Inter-Agency Internal Displacement Division
The Global IDP Project of the Norwegian Refugee Council
The Representative of the Secretary-General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons

Acronyms

CCA Common Country Assessment
CA Consolidated Appeal
CHAP Common Humanitarian Action Plan
DSRSG Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General
ERC Emergency Relief Coordinator
HC Humanitarian Coordinator
HIC Humanitarian Information Centre
IASC Inter-Agency Standing Committee
IASC-WG Inter-Agency Standing Committee Working Group
ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross
IDD Inter-Agency Internal Displacement Division
IDPs Internally Displaced Persons
IFRC International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent
IOM International Organisation for Migration
MDGs Millennium Development Goals
NGO Non-governmental organisation
NRC Norwegian Refugee Council
OCHA Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
OHCHR Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
PRSP Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper
QIPs Quick Impact Projects
RC Resident Coordinator
SRSG Special Representative of the Secretary-General
UN United Nations
UNCT United Nations Country Team
UNDAF United Nations Development Assistance Framework
UNDG United Nations Development Group
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
UNHABITAT United Nations Human Settlements Programme
UNFPA United Nations Population Fund
UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
UNICEF United Nations Children's Fund
WFP World Food Programme
WHO World Health Organisation

Introduction

Responsibility of National Authorities

Responsibility for assisting and protecting internally displaced persons ¹(IDPs) lies first and foremost with the national authorities. In situations of armed conflict, combatants (including non-state armed groups) and occupying powers also have legal responsibilities for IDPs under international humanitarian and human rights law.

In situations where the authorities are either unable or unwilling to meet their responsibility, international humanitarian and development organizations have the right to offer their services to alleviate suffering and support national efforts. National or de facto authorities should not arbitrarily deny IDPs access to these services and should grant humanitarian organisations rapid and unimpeded access to the internally displaced. These responsibilities are reaffirmed in the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, which both the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) and the Inter-Agency Internal Displacement Division (IDD) have identified as fundamental to a comprehensive response in all phases of displacement and as the overall framework for their response.

The Collaborative Response

Definition At the operational level, unlike refugees, there is no single organisation within the UN responsible for IDPs. The option of mandating one agency for the protection, assistance and recovery needs of IDPs has often been debated by the international community. However, given the scope, magnitude and nature of internal displacement, it was broadly recognised that an effective and comprehensive response to the needs of IDPs is beyond the capacity of any single agency.

Therefore, in responding to internal displacement crises, rather than a single agency approach, the UN has opted for a collaborative response. That is to say a response in which a broad range of UN and non-UN, governmental and non-governmental actors (including humanitarian, human rights and development actors) work together in a transparent and cooperative manner to respond to the needs of IDPs on the basis of their individual mandates and expertise.

Origins
The collaborative response was initially outlined by the IASC in its Policy on the Protection of Internally Displaced Persons (December 1999). It was subsequently reaffirmed by the IASC as the preferred means of responding to situations of internal displacement in the Supplementary Guidance to HCs and/or on their Responsibilities in Relation to Internally Displaced Persons (April 2000) and the Guidance Note on the Collaborative Approach (March 2003).

Requirements
The collaborative response is essentially about working as a team. In order to work effectively, the collaborative response requires leadership and the presence on the ground of actors with the requisite expertise, capacity and resources to respond to the different needs of the displaced.

It requires that structures are put in place that ensure effective communication between these actors and transparent decision-making. The collaborative response also requires effective coordination that is adequately resourced and aimed at guaranteeing a comprehensive response - covering emergency as well as longer-term solutions and recovery needs - avoiding gaps and overlaps, and providing clear lines of responsibility and accountability.

Finally, it requires that due consideration be given to the broader humanitarian context and the need to respond to the protection and assistance concerns of other vulnerable individuals, groups and communities.

It is of course recognised that the specific country context (nature of the conflict, level of access to the displaced, level of funding, etc.) will significantly influence the extent to which the Country Team is able to meet the needs of the displaced. This does not, however, dispense with the necessity of putting in place the coordination and decision-making structures required for the effective implementation of the collaborative response.

Revitalising the Collaborative Response

In 2003, two initiatives, the Protection Survey and the Response Matrix, found significant problems in the implementation of the collaborative response. ² They identified the need for increased accountability among Humanitarian and Resident Coordinators (HCs and/or RCs) and operational agencies. Assessment and strategy-making required vast improvement; and the decision-making process leading to a division of labour required greater predictability.

In consultations in the IASC, its Working Group and the Senior Network on Internal Displacement ³ , agencies reiterated their commitment to the collaborative approach as the preferred means to address situations of internal displacement and developed proposals and practical tools to address the problems identified in its implementation. IASC Policy Package

Specifically, the Internal Displacement Division and the Senior Network developed this policy package, which was endorsed by the IASC Working Group, on behalf of the IASC Principals, in September 2004.

The purpose of the policy package is to provide HCs and/or RCs and Country Teams with the guidance and tools required to implement the collaborative response in a more effective, transparent and comprehensive manner. The package is composed of the following elements.

Guidance on Implementing the Collaborative Response
The main feature of the policy package is a revised and updated Guidance Note to Humanitarian and Resident Coordinators and Country Teams which outlines the roles and responsibilities of different headquarters and field-based actors in implementing the collaborative response. This includes a one-page, step-by-step Procedural Roadmap on the process of implementing the collaborative response.

Annex 1 Strategy Checklist
Step 3 of the Procedural Roadmap requires the HC and/or RC and Country Team to develop a Strategic Action Plan to respond to the protection and assistance needs of IDPs. To assist HCs and/or RCs and Country Teams with this, Annex 1 contains a Strategy Checklist which provides guidance on how to formulate the Strategic Action Plan and on the different components that should be reflected within the Plan.

Annex 2 Activities List
To assist HCs and/or RCs in determining the roles of different agencies within the collaborative response, Annex 2 provides an Activities List which outlines the sorts of activities that a given agency might be able to undertake during a given phase of the displacement crisis.

Annex 3 Protection
Drawing on the IASC's Policy Paper on the Protection of IDPs, Annex 3 provides additional guidance to HCs and/or RCs and Country Teams on the nature and meaning of protection for internally displaced persons.

Annex 4 External Support
Annex 4 provides an overview of the different types of capacity-building and training, strategy development, and advocacy support available to HCs and/or RCs and Country Teams from the:

Inter-Agency Internal Displacement Division
Norwegian Refugee Council/Global IDP Project
Representative of the Secretary-General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons

