC said that his organization's budget for Sierra Leone was around $20 million. Its work covered the needs of 300,000 displaced persons in food assistance, health, orthopedic rehabilitation, water and sanitation programmes. The High Commissioner for Refugees, said the number of Sierra Leonean refugees in Guinea was estimated at 400,000; in Liberia, 70,000; and in the Gambia, 10,000, requiring $45 million in resources. Internally displaced persons in Sierra Leone were estimated to be 1 million. The UNHCR had not provided direct assistance to internally displaced persons in Sierra Leone.

The Representative of the Secretary-General on internally displaced persons, Mr. Francis Deng, then took the floor to provide some insight on the Guiding Principles on internal displacement. The Representative explained that he had been tasked to review existing international instruments for protection of and assistance to IDPs. Through collaboration with a group of experts, he had concluded that although there was reasonable coverage, some grey areas remained. In this light, it was agreed that a framework, building on existing instruments, was needed. Consequently the Commission on Human Rights and the General Assembly requested that the Representative develop the normative framework that has become the Guiding Principles. The Guiding Principles had received a remarkable response. He had used them effectively in his dialogues with Governments.

A number of Delegations, including Canada, Japan and South Africa, took the floor to commend the speakers for the useful presentations. Canada stressed that the response to crises of internal displacement has to be needs driven. There could be no general formulas. In this light, the Delegation acknowledged efforts undertaken by OCHA to strengthen the overall framework for response to crises of internal displacement. Moreover the Delegation of Japan welcomed the decision of the Inter Agency Standing Committee to reinforce the role of the Emergency Relief Coordinator as the focal point for the inter-agency coordination for IDPs. Delegations also commended the Representative of the Secretary-General on IDPs for his work and expressed their full support to the Guiding Principles. In particular South Africa welcomed the link between state sovereignty and state responsibility, as highlighted by the Mr. Deng in his presentation. Japan also expressed their willingness to provide financial support to the activities of the mandate.

A number of Delegations, such as the United States and the Netherlands, focused their comments on the issue of funding. The US Delegation raised the issue of the role of donors in supporting Governments to carry out their responsibilities on behalf of the internally displaced. As highlighted in the presentations of the Humanitarian Coordinators, donors also needed to look at new funding patterns that were consistent with a more comprehensive approach to assistance to IDPs. The Netherlands noted an apparent contradiction between the concern of some States over respect for their sovereignty and the call on donors to be more involved in responding to crises of internal displacement.

A number of Ministers from countries affected by internal displacement took the floor, including Angola, Burundi, Georgia and the Sudan. They described the critical situations in their countries and expressed their satisfaction at the way in which the international agencies and national authorities were working together. The Delegation of Sudan also raised the issue of the environmental damage caused by large settlements of IDPs and provided the example of the greater Khartoum area. The Delegation drew attention to the multi-faceted nature of the displacement phenomenon, which rendered distinctions between forced displacement and economic migration difficult. The Delegation emphasized that in order to adequately respond to the problem of internal displacement a degree of understanding of cultural patterns and traditions was required. The Delegation also said that activities beyond relief assistance, such as poverty alleviation and development must be an integral part of the international response.

The issue of sovereignty was raised by a number of Delegations, particularly Libya and Egypt. It was stressed that IDPs were citizens of a given country and were, therefore, subject to the laws of that country. The international community's quest for international protection for IDPs challenged national sovereignty. Both delegations called for an inter-governmental review of the Guiding Principles.

The Director General of the ICRC reminded delegates that the main cause of internal displacement was armed conflict. In cases of internal conflict, the Government concerned did not have access to or control over the totality of its population. International humanitarian law provided for full access to all people. The Representative of the Secretary-General on internally displaced persons, responding to the concerns expressed by some delegations over the lack of consultation over the Guiding Principles, said that he had regularly reported to the General Assembly and the Commission on Human Rights on progress achieved. He however expressed regret that he had been unsuccessful in keeping the New York delegations adequately abreast of this initiative. However, the Representative welcomed all opportunities for enhanced dialogue with Governments and encouraged Member States to approach him with any suggestions in order to promote a constructive discourse.

Due to time constraints the Moderator was unable to make comprehensive concluding remarks. These are included for information:

Humanitarian aid is critical in responding to crises of internal displacement. However there is a need to emphasize solutions to the root causes of political and economic crises.
Humanitarian aid must be provided in a manner that is conducive towards finding durable solutions. Activities in the areas of education, public health and income-generation need to be reinforced.
The special needs of IDPs need to be addressed in the context of an overall holistic response to humanitarian needs.
There is general agreement that coordination should allow Governments and local authorities to relate to international agencies through a recognized coordination system led by a responsible and accountable official. In most cases this official is the Humanitarian Coordinator.
The lack of safe and unhindered access continues to present a major constraint to the work of humanitarian organizations in responding to the needs of IDPs. There is a need for organizations to strengthen security arrangements on the ground, for which the support of donors is critical.
Host governments present at the Panel Discussion emphasized their recognition of their primary responsibility for IDPs and stressed the excellent links they have with the Humanitarian Coordinators. This is a pattern that should be promoted in all affected countries.
Without adequate funding and resources the needs of IDPs cannot be addressed. In particular, there is a desperate need for resources for longer-term programmes to promote self-reliance among IDPs. We must define the problem clearly, propose effective solutions and work with donors to ensure that the funds are forthcoming.