Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths Opening Remarks at the High-Level Side Event on the UN Secretary-General’s Action Agenda on Internal Displacement, 26 May 2022

Africa Union Humanitarian Summit

Malabo, Equatorial Guinea

Excellencies, ladies, gentlemen and colleagues,

Last week, the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre released its latest annual figures on global displacement.

Once again, the number has reached an all-time high: an estimated 59 million people were internally displaced at the end of last year.

Armed conflict, natural disasters and other emergencies expose millions of girls and boys to violence, exploitation, neglect and abuse. In 2021, around 25.2 million of people internally displaced were under 18. The adverse effects of their displacement may reverberate for years to come.

In Africa alone, over 27 million people are displaced due to conflict, violence and disasters — the highest figure ever recorded for the region and almost half of the global figure.

Many of those displaced have been forced to flee multiple times in search of safety, from one place to another, and another further away from home.

Unless we help these people find lasting solutions, many will likely be trapped in displacement for years or even decades. Their lives will be about displacement.

As the Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement recently pointed out, these numbers constitute nothing less than a global crisis.

The suffering behind these abstract numbers — the lives disrupted, communities torn apart, and children deprived of their future — should shock us all.

These numbers tell us that we must do all we can, with renewed vigor, to prevent and resolve the scourge of displacement.

We must address its main drivers, especially conflicts and climate change.

Recognizing this global crisis, Secretary-General Guterres developed an Action Agenda on Internal Displacement at the end of last year.

The Agenda will be launched in a few weeks, but on behalf of the Secretary-General, I will present a provisional version today.

In his words: more of the same is not good enough. States, the UN, civil society and others must urgently step up.

First, we must all help internally displaced people find a safe and lasting end to their displacement.

Second, States must get better at preventing displacement crises.

And third, we must all together ensure stronger protection and assistance for those currently displaced.

Of course, States bear primary responsibility for their displaced citizens and residents. They demonstrate the political will to sustainably resolve their internal displacement challenges as a national priority.

And we, the UN, in turn, “must do a better job in supporting their efforts”, quoting again the Secretary-general.

The Agenda has 31 concrete commitments on actions the UN intends to take forward to address internal displacement more effectively.

At the global level, the Secretary-General has appointed a Special Adviser on Solutions to Internal Displacement, focused on durable solutions and established an inter-agency Steering Group to promote joined-up action. At the country-level, he has reaffirmed the role of UN Resident Coordinators in leading UN efforts on solutions.

Humanitarian assistance supports millions of internally displaced people every year.

But it is not enough only to meet the most immediate needs of displaced people.

Addressing internal displacement should be a priority for us all — in humanitarian action, in development, in peacebuilding, in disaster risk reduction and in climate action, and, frankly, in political conflict resolution.

The World Bank estimates that by 2050, 216 million people could be internally displaced in six regions due to climate change. I cannot begin to imagine this figure.

Faced with the growing climate emergency, which is not only a driver of internal displacement but also a threat multiplier, solutions must be found.

Last week I was in the Turkana region in Kenya where all the livestock had died, leaving people without income. Some are still hanging on. Half of the people were still living there. The others have left. You could see why they chose to move. And they were lucky it was not conflict yet that forced them to move. Their choice is stark.

We have a collective duty to make sure internally displaced populations are not invisible, to make sure their rights are upheld, and to help them find a lasting home in safety.

Africa has in fact spearheaded efforts to put in place laws and policies to address these issues. The 2009 Kampala Convention remains the only continent-wide legal framework on internal displacement. It is a continent ahead. Congratulations to all here present who took part in this effort.

With this legacy, we must strengthen our partnership to drive this Action Agenda forward. States and regional organizations must step up and champion this new approach, building on your experience and the compassion you show.

Thank you.

END