Implementing the Collaborative Response

Guidance for UN Humanitarian and Resident Coordinators and Country Teams ⁴

Roles and Responsibilities at Headquarters

Emergency Relief Coordinator
The Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) is mandated by the General Assembly to ensure inter-agency coordination of protection and assistance to IDPs in his capacity as Chair of the IASC and the Secretary-General's focal point for IDPs and is responsible for global advocacy on protection and assistance, resource mobilisation, global information on IDPs, and ensuring that field arrangements are adequately supported. The ERC brings to the attention of the IASC (see below), for review in its Working Group, situations of internal displacement requiring a coordinated response. The ERC, in consultation with the IASC, is responsible for ensuring that satisfactory mechanisms have been established at the field level for the effective delivery and coordination of assistance and protection in situations of internal displacement. When necessary and appropriate, the ERC brings issues concerning IDPs to the attention of the Secretary-General and the Security Council.
Inter-Agency Internal Displacement Division ⁵
To support the ERC in promoting a predictable and concerted response to internal displacement, the Inter-Agency Internal Displacement Division has been established. The Division provides assistance to the Country Team in developing and refining IDP strategies and ensuring their effective implementation, including an appropriate division of labour (see further, Annex 4).
Representative of the Secretary-General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons
In 1992, pursuant to a resolution of the UN Commission on Human Rights, the Secretary-General appointed a "Representative of the Secretary-General on Internally Displaced Persons". In 2004, the mandate for the incumbent representative expired, and the Commission called upon the Secretary-General to create a new and somewhat different mechanism to effectively build on the work of his prior Representative. Accordingly in September 2004, the Secretary-General appointed a "Representative of the Secretary-General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons." The current Representative is mandated to "address the complex problem of internal displacement, in particular by mainstreaming human rights of the internally displaced into all relevant parts of the United Nations system" and to "work for the strengthening of the international response to the complex problem of situations of internal displacement, and engage in coordinated international advocacy and action for improving protection and respect of the human rights of the internally displaced, while continuing and enhancing dialogues with Governments, as well as non-governmental organizations and other relevant actors."
Global IDP Project
In 1999, at the request of the IASC-WG, the Norwegian Refugee Council's Global IDP Project established an online database (www.idpproject.org) to consolidate facts, figures and analysis on internal displacement worldwide into a single integrated information system. Country Teams are encouraged to consult the database and to respond positively to requests for information. The Project also conducts training programmes on the Guiding Principles which can be requested by Country Teams (see Annex 4).
Inter-Agency Forums
IASC
The Inter-Agency Standing Committee ⁶ (IASC), chaired by the ERC, is the inter?agency forum for consultation on all matters regarding IDPs. The IASC Working Group ⁷ (IASC-WG) reviews country arrangements with regard to IDPs and is to monitor the follow-up to field visits by the ERC, inter-agency teams and the Human Rights Commission's IDP mechanism.
Senior Network
IDP focal points within the concerned agencies meet on a regular basis in the Senior Network on Internal Displacement. The Network functions as a consultative body on IDP issues, and as a conduit for information-sharing between the Division and the respective agencies.
Roles and Responsibilities at the Field Level
Primary Responsibility of the State
Primary responsibility for protection and assistance to civilians in internal displacement crises lies with the national authorities of the affected countries. However, the capacity and/or willingness of the authorities to fulfil their responsibilities is often insufficient or lacking. In such circumstances, the international community needs to support and supplement the efforts of the government and local authorities. The scope and complexity of internal displacement call for a multifaceted response and the active involvement of organisations both within and outside the UN system which possess special expertise and resources, including displaced and host communities and civil society.
Humanitarian and/or Resident Coordinator
At the field level, the Humanitarian and/or Resident Coordinator ⁸ (HC and/or RC) is responsible for the strategic coordination of protection and assistance to IDPs and for negotiating unimpeded humanitarian access. This includes ensuring that humanitarian requirements are adequately addressed before, during and after an emergency, and advocating for assistance to and protection of IDPs.
OCHA
To support and extend the coordination capacities of the HC and/or RC, an OCHA field presence is usually deployed. This presence - whether in the form of a humanitarian advisor or a more extensive presence - is triggered on request of the RC or HC or recommended by the ERC. OCHA's support functions with regard to IDPs include providing support for humanitarian diplomacy or other negotiations, such as on gaining access to IDPs and other vulnerable groups; the collection, analysis and dissemination of IDP-relevant information; supporting the development of the Common Humanitarian Action Plan (CHAP) and Consolidated Appeal (CA) and ensuring the inclusion of IDP concerns therein; organising and participating in inter-agency needs assessments; and convening coordination forums.
Country Team
In discharging his/her responsibility, the HC and/or RC should act in full consultation with the Country Team and should ensure that those operational agencies which have assumed responsibility for identified activities (which may include advocacy in specific areas) are given full support. The Country Team should include international organisations such as IOM and relevant NGOs in the country to reflect IASC membership and should consult with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
A standing invitee to the IASC, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), a neutral, impartial and independent organisation, has a specific mandate to provide protection and assistance to persons affected by armed conflicts, internal disturbances and tensions, including IDPs. In general, ICRC's mandate is discharged in close co-operation with National Societies of the Red Cross/Red Crescent supported by their International Federation. The National Societies are mandated to assist the most vulnerable within their own countries, including IDPs, and are often the first and only organisation present at the inception of a disaster. ⁹
Implementation of the Responsibilities of the HC and/or RC and Country Team
The Terms of Reference of the Humanitarian Coordinator (11 December 2003) provide detailed guidance on the overall responsibilities of the HC which are also relevant to situations of internal displacement.
Consultation with the National Authorities
The HC and/or RC ensures that consultations with national and local authorities take place in order to assess their capacity to respond to the needs of the IDPs. In so doing, the HC and/or RC impresses upon the authorities their primary responsibility for the protection of and assistance to civilians, including IDPs, taking into account their special needs, in conformity with international human rights and humanitarian law, as elaborated in the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. Advocacy for unimpeded access to affected populations is particularly important.
National Focal Point
The HC and/or RC is encouraged to suggest to the Government and local authorities the appointment of a focal point within their structure on issues of internal displacement, to serve as counterpart for the international community. The HC and/or RC may also suggest ways in which the UN system can help to strengthen the local and national capacity to provide protection and promote durable solutions.
Coordinating the Response
The HC and/or HC is responsible for the strategic coordination of the UN's response to the needs of IDPs and reports to the ERC. The HC and/or RC ensures the contribution of all relevant partners on the ground and is responsible for ensuring that gaps in the response to the protection and assistance needs of IDPs are systematically addressed.
Putting the Collaborative Response into Practice
It is broadly agreed that a genuinely collaborative response by the Country Team - and guided by the HC AND/OR RC - should be sequenced in the following activities:
- First, there must be a system-wide (Country Team) and cross-sectoral needs assessment and collection of information relevant to IDPs and that takes into account the situation of other vulnerable groups.
- Second, there needs to be a common analysis of this information to identify the protection and assistance needs and rights of IDPs at different phases of their displacement.
- Third, the Country Team needs to develop a system-wide strategic action plan that links protection and assistance activities with the needs and rights that have been identified.
- Fourth, there must be a division of labour based on proven expertise and experience (backed by sufficient resources) to achieve the protection and assistance objectives that have been identified.
- Fifth, wherever possible, the involvement of different actors should be derived from their mandates (legal responsibilities), in order to improve accountability and to strengthen the authority of their involvement vis-à-vis other actors.
- Sixth, the action plan must be regularly reviewed and modified/adjusted to meet the exigencies of an evolving IDP situation.
Consultation: The Procedural Roadmap
The process of full consultation with the Country Team and other IASC members is laid out in the Procedural Road Map for Developing an IDP Response Strategy - Endorsed by IASC at March 2004 Meeting (PDF file).It is important that the HC and/or RC and the Country Team do not take decisions on the division of labour and coordination or leadership in particular sectors without this thorough and inclusive consultation process. Filling gaps in the planned response is better dealt with at the country-level, but can be referred to the ERC if this is found to be impossible. The ERC would then refer the issue to the IASC-WG and, if necessary, the IASC Principals for resolution in a timely manner.
Developing the Strategic Action Plan
The HC and/or RC oversees the development by the Country Team of a Strategic Action Plan for responding in a comprehensive and effective manner to the assistance and protection needs of the displaced. The Plan takes into account the activities of the Government and local authorities. It also reflects the protection role of organisations with special expertise or mandates. The Plan should become the basis for the IDP component of the Country Team's overall humanitarian strategy, such as the Consolidated Appeal (CA) and its Common Humanitarian Action Plan (CHAP).
Consultation with Donors
Building on the Good Humanitarian Donorship initiative ¹⁰ and calls from donors for more rigorous priority setting in emergency situations, Country Teams should consult donor representatives in the development of the Strategic Action Plan. This should both ensure donor engagement from an early stage.
Emphasising Protection
In the past, the international response to internal displacement crises has tended to focus on providing assistance, with less attention given to protection concerns. In recent years, however, there has been growing awareness within the international community of the connections between protection and assistance. In December 1999, the IASC adopted its Policy on the Protection of IDPs which recognised that the protection of IDPs must be of concern to all humanitarian and development agencies. That is to say that all agencies have a responsibility:
- To address more proactively the needs of IDPs;
- To assess and analyse those needs; and
- To act when the rights of IDPs are being violated.
As such, protection concerns must be identified and addressed within the context of the Strategic Action Plan.
Strategy Checklist
In developing the Plan, the HC and/or RC and Country Team can refer to the Strategy Checklist (Annex 1) to ensure that the response is adequate and comprehensive. The Plan reflects the need to maintain a focus on the systematic search for durable solutions for the IDPs.
Activities List
The HC and/or RC can also refer to the Activities List (Annex 2) which, based on general experience, expertise and mandate, provides an indication of which agencies might undertake what sorts of activities during a given phase of the displacement crisis. The aim of the typology is to assist the HC and/or RC in his or her consultations with agencies and to inject a measure of predictability into IDP responses. It allows the HC and/or RC and Country Team to develop a Strategic Action Plan that takes into account the presence and actual capacities of the respective agencies on the ground.
Implementing the Plan
In order to implement the plan, the HC and/or RC identifies the most appropriate collaborative arrangements among operational UN agencies and other relevant, but independent, humanitarian and development actors with specific and recognized mandates or missions, including the ICRC, NGOs and donors. Such arrangements should be developed in full consultation with all relevant actors.
IDP Working Group
The HC/RC is encouraged to establish where appropriate an IDP working group where relevant national and local authorities and UN agencies, NGOs and donor governments can discuss and address IDP-related concerns.
Memoranda of Understanding
The HC and/or RC may encourage the development of memoranda of understanding or other institutional agreements between key partners (governmental, non-governmental and international organisations) in order to clarify roles and responsibilities in the response to displacement situations.
Staff Safety and Security
Because of the perilous and difficult environment in which they have to operate, the security and well-being of workers providing assistance and working to enhance protection in situations of internal displacement are often at risk. Plans for responding to the needs of IDPs should, therefore, include adequate provisions to ensure personal and operational security.
Further Guidance
A number of documents provide important guidance on programming field activities based on international human rights, humanitarian and, by analogy, refugee law. The Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement are fundamental to a comprehensive response to the protection and assistance needs of IDPs in all phases of displacement. Additional guidance is also available in the Handbook for Applying the Guiding Principles, and the Manual on Field Practice in Internal Displacement. ¹¹
Integrated Missions
With the increasing frequency of integrated UN missions, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (DSRSG) may also be the HC. The SRSG is the highest designated UN official in the country and, therefore, has overall responsibility for all elements of the mission. He or she should, therefore, be at the least, engaged on IDP issues.
The DSRSG/HC should ensure a thorough examination of the respective responsibilities and support to IDP issues that such an integrated structure could bring. The HC function in such cases is responsible for ensuring independent humanitarian space so that plans and decisions on IDP-related issues remain independent of political considerations that the DSRSG function may normally have to take into account.
The role of humanitarian actors in such structures is the subject of ongoing discussions at headquarters. Until further guidance is issued, the Secretary-General's Note of Guidance on Relations between Representatives of the Secretary-General, Resident Coordinators and Humanitarian Coordinators (2000) remains the authoritative reference. ¹²
HC/RC Interface
Further attention is also to be given by the IASC and UNDG to the interface between the HC's and RC's responsibilities and understanding of accountability on IDP issues, given that the RC is often designated HC when a humanitarian crisis involving IDPs emerges.
Additional Support
Headquarters' Support
In addressing gaps and in developing the Country Team's response to situations of internal displacement, the HC and/or RC may call upon the ERC and the IASC to make available expertise in the form of specialised inter-agency missions, training programmes and temporary reinforcement of personnel and equipment. Where needed, the Internal Displacement Division provides advisory support as well as technical capacity through the fielding of IDP advisors (see Annex 4 for more information on the support available from the Division).
Recourse to the Security Council
When necessary and appropriate, the HC and/or RC, on behalf of the Country Team, can call upon the ERC and the IASC to take the case of IDPs and other war-affected communities to the Security Council.
Commission's IDP Mechanism
The HC and/or RC should advise the ERC on possibilities for the Commission on Human Rights' IDP mechanism to dialogue with the authorities in the country in question, and with the international community, in support of the protection of and assistance to IDPs.

Procedural Roadmap - Developing an IDP Response Strategy

Go to the PDF version of the Procedural Roadmap

Based on humanitarian risk analysis and/or early warning assessments, the Country Team and HC and/or RC need to be aware of all factors that could potentially lead to displacement or cause a change in an existing displacement crisis. Pursuant to existing policy, all Country Teams in countries experiencing internal displacement should have in place a comprehensive strategic action plan for meeting the protection and assistance needs of IDPs. If this is not yet the case, or if a new displacement situation develops or an existing situation changes significantly, the following steps should be followed in a prompt and timely manner:

HC and/or RC alerts the ERC, who in turn may alert donors and the IASC Principals, to an evolving or changing crisis of internal displacement.
HC and/or RC ensures consultations with the Country Team, other international organisations, the International Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement, NGOs (hereafter "agencies"), national and local authorities (including non-state actors if appropriate) and donors, and organises, as far as possible, a joint needs assessment ensuring inter-agency participation. The assessment should cover all relevant sectors and geographical locations, include consultation with the IDPs themselves and should take into account the capacity and willingness of the government to respond and fulfil its obligations.
HC and/or RC and agencies develop a Strategic Action Plan to respond to the protection and assistance needs of IDPs, prioritising the main activities deemed necessary for responding to the identified needs. The Internal Displacement Division (IDD) may be requested, if necessary, to assist in the development of a strategic action plan. In developing the plan, HCs may find it useful to refer to the Strategy Checklist (Annex 1) to ensure that the response is adequate and comprehensive. The plan should become the basis for the IDP-related components of the Country Team's overall humanitarian strategy, such as the CHAP/CA.
H and/or RC consults with all agencies to identify which actors have the expertise and capacity in the country to respond in the ways identified with appropriate activities. The role of the government must be supported and complemented wherever possible .The proposals reflect the roles of national and local government authorities, international agencies, and NGOs. Agencies should consult with their respective headquarters on their responsibilities in terms of the Plan. The HC and/or RC may refer to the Activities List (Annex 2) as a guide.
The HC and/or RC consults agencies again at the country level to discuss the strategy and their consultations with headquarters to obtain agreement from agencies on how to fill any gaps. HC and/or RC reviews the joint response strategy to ensure that priority activities address the assessed needs and that there are no gaps. Both rounds of consultations must be structured, inclusive, and the results recorded.
If the response strategy is deemed satisfactory to all concerned actors at the country level; all major areas of response are adequately addressed; and implementing roles and arrangements are clear, the HC and/or RC shares the Plan with the ERC.
ERC shares the Plan with the IASC-WG for information (proceed to step 10). If some IASC-WG members have legitimate cause to question either the arrangements or consultation process carried out at the field level, the ERC requests that the IASC-WG undertake discussions to resolve differences in a timely manner (proceed to step 8)
If response strategy leaves gaps that cannot be solved at the field level, HC shares the Plan with the ERC, clearly identifying gaps and problems encountered in trying to assign agency responsibilities to fill the gaps. The ERC shares the Plan with the IDD and IASC-WG and requests that agencies at the HQ level try and resolve the gaps in response in a timely manner. An ad hoc meeting of the IASC-WG may be called if necessary.
If no progress made, ERC draws the attention of the IASC Principals to the matter and seeks their action until a plan is agreed upon.
ERC then proceeds to seek political and donor support for agencies implementing the Plan.
Once the plan is approved, it is the HC and/or RC's responsibility both during crises and in protracted situations to monitor and ensure its ongoing implementation and revision if necessary. The HC and/or RC should report to the ERC through regular reporting procedures on the plan's implementation and any problems or changes therein.

Annex 1

Strategy Checklist

Step 3 of the procedural roadmap requires the HC and/or RC and Country Teams to develop a Strategic Action Plan to respond to the protection and assistance needs of IDPs identified in the joint assessment. The plan should provide the basis for the IDP components of the Country Team's overall humanitarian strategy, such as the Consolidated Appeal (CA) and its Common Humanitarian Action Plan (CHAP).

In the event that a country situation changes rapidly and significantly, a Country Team may be required to develop a new strategy to meet the evolving needs of the displaced.

Formulating the Strategic Action Plan ¹³

The strategic action plan for IDPs should be trying to answer the following questions:

What sort of protection and assistance is required?
How will the Country Team do this?
How will the Country Team know if it has succeeded?

What sort of protection and assistance is required?

Identifying Those in Need
Taking the results of the joint needs assessment, the first step is to identify those IDPs in need of protection and assistance, and to define precisely the nature of their protection and assistance needs and the kinds of threats or violations affecting their condition.

Concern should extend to all vulnerable groups, i.e., host communities, returning refugees etc. The Country Team should combine a general awareness of all protection and assistance needs in their immediate environment with a particular focus on IDPs.

Emphasising Protection
In formulating the strategic action plan, the Country Team will need to consider carefully the role of both assistance and protection. This annex distinguishes between three different dimensions of "protection":

Protection as an objective/outcome (what and why)
Protection as an activity/function (how)
Protection as a legal responsibility (who)

Protection as an objective means the basic enjoyment of IDPs' fundamental rights as prescribed by national and international law. It includes both human rights and international humanitarian law and covers the spectrum of all human rights, from civil and political to economic, social and cultural rights.

Based on existing international human rights law, international humanitarian law and the refugee law by analogy, the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement have become the established framework for describing the rights of IDPs during the different phases of their displacement.

In line with a rights-based approach to programming, it is possible to define and orientate humanitarian programmes according to a protection objective.

Protection as an activity/function refers to activities that are required or substantially linked to achieving protection objectives.

According to the above Guidance on Implementing the Collaborative Response, agencies are actively encouraged to ensure that their activities support protection objectives by considering how their programming advances respect for the rights of the displaced. At the very least, agencies must ensure their programming does not inadvertently impede the ability of the displaced to enjoy full respect for their rights.

Protection as a legal responsibility. Primary responsibility for ensuring the protection of IDPs rests with the national authorities, as prescribed by international human rights law. Additional legal responsibilities can be imposed under international humanitarian law on combatants in armed conflict (including non-state armed groups) and on occupying powers.

Protection Mandates
Some agencies/offices, such as ICRC, UNHCR, UNICEF and OHCHR, are mandated with protection responsibilities for specific categories or groups of persons. These are considered "protection mandates. ¹⁴

In the context of IDPs, no agency has an exclusive protection mandate nor any sole claim to carry out protection activities for IDPs. ¹⁵ However, it is widely accepted that all agencies have a responsibility to approach their work with protection considerations in mind. Indeed, all agencies are encouraged to ensure their activities support and are aligned with protection objectives.

Depending on the circumstances, a number of actors may undertake protection activities which support a Country Team's protection objectives such as monitoring and reporting, information management and advocacy with the authorities.

Experience shows that an exclusively mandate-driven approach to assigning responsibilities and functions will not necessarily cover the broad range of activities that need to be undertaken to protect and assist IDPs effectively.

A helpful entry point for key operational actors to divide the labour between them (and to identify likely gaps and overlaps in the collective response), is to start with a common analysis at the field level of the protection objectives/needs of the IDPs at all phases of their displacement; then to define activities that are based on the expertise/experience and capacity of each actor on the ground.

A more in-depth discussion on protection is provided in Annex 3.

How will the Country Team do this?

Having determined the assistance and protection needs of the displaced and the objectives, the Country Team will need to move to identifying activities and matching the required activities with available resources.

To facilitate this process, a strategy checklist is provided (below) to ensure essential activities are considered. Also provided is an activities list (Annex 2) detailing the different areas of agency expertise to help identify who can do what at what stage of the crisis.

How will the Country Team know if it has succeeded?

The Country Team will need to identify the specific outcomes that will help to define success. This means determining appropriate indicators that will measure progress towards success or failure.

Specific protection and assistance outcomes typically involve clear changes in the experience, safety and well-being of IDPs. However, in some cases one may need to look at the least bad outcome rather than the ideal solution.

Changes in the behaviour of perpetrators, resulting in a reduction in the number of casualties, disappearances, threats, and other measurable human rights abuses over time.
Changes in the actions of responsible authorities and agencies, resulting in the development and practical implementation of policies, commitments and actions to reduce violence, displacement, deprivation and discrimination, and to increase effective national protection and assistance.
Changes in the lives of the IDP population, resulting in reduced levels of hunger and improved levels of health and nutrition, freedom of movement, as well as increased participation in normal livelihood activities, social networks and political life.
Having identified the desired outcomes, it is possible to choose a number of indicators to gauge over time whether the plan is having the intended effect. That is, are the displaced better protected and assisted as a result of what has been done?

Using the Strategy Checklist

There are a number of key components that may already be part of the CHAP and should be reflected within the Strategic Action Plan. These can be considered in terms of:

Information Collection
Coordination Structures
Determining Agency Roles
Monitoring and Reporting
Advocacy
Strengthening Local and National Capacity
Engaging Non-State Actors
Components related to specific phases of displacement:
A period of conflict or ongoing generalised violence that is causing or has caused widespread movement of IDPs.
The immediate aftermath of conflict, particularly at a time when solutions such as returns for different categories of displaced persons are being explored.
As the humanitarian phase moves towards development.
Prevention, both pre- and post-displacement.

The first set of components should be combined with the relevant phase-related components to form the basis of the Strategic Action Plan for a given phase of the displacement situation. It should be noted that the phases of displacement are not linear and that a country may experience one or more phase of displacement at any given time.

It should also be noted that protection is not included as a separate activity. However, activities which support the Country Team's efforts to meet protection objectives such as monitoring, reporting and advocacy are included as applicable in all phases.

The list of activities is not exhaustive. It is intended to guide HCs and/or RCs and Country Teams in formulating the Strategic Action Plan. Additional guidance can be found in the Manual on Field Practice in Internal Displacement, the Handbook for Applying the Guiding Principles and Growing the Sheltering Tree ¹⁶.

General Components

Information Collection, Analysis and Dissemination

Key Considerations:

Is there reliable and agreed information on the number, profile, location and categories of IDPs? Is the information updated on a regular basis? Is it disaggregated according to gender and age?
Is the information that is collected through information networks forwarded to and discussed by the IDP working group?

Is there a common information system within the Country Team (e.g. HIC)?

The first step in the development of the strategy is the undertaking of a joint needs assessment to obtain accurate and reliable information on the conditions facing the displaced. In this regard, a useful tool for Country Teams is the IASC Assessment Framework and Matrix. ¹⁷

Beyond the initial needs assessment, regular collection, analysis and dissemination of information on IDPs should be part of the strategy and regularly discussed at meetings of the IDP working group or a similar forum (see below) and Country Team.

An information network for collecting data from agencies and NGOs on the conditions of the displaced should be established and managed by an IDP or protection working group (if protection monitoring is possible), or a similar structure, established within the office of the HC and/or RC.

All agencies collect information pertaining to different groups. Agencies are encouraged to share IDP-relevant information with OCHA which has a mandate to collect and manage information on IDPs and other vulnerable groups in humanitarian emergencies. Common services such as a Humanitarian Information Centre (HIC) can be requested through the IASC-WG.

Coordination Structures

Are the coordination structures clearly linked to the HC and/or RC?
Do the coordination structures provide the opportunity for all stakeholders (UN agencies, NGOs, IDPs and national authorities) to contribute to information sharing and decision-making?

The establishment of mechanisms for the coordination of agencies dealing with IDPs will depend on the country situation and existing coordination structures. There are, however, certain minimum requirements. In particular, consideration should be given to the establishment of (an IDP) working group or forum to ensure that IDP issues are being regularly discussed and addressed. In some cases a protection working group or a return and reintegration group may serve as a suitable forum.

The membership of such forums will depend on the country situation. In practice, participation should include UN agencies, NGOs, international organisations and national authorities.

Sectoral coordination bodies will usually include the responsible government ministry. Given that a protection working group will often deal with sensitive information and will need to protect the identity of victims and witnesses of abuses, careful consideration must be given to whether national and local officials are members of such a group.

Determining Agency Roles - Encouraging Complementarity

Has the government established the necessary institutional arrangements to coordinate its activities on behalf of IDPs?
Are the areas of responsibility of the different UN agencies/other international actors clearly defined?

Are agencies on the ground coordinating their input with their respective HQs and do they receive sufficient support?

Clearly identifying the role of agencies and their specific responsibilities is a key component of a strategy and requires transparent consultation within the Country Team and the agencies' headquarters.

In order to encourage full consultation, the procedural roadmap (see the Guidance Note) has been developed for use by HCs and/or RCs and Country Teams.

It is the role of the HC, in consultation with the Country Team, to determine the best collaborative arrangements. In undertaking this task, the HC can refer to the Activities List (Annex 2) which provides an initial indication of the types of activities that agencies may be able to undertake at a given phase of the displacement crisis.

If roles cannot be agreed at the field level or there remain gaps in the Country Team's response, the HC and/or RC can refer these issues to the ERC and the IASC-WG for resolution.

Monitoring and Reporting on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law

Is there a clear understanding of the kind of threats and human rights violations facing the displaced and the causes of displacement?
Is there a protection monitoring system in place to assess and analyse conditions facing the displaced and other vulnerable groups?
Are field staff aware of their responsibility to communicate information pertaining to human rights and humanitarian law violations to officials such as the HC and/or RC or protection mandated agencies?

Have protection mandated agencies been encouraged to establish a protection monitoring system?

While field staff cannot prevent all violations, it is particularly important that they are at least in a position to monitor and report them.

Field monitoring serves an important protection function by establishing a presence among or near at-risk populations. This allows regular needs assessment and the identification of groups that are particularly at risk. The physical presence of field staff does not automatically guarantee the protection of IDPs nor of the workers themselves, who have also become victims. However, the presence of field staff may contribute to inhibit or restrain some acts of violence. Thus, presence can sometimes be an effective form of humanitarian protection in itself, as a vital aspect of persuasion and mobilisation or as a prerequisite for effective and credible denunciation.

Where violations of relevant international provisions, as spelled out in the Guiding Principles, occur, field staff of UN agencies, NGOs and international organisations should ensure that the information is communicated to officials and/or institutions that are in a position to act upon it. These include the HC and/or RC, OHCHR, ICRC or UN agencies with a special expertise or responsibility in this field. In turn, these mandated actors should make representations directly to the competent authorities or other parties with influence over the territory where violations are occurring, including: UN peacekeeping forces, UN Police monitoring units, and bilateral or regional military contingents assisting with peacekeeping.

Efforts should be made to encourage protection mandated agencies to establish a monitoring and reporting system that covers all locations where IDPs are found.

When protection mandated agencies are not available, information available from regular sources, such as UN and NGO field staff, civil society groups etc., should be collected and analysed to provide the best possible picture of the level of respect for human rights and humanitarian law (see information collection).

Advocacy

Are there programmes to raise awareness among national authorities and non-state actors of their responsibilities vis-à-vis IDPs?
Has consideration been given to different approaches to advocacy - direct (vocal/public) and indirect (discreet/confidential) -and aimed at different levels?
Has consideration been given to the potential advocacy support available from headquarters officials and entities, such as the ERC, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Commission's IDP mechanism, the Security Council?

The main aim of advocacy is to give victims a voice and ensure that humanitarian issues and concerns are taken into account with a view to facilitating a positive change in the lives of IDPs. Active and assertive advocacy is an essential component of any IDP strategy. Greater awareness of the rights of IDPs, as well as of their condition and needs, must be promoted with national leaders, international organisations, the media, donors and parties to conflicts.

When undertaking advocacy efforts, the situation must be carefully examined to determine what type of advocacy will be most effective and what are the possible points of entry. The safety and security of field staff must also be kept in mind. Common stands by human rights, humanitarian and development agencies can be particularly effective. At the same time they reduce the risks related to agencies acting separately or alone.

Effective advocacy can be done locally. HC and/or RCs are encouraged to keep regular contacts with local authorities and enhance their responsibilities towards IDPs. Advocacy on sensitive issues such as protection is more effective when undertaken in a structured manner.

In many cases, an effective approach is one which combines advocacy (or denunciation) by one or more actors with bilateral and confidential representations (responsibalisation) by others. However, this requires coordination and regular consultation on the possible repercussions of advocacy vis-à-vis presence and activities.

In order to draw the attention of the international community to protection problems, the ERC's function enables him to address the Security Council and contribute to the Secretary-General's reports to the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly. The ERC and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, as members of the Secretary-General's Executive Committees, are in a strong position to promote an active and concerted response from within the UN system to such problems as they evolve.

The reports of the Commission on Human Rights IDP mechanism, both to the Commission and the General Assembly, as well as his contacts during official country visits, provide additional platforms for high-level advocacy.

Consideration should also be given to the advocacy role which can be played by the special procedures of the Commission on Human Rights, as well as the UN human rights treaty bodies.

Strengthening the Local and National Capacity

Are there measures to encourage and support the establishment of a national institution with responsibility for IDPs and that could work with the Country Team?
Are steps being taken to encourage national authorities to acknowledge the Guiding Principles as an applicable legal framework for IDPs, such as through their incorporation into domestic law?

National authorities have the primary duty and responsibility to provide protection and assistance to IDPs. It is essential to assist the authorities in discharging this responsibility and to strengthen the national capacity, not only for emergency response but also for human rights protection.

The General Assembly has encouraged displacement-affected states to develop or strengthen as appropriate, national laws, policies and minimum standards on internal displacement, taking into account the Guiding Principles. ¹⁸

The adoption of such measures, as well as the establishment/designation of a state institution with an express mandate for IDPs, can serve as an important mechanism for encouraging states to meet their responsibilities regarding IDPs.

Engaging Non-State Actors

Are there specific initiatives for engaging non-state actors?
Have officials such as the ERC been asked to assist the Country Team's efforts in engagement including, if necessary, eliciting support for such efforts from the national authorities?

With internal armed conflict constituting one of the main cause of internal displacement, strategies for engaging not only Government authorities but also other parties to the conflict in the protection and assistance of the internally displaced need to be developed.

Such efforts should be integrated in the overall coordination efforts under the leadership of the HC/RC. They should also take fully into account on-going activities of other international organisations to avoid ineffective duplications and to ensure coherence and consistency of message.

Dialogue with non-state actors should retain a strictly humanitarian character.

Phase-Related Components Conflict or Ongoing Generalised Violence

Within the framework of assistance activities, are the needs of IDP met in the following sectors:
Camp management
Emergency education
Emergency food security
Nutrition/supplementary feeding programmes
Health programmes
Transportation
Emergency WATSAN
Reconstruction/shelter
Employment generation for IDPs, including vocational training and micro credit.
Are the following protection activities being undertaken:
Protection/human rights monitoring and reporting, including with regard to discriminatory practises targeting the displaced population or segments thereof.
Inclusion of protection elements in assistance programmes.
Ensuring the safety and security of IDPs.
Protection measures for children, women and other vulnerable groups.
Protection/human rights awareness raising for IDPs.

Encouragement to form strong civil society/IDP networks amongst the internally displaced.

Any IDP strategy must be based on careful assessment of needs and vulnerabilities. While IDPs often have specific needs as a result of displacement, they should be addressed with due regard to the needs of surrounding communities.

Displacement tends to alter the structure of families and households and to change gender roles. Women play a central role in reducing the vulnerability of entire communities to the effects of displacement. Their participation in the design of protection and assistance strategies is essential.

Attention should also be paid to the specific needs of other vulnerable groups such as children, older persons, the handicapped, as well as ethnic or minority groups within displaced populations.

In order to ensure a strategy meets the needs of the displaced, constant efforts must be taken to ensure full and regular consultation with the displaced themselves and host communities.

Humanitarian agencies have a responsibility to ensure that protection features are integrated in their programmes and operations. A number of agencies have devised specific guidelines in this regard (e.g. prevention of sexual exploitation in camp situations, protection against child recruitment through schooling, integrating mine-awareness in assistance programmes, linking data collection for documentation and tracing with registration for relief assistance, etc.).

Agencies should review their assistance programmes to avoid potential negative effects on protection as well as strengthen programme features that could positively effect protection.

Immediate Aftermath of Conflict

Are activities being carried out with regard to:
Assessing conditions in return areas to ensure that they are conducive to safe, dignified and sustainable returns.
Informing IDPs of conditions in areas of return; assisting IDPs, including female heads of household, in assessing the conditions for themselves.
Mine action in areas of return and mine-awareness activities for returning IDP populations.
Providing alternative solutions for those IDPs who are unwilling to return to their areas of origin, such as local integration or resettlement to other areas.
Establishing mechanisms for property restitution and dispute settlement and ensuring equal access of displaced women to such mechanisms.

Assisting returning IDPs in meeting their immediate food and basic subsistence needs.
Restoration of essential community services and infrastructure in areas of return.

Ensuring consideration of return issues in the context of cease-fire and peace negotiations.

Although not always possible in emergency contexts, it is important not to lose sight of the ultimate objective of finding durable solutions, specifically return to places of origin or resettlement elsewhere in the country.

Any such solutions must meet the minimum conditions of voluntariness, safety and dignity. They should also take into account the needs of the communities to which the displaced will return and resettle. Reintegration and recovery programmes should be framed within a 4Rs strategy where appropriate. ¹⁹

In considering durable solutions, attention must also be paid to gender issues and to ensuring the participation of women and in particular female heads of household in the planning and management of their return or resettlement and reintegration.

In addition to these conditions, there will be other factors that affect the decisions of the displaced to return or resettle. It is important to identify the "pull" factors that encourage return and the "push" factors that may compel or coerce the displaced to leave their areas of temporary settlement and which should be avoided.

National authorities are responsible for creating conditions suitable for return. It is important that durable solutions for the displaced feature in peace agreements or negotiations.

Public awareness activities that inform the displaced of their rights can often be combined with efforts to allow the displaced to assess conditions in areas of return or resettlement.

Given that disputes over the ownership of property and land left behind by IDPs can sow the seeds of future conflict, mechanisms must be established to facilitate property restitution and resolve disputes. Steps must also be taken to ensure equal access of internally displaced women to such mechanisms.

Transition Towards Development

Are activities being undertaken with regard to:
Supporting peace-building and national reconciliation efforts.
Long-term livelihood recovery and development for resettled or returning IDPs.
Inclusion of IDP concerns into CCA and UNDAF processes.
Capacity building support for key government ministries with a longer-term responsibility for the reintegration and resettlement of IDPs.
Restoration and development of legal and judicial institutions.
Promotion of long term property and land rights affecting IDPs.
Community-based rehabilitation for resettling or returning IDPs.
Agricultural development.
Mine action.
Environmental protection programmes.
Gender based protection.

Trauma/psychosocial support.

As the root causes of the original displacement ameliorate, it is important to adopt an integrated approach that recognises the gradual transition from emergency humanitarian action to longer-term development work. ²⁰

Key programming activities during this phase include restoration of essential social services, including health and education, with special emphasis on the most affected and vulnerable groups including women and children; ensuring household and community-level food security; rehabilitating essential physical infrastructure; jump-starting economic activities and reconstituting livelihoods and employment opportunities for affected families and communities; and HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness. It is essential to ensure that these and other relevant programmes provide long-term support for IDPs, including bringing IDPs into 4Rs programmes and ensuring that their needs are reflected in development tools such Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs), the Common Country Assessment (CCA) and the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF).

During this phase the national authorities will be expected to assume greater and primary responsibility for meeting the assistance and protection needs of its displaced population. As such, capacity building programmes for key ministries with a longer-term responsibility for reintegration and development will be required, such as the ministries of planning, rural development and social affairs.

Prevention, Pre- and Post-Displacement

Does an early-warning mechanism exist at the national and local level? To what extent are individual agencies or the Country Team part of this mechanism?
Is there an existing and up to date contingency plan which addresses the potential needs of the displaced?

Is there a public awareness campaign or human rights training for the general population?

Whether displacement has occurred or not, sustained attention should be given to prevention activities to diminish the risk of any initial or further displacement. In particular, activities to address the root causes of conflict, and the mitigation of violations and abuses are encouraged.

Supporting early warning initiatives can strengthen the capacity and ability to anticipate and mitigate situations causing internal displacement. Field staff of UN agencies, NGOs and international organisations as well as local authorities should be encouraged to provide information on impending displacement to the HC/RC and other agencies with a special expertise or responsibility at the field level who should take appropriate action and, if necessary, inform the ERC and the IASC-WG or the UN Human Rights Commission's IDP mechanism.

Making populations at risk aware of their rights can serve as a preventive measure. Through human rights training, awareness campaigns, and advocacy with local leaders, communities can be empowered to protect themselves and reclaim their rights. In particular, local organisations and IDPs should play an active role in providing information on imminent displacement situations.

Annex 2

Activities List

The procedural roadmap provides that the HC/RC oversees the development of a Strategic Action Plan for responding in a comprehensive and effective manner to the assistance and protection needs of IDPs. It further provides that to assist the HC/RC in developing the Strategic Action Plan, he or she can refer to the Activities List.

The purpose of the Activities List is to provide an initial indication of the types of concrete activities that agencies may be willing and able to undertake - capacity and resources permitting - during a given phase of the displacement situation and as part of the collective response to that situation. The aim of the activities list is to assist HCs and/or RCs in their consultations with agencies and to inject a measure of predictability in the response to internal displacement crises.

For the purposes of the Activities List, the phases of displacement are the same as those referred to in the Strategy Checklist, namely:

A period of conflict or ongoing generalised violence that is causing or has caused widespread movement of IDPs.
The immediate aftermath of conflict, particularly at a time when solutions such as returns for different categories of displaced persons are being explored.
As the humanitarian phase moves towards development.
Prevention, both pre- and post-displacement.

FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization

Period of conflict or ongoing generalized violence.

Monitor the food and crop situation in countries experiencing conflict.
Assess the impact of conflict/disaster on the livelihoods of IDPs as well as the host populations and the damage on the various agricultural sectors.
Collaborate with stakeholders to identify best response strategies to the needs of displaced populations and prepare specific programmes to support the improvement of their food security.

Immediate aftermath of conflict.

Identify urgent and immediate agricultural relief interventions to save the livelihoods of displaced and resident populations.
Design and coordinate the implementation of emergency assistance, mainly the provision of seeds and agricultural hand-tools, fishing tools, livestock vaccination and treatment etc., for displaced populations who have access to means of production, not least to arable land.
Provide on the job training to farmers and extension workers on farming techniques adapted to the context.
Build the technical capacity of local institutions and communities through training on agriculture, livestock and fisheries, to work towards ensuring that the needs of displaced populations are adequately and appropriately addressed during all phases of the displacement cycle.

Transition towards development.

Promote livelihood support for IDPs through the CCA/UNDAF and contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.
Conduct livelihood-based needs assessments and formulate national-level long-term food security programmes for countries emerging from conflict, including the needs for reintegration/resettlement, on behalf of key donors such as the European Commission and financial institutions such as the World Bank.
Review access to land tenure and provide advice on legal framework to secure land for return, reintegration and resettlement of displaced populations.
Promote the rehabilitation and development uses of food aid in the resettlement and reintegration process of displaced populations, and self-reliance in the post-emergency phase, through technical assistance to Food for Work and Food for Asset Creation schemes.

Prevention (pre- and post-displacement).

Collect information through the FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Missions with a view to preventing displacement by alerting the local and international communities to situations of deteriorating food supply.
Provide advice on possible solutions to tensions over natural resources (land, water, pasture etc).

OCHA - Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Period of conflict or ongoing generalised violence.

Ensure the integration of an IDP response strategy within the wider humanitarian planning (CHAP/CAP), contingency planning, preparedness plans.
Depending on the nature and gravity of the situation, undertake advocacy efforts on the plight of IDPs, including through coordination mechanisms at headquarters level such as the Executive Committee for Humanitarian Affairs (ECHA), the IASC. Advocacy efforts may also be undertaken through the ERC, the good offices of the Secretary-General or the Security Council as appropriate.
Undertake humanitarian access negotiations with parties to the conflict on behalf of humanitarian partners.
Collect, analyse and disseminate analysis and information on IDPs compiled by its own offices/presences - or through information sharing platforms - and from humanitarian partners, e.g., common assessments, surveys etc.
Coordinate humanitarian actors in carrying out common needs assessments.
Liase with non-humanitarian actors such as DPKO missions and their military components, regional peacekeeping units (e.g., the African Union) as appropriate, regarding the protection needs of IDPs.
Develop and support initiatives to promote the protection of IDPs, e.g. supporting the development of a national policy on IDPs, leading special coordination fora on the issue etc; and ensure that the protection aspect of assistance to IDPs is adequately and collectively addressed by humanitarian partners.

Immediate aftermath to conflict.

Assess with partners whether conditions are conducive for safe, dignified and sustainable returns, contributing to the identification and removal of obstacles for return, and negotiating and monitoring safeguards.
Ensure development of return/reintegration plans and transition strategy.
Promote linkages with agencies able to take on coordination and response work with relation to reintegration of IDPs, i.e. UNDP
Ensure that the protection aspects of assistance to IDPs is adequately and collectively addressed by humanitarian partners.

Transition towards development.

Ensure hand over of coordination functions to relevant government and development actors.
Ensure linkages between emergency and transition plans (e.g. CA) with the CCA/UNDAF and PRSPs as appropriate.

Prevention (pre- and post-displacement).

Undertake information gathering and analysis ("early warning" and risk assessments).
Undertake political advocacy or lobbying for effective conflict prevention measures, including through the ERC in collaboration with other UN departments (e.g. DPA) and the Security Council or the good offices of the Secretary-General, as appropriate.

OHCHR - Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

Period of conflict or ongoing generalised violence.

Collect and analyse information on the human rights situation, including IDPs.
Undertake advocacy on the protection needs of IDPs, both through the High Commissioner and relevant Special Procedures of the Commission on Human Rights.
Undertake fact-finding missions.
Role of OHCHR field presences in conflict situations - monitoring and reporting, investigating abuses, deployment of human rights advisors assisting humanitarian actors, advocacy with national authorities and non-state actors.

Immediate aftermath of conflict.

Undertake activities with peace-keeping operations, in particular with the human rights components of DPKO missions, for the promotion (e.g. training of peace-keepers and national authorities) and protection of IDPs (monitoring and reporting, advising on interventions with national authorities).
OHCHR field presences monitor and report on the human rights situation of IDPs and returnees; collect information on past abuses and assist in the development of transitional justice processes.
Assess new legal frameworks and performance of national and municipal authorities.
Assist in the design and implementation of human rights capacity building initiatives aimed at ensuring effective protection of the rights of IDPs (e.g. reform of national police and judiciary, setting-up of national human rights institutions).

Transition towards development.

Provide input to CCA/UNDAF and other inter-agency processes and bodies with a view to ensuring effective human rights mainstreaming in all activities of the UN, including protection and promotion of the rights of IDPs.
Deploy Human Rights Advisors to Country Teams.
Implement technical cooperation projects aimed at strengthening national protection systems (e.g. training of lawyers, police and judiciary, assist in legal reform processes, capacity building of national civil society, dissemination and promotion of international human rights standards)
Support National Human Rights Institutions and their role vis-à-vis IDPs through technical cooperation programmes, fellowships, etc.

Prevention (pre- and post-displacement).

Undertake public advocacy and diplomatic activities by the High Commissioner.
Briefing of the Security Council by the High Commissioner and relevant Special Procedures of the Commission on Human Rights on specific human rights situations, including displacement crises.
Provision of early warning information on developing human rights situations by Special Procedures of the Commission on Human Rights.
Monitoring by human rights treaty bodies of the implementation by States parties of their human rights obligations under the treaties, including provisions related to IDPs.
Promote the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, including technical support for the development of national legislation.
Develop manuals and training materials on human rights for various actors which include sections on IDPs (e.g. Manual for Peacekeepers).

UNDP - United Nations Development Programme

Period of conflict or ongoing generalised violence.

Ensure that the UNCT is pursuing a coordinated assistance/protection strategy in situ and during return.
Provide leadership on advocacy with the government and in the wider context of displacement and on contingency planning.
Where there is an HC:
Support collection and analysis of IDP information and undertake advocacy.
Lobby/advocate for IDPs in the context of peace-making/building initiatives and political dialogue.
Lead contingency planning for post-conflict transition and next phases;
Undertake preliminary assessment of potential recovery needs/QIPs.

Immediate aftermath of conflict.

Play a significant role in developing a 4Rs approach to return by participating in joint pre-planning for return and reintegration to factor in the longer-term development plans and economic and social potential of IDPs; and working with agencies and national counterparts to link existing programmes and develop new initiatives to promote durable solutions for returnees.
Provide technical advice to relief-oriented agencies on incorporating longer-term development objectives into programming.
Build the government's mine action capacity.
Implement activities to increase access to justice and police (rule of law) to encourage security in return areas: assessment of local and national judicial capacity, community policing, restoring civilian oversight, setting up architecture and capacitating local governance structures to deliver services to returnees and their communities.
Develop and implement early recovery/QIPs (e.g. through the CAP), such as quick employment schemes and repair of essential infrastructure.

Transition towards development.

Ensure integration of IDP concerns into development tools such as CCA/UNDAF, PRSPs through coordinated contributions of the UNCT and creative use of MDGs to bolster programmes and funding that will provide longer-term support for IDPs.
Provide expert advisers (loan/secondment) to the HC/RC to strengthen the UNCT strategic response on durable solutions for reintegration.
Provide capacity building to key ministries with a longer-term responsibility for reintegration and development such as through the joint formulation of policy guidelines for protecting and assisting IDPs; strengthening of civil service to take on additional tasks; and the development of mechanisms for governments to work in a participatory and consultative way with affected communities.
Move from immediate community recovery to longer-term Area-Based Development (ABD) programmes which incorporate a community-driven approach, links with strengthened decentralized government and a local-economic development component.
Support rule of law programmes and capacity development of relevant government institutions.

Prevention (pre- and post-displacement).

Undertake grass-roots information gathering and analysis ("early warning" and risk assessments).
Promote/undertake training activities for government and civil society, such as training in conflict resolution techniques for government employees and support for representative community organisations to develop community-driven initiatives for equitable access to social and productive infrastructure.
Undertake higher level political advocacy/lobbying for effective preventive action.
Implement confidence-building measures that create co-existence between communities e.g., facilitating dialogue within/between communities and seeking to unify populations though participatory assessments of need, prioritisation and decision-making processes.
Provide capacity-building for governments for natural disaster reduction by, for example, conducting multi-hazard risk assessments at the national level and supporting the formulation and implementation of disaster reduction strategies.
Integrate targeted livelihoods and social services amenities within broader national governmental budgets and economic plans.
Undertake Conflict-related Development Analysis (CDA) training and support mainstreaming of conflict-sensitive approach through UNDP's country programme.

UNFPA - United Nations Population Fund

Period of conflict or ongoing generalised violence.

Implement the Minimum Initial Service Package - a series of actions needed to respond to the reproductive health needs of populations in the early phase of displacement situations. It comprises both equipment and supply kits as well as a set of activities that must be implemented in a coordinated manner by appropriately trained staff. The MISP can be implemented without any new needs assessment since documented evidence already justifies its use. It prevents excess neonatal and maternal morbidity and mortality, reduces HIV transmission, prevents and manages the consequences of sexual violence, and includes planning for the provision of comprehensive reproductive health services integrated into the primary health programme already in place. MISP activities include: identifying individuals and/or organizations to ensure the MISP is implemented; guaranteeing the availability of free condoms; addressing the prevention and management of gender based violence; and, planning for comprehensive reproductive health services, including a site-specific HIV/AIDS analysis.
Advocate for the provision of reproductive health services for IDPs, and for protection from gender-based violence.
Conduct rapid assessments of reproductive health situation and needs.

Immediate aftermath of conflict.

Collect and analyse IDP demographic information.
Provide comprehensive reproductive health services.
Work with DPKO and uniformed services, where possible, in preventing HIV and STI, and raising gender awareness.
Address the needs of and access to reproductive health services, with special attention on internally displaced adolescents by working with the national health system to provide gender and age sensitive reproductive health services (including addressing the psycho-social effects of rape).

Transition towards development.

Work with national authorities and civil society to increase capacity of health-care system to address reproductive health needs - especially for women, adolescents and youth - by influencing national policies towards girls, women, and current and ex-combatants, repairing the health infrastructures' capacity to address reproductive health issues, and establishing youth and women's centres.
Contribute to DDR programmes through support to demobilized ex-combatants - both men and women - and to host communities in reproductive health, HIV/AIDS awareness, and gender issues.

Prevention (pre- and post-displacement).

Provide reproductive health promotion/training activities in quality of care (e.g. adolescent and woman-friendly health services provision), emergency obstetric care, sensitisation (to not ostracise those who are HIV positive, girls and women who have been raped, and girls and women with health problems such as obstetric fistula), family planning, and HIV and STI prevention for government, ex-combatants, and civil society.
Build the capacity of the health system to respond to all reproductive health needs by helping the government establish policies, guidelines and protocols, supporting training of health staff, procuring medical supplies, equipment and drugs, rebuilding and renovating health facilities, and supplying health centres with communication systems and ambulances to refer cases from lower level health facilities to higher ones in a timely manner.

UN-HABITAT - United Nations Human Settlements Programme

Period of conflict or ongoing generalised violence.

Implement a human settlements evaluation process involving participatory rapid assessments of urban infrastructure, shelter, land and property rights, and institutional capacity in local government to measure the impact of IDP populations on host communities, and evaluate pre-conditions for sustainable returns.
Provide support to humanitarian agencies where required in planning and delivery of emergency shelter and infrastructure. Immediate aftermath of conflict.
Address early on in the crisis by provision of technical assistance and material support where available, based on Phase 1 (above) rapid assessments, with the immediate measures for rehabilitation of social and economic conditions related to resettlement, shelter, infrastructure and governance (including land and property issues and urban safety/crime issues).
Provide technical, advisory and material support to national and local authorities and communities in strengthening their capacity to address IDP issues related to urban infrastructure, shelter and local governance.
Re-establish livelihood, planning and management of settlements and basic services for vulnerable groups.
Provide support to sister humanitarian agencies through participation in interagency networks in delivering humanitarian support with a view to leveraging short term investment where possible for longer term reconstruction/development programming.

Transition towards development.

Facilitate through support to local government, and in collaboration with humanitarian agencies, the maximum use of humanitarian investments for longer term developmental programmes.
Create awareness through capacity building and advocacy among decision-makers and communities on crisis mitigation and rehabilitation of urban infrastructure, institutional development for local authorities, and shelter planning methodologies in human settlements recovering from crisis.

Prevention (pre- and post- displacement).

Design and implement pertinent human settlements oriented training programmes.
Strengthen coordination and networking among communities, NGO's, governments and external support organisations in addressing activities related to IDPs, through participation and advocacy in collaboration with UN-Habitat partners and sister agencies.
Undertake capacity building on the development of applicable land administration and information systems aimed at protecting land and property rights, including security of tenure, housing policy, land administration, and integrated (spatial) planning.
Build capacity through technical support to national and local governments and community based organisations for addressing other developmental issues including mainstreaming of gender, urban safety and security, governance and vulnerability reduction strategies in development planning strategies.
Support the reconstruction of the economic capacity for the provision of livelihoods by supporting efforts of national and local governments, civil society including private sector .interests in spatial (social and economic) and urban (physical and strategic) planning, local governance, and reconstruction/development planning and delivery.
Build local governance management capacities through technical assistance programme tools developed for communities recovering from crisis.
Rehabilitate communities through social and economic activities including identifying strategic livelihood opportunities through participatory planning for municipal governance, infrastructure and institutional reconstruction programmes, that include IDPs and other vulnerable groups, in both host communities, and communities of origin.

UNHCR - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Period of conflict or ongoing generalised violence.

Collect and analyse IDP information and, where appropriate undertake advocacy.
Relocate people at risk from dangerous areas - including negotiating access - and particularly if displacement involves refugees or returnees and cross-border operations are being undertaken.
Provide advice on and participate in basic camp management, including protection and assistance, in IDP camps away from the scene of conflict.
Lobby/advocate for IDPs in the context of peace-making/building initiatives and political dialogue.§ Provide expert advisers/protection staff (loan/secondment) to the HC or ERC to strengthen the Country Team strategic response.

Immediate aftermath of conflict.

Play a significant role in assessing whether conditions are conducive for safe, dignified and sustainable returns, contributing to the identification and removal of obstacles for return, and negotiating and monitoring safeguards.
Play a robust and expanded operational role in activities that are typically associated with its mandate for repatriating refugees (e.g. risk analysis on returns, registration, information-gathering, confidence-building through ensuring that advocacy, protection and assistance benefits the host population as well as the returnees; interventions with authorities at all levels to address obstacles to legal and social reintegration; public dissemination of information relating to conditions and available assistance in places of return; logistics of returns, overall coordination function for this phase and limited post-return activities, providing technical advice on property restitution/compensation issues, legislative reforms and fostering dialogue on humanitarian issues through coordination and assessment of activities with Governmental, NGO and beneficiaries).
Support DPKO (SRSG) efforts to find practical but principled solutions for displacement (e.g. return v. local settlement following inter-ethnic conflicts).

Transition towards development.

Encourage use of development tools such as CCA/UNDAF, national PRSPs and a creative use of the Millennium Development Goals to bolster programmes and funding that will provide for longer-term support of IDPs, including bringing IDPs into 4Rs programmes.
Provide advisory support to the HC and/or RC.

Prevention (pre- and post-displacement).

Undertake grass-roots information gathering and analysis ("early warning" and risk assessments).
Raise awareness and promote/undertake training activities on displacement issues, including human rights, refugee/asylum law, provision of protection and assistance in return and reintegration situations] for government and civil society.
Support governmental and NGO legal and social counselling centres to ensure there is a mechanism to address returnees' grievances and uphold their rights
Undertake higher level political advocacy or lobbying for effective preventive action.
Implement confidence-building measures that create co-existence between communities, such as joint education and training projects.

UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund,p All Phases

Support protective environments for internally displaced children to protect them from violence, exploitation, abuse, rape and recruitment into armed forces and give effect to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols.

Period of conflict or ongoing generalised violence.

Assess, monitor, report on, and advocate on the situation of children and women: conduct a rapid assessment of their situation, establish monitoring systems, including on severe/systematic abuse, violence and exploitation.
Deploy additional child protection officers to the UNICEF Country Office as appropriate.
Provide measles vaccination, vitamin A, essential drugs and nutritional supplements, emergency health kits, post rape care kits, oral re-hydration mix, basic health kits, fortified nutritional products and micronutrient supplements. Provide other emergency supplies such as blankets, tarpaulins, etc.
Provide child and maternal feeding and nutritional monitoring: support infant and young child feeding, therapeutic and supplementary feeding programmes with WFP and NGO partners. Introduce nutritional monitoring and surveillance.
Provide emergency water supply and purification, basic family water kits, safe disposal of faeces and hygiene education.
Prevent separation and facilitate identification, registration and medical screening of separated children; ensure family tracing systems are in place; provide care and protection, and prevent sexual abuse and exploitation of children and women.
Resume schooling/recreational opportunities: set-up temporary learning spaces (e.g. schools in a box), re-open schools, start re-integrating teachers/children.
Beyond the initial response:
Ensure effective collection, assessment, monitoring, reporting of information on situation of children; make this information available to relevant partners; use UNICEF's voice to advocate on behalf of children.
Expand support to vaccination and preventive health services to prevent mortality amongst children and pregnant/lactating women (e.g. re. diarrhoea, pneumonia, malaria); support infant and young child feeding; provide safe water/sanitation facilities and promote safe hygiene behaviour.
Support identification and registration of unaccompanied/orphaned children and support communities to provide for their protection and care; establish child friendly spaces and provide psychosocial support; monitor, report on and advocate against child abuse and exploitation, including recruitment of child soldiers; work for release/reintegration of child combatants; promote activities that prevent/respond to sexual violence; organise mine risk education.
Re-establish/sustain primary education and establish community services in schools.,li Provide access to information on HIV/AIDS; facilitate young people's access to HIV prevention services including treatment for sexually transmitted infections.

Immediate aftermath of conflict.

Assist in mobilization of communities for resettlement, the transport phase, and the preparation of the resettlement community for the return of IDPs, including large-scale back-to-school programmes.
Ensure programmes are alert to issues of social reintegration, relations with persons not displaced, reconstruction of community infrastructure, and the need for long-term assistance (e.g. children with psychosocial needs).

Transition towards development.

Support displaced children, their families/communities through actions to restore psychosocial health, cultural activities, maternal/child health care, schools, water supply and sanitation systems, and self-supporting economic activities at the displacement site, beyond what is required for survival, and consult with them on such actions.

Prevention (pre- and post- displacement).

Design, promote and selectively implement protection activities that reduce exposure of children to risks of displacement, such as separation, sexual violence, recruitment into armed forces (e.g. by supporting family cohesion, psychosocial support, family tracing and reunification, DDR programmes).
Establish baseline data through regular assessments conducted within the country programme; know what the situation of children is before displacement occurs (in key sectors such as health, education, water and sanitation, nutrition and protection) to help determine the severity of the impact of displacement. Compare data on displaced and non-displaced children and women, disaggregated by sex and age.
Ensure information is available via global early warning and monitoring mechanisms to help predict conflict/displacements and type of action needed to prevent displacement; coordinate with program/community partners.
Anticipate and budget for specific efforts and emergency care to the displaced, which may include: transportation; pre-positioning of supplies and other logistics activities; procurement of maps/satellite imagery to track group movements; obtaining knowledge of partners operating in regions where displaced may relocate; obtaining knowledge of specialised technologies, such as mobile cold chain systems.

WFP - World Food Programme

Period of conflict or ongoing generalised violence.

Targeted food distribution to food insecure people, both displaced or those at risk of displacement if they are unable to meet their food needs in their current locations.
Provide common logistical services, including air and/or ground transport, logistics coordination, and telecommunications support.
Support assessment missions, registration and verification of IDP caseload with humanitarian community and national authorities b availing qualified staff and logistics means wherever possible.
Support HC/RC and Country Team in advocacy work in favour of policies that will reduce the factors leading to displacement and/or improve protection for IDPs.

,p Immediate aftermath of conflict.

Provide general food assistance to IDPs until return to former livelihood is possible especially when conflict is over but return is still not possible due to land mines and/or continued tensions.
Provide general food assistance to IDP returnees for a limited period of time until they are able to meet their food security.
Conduct rapid assessments of impact of population movements on food security situation of those in transit and host communities.
Assist in restoration of essential community services and infrastructure through food-based support to education (school feeding), health (mother-child nutrition), physical asset reconstruction (food for work) and agricultural rehabilitation (targeted feeding combined with seeds and tools programmes from FAO and NGOs).
Provide common logistical services if there is a UN Joint Logistics Centre (UNJLC) or UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) operating in the country.

Transition towards development.

Transform existing food aid programmes into development-oriented interventions such as school feeding, food for training and food for work.
Support national safety net structures with food to assist highly vulnerable groups (including current/former IDPs) who continue to need direct assistance, includes highly targeted general food distribution and special nutrition programmes for extremely vulnerable women, children, the elderly, and people living with HIV/AIDS.

Prevention (pre- and post-displacement).

Use WFP Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (VAM) and rapid risk assessment capabilities to assist the Country Team and national authorities in identifying areas of high vulnerability to hunger and poverty and thus target assistance to reduce the risks of such vulnerability leading to internal displacement.
Provide food assistance to food insecure vulnerable persons in situations where food insecurity is identified as a potential cause or contributing factor to future displacement.

WHO - World Health Organisation

Period of conflict or ongoing generalised violence.

Take the lead in rapid health assessment, epidemiological and nutritional surveillance, epidemic preparedness, essential drugs management, control of tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases, physical & psychosocial rehabilitation to enable partners to understand what is happening, where and how different groups of people are affected.
Provide guidelines and advice to partners to a) establish minimal essential health actions that are immediately needed, b) anticipate longer-term needs, and the conditions under which they should be met and c) offer standardized tool kits and techniques for assessment, for the organization and coordination of response, and for supporting the recovery of local systems.
Support in-country capacity and focusing on essentials such as assessment, outbreak response, repairing and jump starting critical services, tracking progress and coordinating actors.

Immediate aftermath to conflict.

Build national capacity, together with partners through training and the provision of technical assistance. to establish a viable vision and strategy for health for all; define a package of essential health action, secure agreement on its implementation and design procedures for managing people, medicines, structures, services and finance.

Provide basic and essential primary health care services to IDPs and their host community.

Prevent and control outbreaks of communicable diseases.

Establish nutritional surveillance systems to monitor the nutritional status of high risk groups (i.e. children younger than five years, pregnant women).

Strengthen technical local capacity through standard setting and the provision of guidelines and manuals.

Ensure, through advocacy and proactive partnerships with international, national and local actors, a secure and safe working environment for national and international health personnel and implement and monitor progress.

Transition towards development.

Define a package of essential health actions, such as access to basic health services, outbreak control of epidemics and communicable diseases and the provision of referral services, and secure agreement on its implementation.
Design procedures for managing people, medicines, structures, services and finance and implement and monitor progress.

Prevention (pre- and post-displacement).

Convene stakeholders to agree on ways to help cope with and manage threats.
Establish and agree on criteria for implementing standard mitigation procedures.
Identify natural or human induced threats to people's health that might develop in a crisis.
Build scenarios for possible major incidents and epidemics and their health consequences.

IOM - International Organization for Migration

Period of conflict or ongoing generalized violence.

Collect and analyse IDP information, implement socio-economic and demographic surveys on displacement.
Support national/local authorities in developing policies and programmes to reduce/prevent displacement and to advocate for improved conditions for IDPs.
Support/assist inter-agency contingency planning in emergency and in preparation for post-conflict phases including assessment missions.
Provide emergency assistance; coordinate and/or undertake camp management including providing emergency shelter, food and NFIs.
Assist in the relocation of IDPs from high risk to protected areas.

Immediate aftermath to conflict.

Undertake situation assessments to address assistance and protection needs of IDPs and host communities.
Monitor evolving IDP situations, register IDPs and implement transport and/or other assistance.
Provide NFIs and assist in food distribution as required.
Carry-out field surveys and develop tracking mechanisms to determine a more in-depth profile of the IDP situation including socio-economic background and places of origin which allow for analysis on returns.
Provide community assistance, (re)integration and rehabilitation support to IDPs and host communities, including assistance packages on return.
Provide technical advice on property restitution/compensation issues.
Provide temporary shelter and later permanent housing for displaced.
Implement information-gathering and confidence-building interventions with the authorities (such as training on shelter building and maintenance; technical assistance to governmental health providers, information workshops and training for civil administration authorities on assistance to IDP communities), public information dissemination, logistics for returns, overall coordination function and limited post-return programmes and activities for IDPs.
Implement HIV/AIDS surveys to identify priority areas for development, prevention and care projects for IDP/returning/host populations.
Assist in the establishment and management of post-trauma and psycho-social support programmes for war-affected population such as through training of counselors on post-war trauma, forced migration, and displacement; and psychosocial and cultural integration activities.

Transition towards development.

Assist national/local authorities through capacity-building projects, including developing a migration tracking system, encompassing field surveys and development of a database management software application.
Support and strengthen local authorities' capacity for population resettlement, stabilisation and socio-economic reinsertion of IDPs through community participation to prepare movement plans, road reconnaissance, rapid rehabilitation of secondary access routes; support for regional stabilization of returns; micro-credit projects; technical assistance for starting/expanding small enterprises and women's cooperatives.
Provide IDPs and host communities and/or returnees and return communities with (re)integration assistance, including retraining programmes and re-building infrastructure.
Support and/or set up Demobilization and Reintegration programmes.

Prevention (pre- and post-displacement).

Implement capacity-building programmes with local and national levels such as training workshops on migration and human rights; integrated and community-led approaches in areas of income-generation, health, education, community stabilisation, social communication, and transitional housing.
Assist vulnerable, excluded and minority groups (including women and demobilized soldiers) in reintegration.
Support confidence and peace-building measures and reconciliation activities to create co-existence between communities to promote sustainable return and reduce/eliminate future displacement: sensitisation of communities of absorption; strengthening the role and capacity of Dept. of Justice and Human Rights to address IDP needs; implement workshops and training in conflict resolution, conciliatory efforts including the organization and development of productive processes and rehabilitation and construction of infrastructure; create mechanisms facilitating dialogue between war-affected social groups

ICRC and NGOs

ICRC - International Committee of the Red Cross

A standing invitee to the IASC, ICRC, a neutral, independent and impartial organisation, has a clear mandate to protect and assist IDPs as civilians affected by armed conflict and other situations of violence. It intervenes in all phases of displacement. Typical protection and assistance experience/expertise includes:

Training/promoting/educating IHL through technical cooperation, in particular with National Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies (general and preventive measures); implementing mine action and mine awareness programmes.
Access to civilians, sick/injured and vulnerable groups - elderly, unaccompanied children, IDPs etc. - in armed conflict and other situations of violence, monitoring their situation and welfare, making confidential representations to the relevant authorities to ensure their proper treatment according to IHL and other relevant bodies of law and carrying out assistance activities (direct medical activities, surgery, support to existing medical structures, rehabilitation of amputees, food and seed distribution and other economic security endeavours, water provision and related activities, provision of shelter etc.) according to the needs directly assessed (during and in the aftermath of conflict).
Neutral intermediary/facilitating agreements to address humanitarian problems.
Monitoring the living conditions and treatment of persons deprived of their liberty, and striving for the full respect of IHL and other relevant bodies of law through visits to places of detention, imprisonment and internment and confidential representations to the concerned authorities (during and in the aftermath of conflict).
Ensuring communication between separated family members, and respect for their right to know the fate of missing relatives (during and in aftermath of conflict).

NGOs - Non-Governmental Organisations

NGOs - local, national and international - work in all phases of an IDP response. The protection and assistance activities that an NGO undertakes will depend on each NGO's mission. Which NGOs will be found in an area will vary from situation to situation.

UN agencies, and particularly the HC and/or RC, should be aware of the presence and activities of the (local, national and international) NGOs working in any specific IDP setting. If there are particular gaps in a response, one option may be to approach international NGOs or NGO networks to see if other NGOs may be able to fill those gaps.

Annex 3
Protection of Internally Displaced Persons ²¹

Protection problems are endemic to the plight of IDPs. They arise not only as a cause of flight but also during displacement and in the search for durable solutions.

In the past, the international response to situations of internal displacement has tended to focus on providing assistance, with less attention given to protection concerns. In recent years, however, there has been growing awareness within the international community of the connections between protection and assistance.

In December 1999, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) adopted its Policy on the Protection of IDPs in which it recognised that the protection of IDPs must be of concern to all humanitarian and development agencies. That is to say that all agencies have a responsibility:

to address more proactively the needs of IDPs;
to assess and analyse those needs; and
to act when the rights of IDPs are being violated.

Nature of Protection

Defining Protection
The concept of protection encompasses all activities aimed at obtaining full respect for the rights of the individual in accordance with the letter and the spirit of the relevant bodies of law (i.e. international human rights law, international humanitarian law, and refugee law) ²².

This definition was adopted at the 1999 International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Workshop on Protection. It is comprehensive in scope, both in terms of the legal framework for protection - full respect - and in terms of the strategies and methods by which protection may be achieved - all activities.

Physical Security
Ensuring the physical security of IDPs is the essential starting point for any effective protection response.

The Legal Framework

Primary Responsibility of the State
Unlike refugees, IDPs have not crossed an international border. As such, no single international legal instrument is exclusively devoted to their specific protection needs. IDPs are covered by the laws of their own country, and the state holds the primary responsibility for assisting and protecting them. International Human Rights Law
Under human rights law, IDPs are entitled to enjoy, in full equality, the same rights and freedoms under domestic and international law as the rest of a country's citizens. Although most human rights treaties allows states to suspend the application of some human rights guarantees in emergency situations, including war, ²³ it recognises that people have certain fundamental and "non-derogable" rights that must be protected at all times, even in conditions of war and emergency. They include:

the right to life;
the right to judicial personality and due process of law;
the prohibition of torture, slavery and degrading or inhuman treatment or punishment; and
the right to freedom of religion, thought and conscience.

International Humanitarian Law
Whenever IDPs find themselves in a situation of armed conflict, in addition to those provisions of human rights law from which a state cannot derogate, IDPs are also protected by international humanitarian law (IHL). In international armed conflicts this includes in particular the Fourth Geneva Convention and Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions, and in non-international armed conflicts Article 3 common to the Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocol II. IHL provides important protection for those who have already been uprooted, and, most importantly, against arbitrary displacement.

This is done in several ways. First, the rules governing the conduct of hostilities prohibit attacks against civilians and destruction of objects indispensable to their survival, such as crops, livestock and drinking water installations. Second, IHL provides that civilians be treated in a humane manner and protects them from abuses committed by the party under whose power they find themselves. Together, these rules seek to preserve a minimum of safety and a basis for subsistence, both of which are essential to allow persons to remain in their homes, and as guarantees for those who have already been displaced. In addition, IHL contains express prohibitions against arbitrary displacement, and regulates the conditions under which evacuations can be carried out.

Accordingly, respect for IHL constitutes an important form of protection. Efforts to promote such respect include drawing the attention of the parties to existing humanitarian problems, reminding them of their legal obligations and facilitating contacts between them for the purpose of enhancing the protection of civilians.

Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement
Drawing upon the relevant provisions of these standards of international humanitarian law, human rights law and refugee law by analogy, the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (1998) are the first comprehensive attempt to articulate what protection should mean for the internally displaced.

The Guiding Principles identify the rights and guarantees relevant to the protection of IDPs in all phases of displacement. They outline standards for protection against arbitrary displacement, protection and assistance during displacement, and for safe return or resettlement and reintegration. Protection as elaborated in the Principles covers not only needs for physical security and safety but also the broad range of rights provided for in international law (including the right to food, health, education and employment).

The Principles do not seek to create a privileged category of persons or to establish a separate legal status for the internally displaced. Rather, they are based on the assumption that IDPs have the same rights and obligations as other persons living in their own state. At the same time, however, they draw attention to the importance of recognising the particular situation and needs of IDPs.

Although not a legally binding document as such, the Principles reflect and are consistent with international human rights and humanitarian law, and refugee law by analogy, which are binding.

Protection in Practice

While there is growing recognition among humanitarian and development agencies of their responsibilities in the area of protection, including with regard to the internally displaced, there remains a need to give practical meaning to such commitment.

Five Modes of Action in Protection ²⁴

There are five main modes of action or techniques that agencies can utilise to try and secure protection for IDPs and other vulnerable groups. The first three do not involve direct assistance but are differing means of applying pressure that aim to ensure compliance of the relevant authorities with international laws of civilian protection so as to prevent further violations. The fourth and fifth modes are means of providing direct assistance to those surviving and recovering from violations.

Denunciation
Denunciation is pressuring the authorities through public disclosure into meeting their obligations and protecting individuals or groups exposed to abuse.

Persuasion
Persuasion is convincing the authorities through further private dialogue to fulfil their obligations and to protect individuals and groups exposed to violations.

Mobilisation
Mobilisation is sharing information in a discreet way with selected people, bodies or states that have the capacity to influence the authorities to satisfy their obligations and to protect individuals and groups exposed to violations.

Substitution
Substitution is directly providing services or material assistance to the victims of violations.

Support
Support to structures and services is empowering existing national and/or local structures through project oriented aid to enable them to carry out their functions to protect individuals and groups.

Protection Activities

While the modes of action refer to techniques that can be used to secure protection, they do not refer to activities. The ICRC Workshop on Protection identified three categories of protection activities:

Responsive Action
Responsive action is any activity undertaken in connection with an emerging or established pattern of violation and aimed at preventing its recurrence, putting a stop to it, and/or alleviating its immediate effects. ,brResponsive action has a sense of real urgency (but can last for many years) and aims to reach a particular group of civilians suffering the immediate horrors of a violation. It is primarily about stopping, preventing or mitigating a pattern of abuse. To do so, it might draw on one or a combination of the five modes of protective action.

Remedial
Action Remedial action is any activity aimed at restoring people's dignity and ensuring adequate living conditions subsequent to a pattern of violation, through rehabilitation, restitution, compensation and repair. Remedial action is a longer-term process that aims to assist people living with the effects of a particular pattern of abuse. This might include the recuperation of their health, tracing of their families, livelihood support, housing, education, judicial investigation and redress. It is also likely to involve all five modes of protective action.

Environment Building
Environment building is any activity aimed at creating and/or consolidating an environment - political, social, cultural, institutional, economic and legal - conducive to full respect for the rights of the individual. Environment-building is a deeper, more structural process that challenges society as a whole by aiming to change policy, attitude, belief and behaviour. It is likely to involve the establishment of more humane political values, improvements in law and legal practice, the training of security forces, and the development of an increasingly non-violent public culture.

The Principle of Complementarity

Fundamental to any understanding of protection is recognition that no humanitarian or human rights agency can protect all IDPs and other vulnerable groups on its own. No single agency will ever have the necessary mandate, expertise, resources, force or contacts to do so. Consequently, agencies need to cooperate in protection work and have a sense of which is best placed to act in a particular moment and on a particular issue.

Critical to the success of any complementary protective action is active liaison and information-sharing between different organisations. Within reasonable limits, humanitarian and human rights agencies need to tell each other what they are doing and be able to plan protective action together formally or informally. In doing so, it is particularly important that non-protection mandated agencies do not act in a way that may undermine the more diplomatically sensitive and long-term protection strategies of mandated agencies. Yet, it is equally important that, on occasion, non-mandated agencies are also able to challenge the policy and strategy of mandated agencies.

In settings that are increasingly crowded with humanitarian, human rights, development, and peace-building agencies, some sense of an overall protection aim is essential alongside respect for individual agencies' particular protection objectives. This need not involve top down coordination or a fanatical division of labour but, rather, is best based on inter-agency sensitivity and cooperation around shared protection goals.

Annex 4
External Support

Inter-Agency Internal Displacement Division

The Internal Displacement Unit, established in January 2002, was restructured and renamed the Inter-Agency Internal Displacement Division (IDD) in July 2004. It is housed within the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva and includes staff members seconded from different UN agencies and other humanitarian partners.

Aim
The aim of the Division is to ensure and support the effective implementation of the collaborative response to situations of internal displacement, including through ensuring the application of the IASC policy package.

Priority Countries
The Division has been requested by the ERC to focus on a limited number of selected countries where the collaborative response is considered inadequate for a variety of reasons and where there are gaps that need to be addressed. The Division has developed a series of criteria and indicators to determine the effectiveness of the collaborative response and to measure the impact of its efforts to improve it.

IDD Interventions
IDD interventions may include the deployment of IDP Advisors to provide strategic advice, in particular on protection issues, and coordination support to HCs and/or RCs and Country Teams; the deployment of missions to assist theHCs and/or RCs and Country Teams in developing and refining IDP strategies and ensuring their effective implementation, including appropriate division of labour; providing recommendations to the ERC for an improved international response to situations of internal displacement; training for the heads of OCHA offices on the content and implementation of the policy package; advocacy on specific issues and concerns; and efforts to raise awareness among and obtain increased engagement by donors.

These and other such efforts will be undertaken in full consultation with the HC and/or RC and Country Team.

Other IDP Situations
In addition to its focus on selected countries, the Division will maintain a watching brief on other current and emerging situations of internal displacement. Ad hoc support may be provided, depending on resources and urgency, either directly by the Division or by OCHA and other partners engaged in the response to internal displacement.

Contact
For further information contact:

Inter-Agency Internal Displacement Division
OCHA
United Nations
Palais des Nations
1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland

Tel: +41 22 917 2692
Fax: +41 22 917 0608
Email: idpunit@un.org
Web: www.reliefweb.int/idp

The Global IDP Project of the Norwegian Refugee Council

Through its Global IDP Project, the Norwegian Refugee Council is a key partner of UN agencies in their efforts to enhance the protection of IDPs worldwide. Two of its programmes are of direct relevance to the IDP-related work of HCs and/or RCs and Country Teams.

Training programme on the Guiding Principles and the protection of IDPs
Since 1999, the Global IDP Project has conducted training workshops on the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement for the humanitarian community in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Typically, training workshops organised by the Global IDP Project bring together all relevant actors, including local authorities, UN agencies, national and international NGOs and internally displaced communities. In cooperation with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and OCHA, the Global IDP Project developed five training modules covering the purpose of the Guiding Principles, their legal background, provisions relating to the prevention of displacement, protection during displacement and durable solutions, as well as a gender approach to IDP protection. The interactive training is aimed at strengthening the participants' capacity to put the Guiding Principles into practice on the ground.

In 2004, the Emergency Relief Coordinator formally requested the Project to take on responsibility for training Country Teams on the Guiding Principles, complementing the work of the Inter-Agency Internal Displacement Division. HCs and/or RCs and members of Country Teams are encouraged to approach the Global IDP Project and request Guiding Principles training in support of their efforts to strengthen the protection capacity of local actors. For more information, visit the Project's training website at www.idpproject.org/training.htm or contact idpproject@nrc.ch.

The IDP Database
The Global IDP Project runs an online database on internal displacement (www.idpproject.org) which can serve as a useful tool for Country Teams with regard to IDP-related advocacy activities, strategy development and programming. The IDP database, created in 1999 following a request by the IASC-WG, features comprehensive and regularly updated country profiles of all situations of conflict-induced internal displacement worldwide. Each country profile includes an overview of the displacement situation in a given country and, additionally, provides direct access to virtually all publicly available IDP information. The profiles are tailored to meet a diversity of information needs by offering access to all data included at different levels of detail and depth.

UN staff members in the field and at headquarters are invited to proactively share any IDP-related information with the Global IDP Project or respond to its information requests, in line with General Assembly resolution 58/177 (2003), which encourages IASC members "to collaborate and support the global IDP database, including by providing relevant data on situations of internal displacement". Information should be sent to idpproject@nrc.ch or directly to the relevant country analyst.

Contact For further information contact:

Global IDP Project
Norwegian Refugee Council
Chemin de Balexert 7-9
CH-1219 Geneva, Switzerland
Tel: +41 (0) 22 799 0703
Fax: +41 (0) 22 799 0701
Email: idpproject@nrc.ch
Web: www.idpproject.org

The Representative of the Secretary-General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons

Full information on the role of the Representative will be appended to this policy package at a later date.

Contact

For further information contact:

The Representative of the Secretary-General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons
c/o Matthias Behnke
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
UNOG-OHCHR
1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland

Tel: +41 (0) 22 917 9228
Fax: +41 (0) 22 917 9006
Email: mbehnke@ohchr.org
Web: www.ohchr.org

Notes:

1. For the purposes of this policy package, and in line with the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, internally displaced persons are persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalised violence, violations of human rights or natural or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed an internationally recognised State border.

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2 The Protection Survey and Matrix were undertaken by the Internal Displacement Division, the former in collaboration with the Brookings Institution-SAIS Project on Internal Displacement. The report of the Protection Survey will be published by the Brookings Project in 2004. The report of the Response Matrix is available on the website of the Division at www.reliefweb.int/idp

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3 The Network is composed of IDP focal points from concerned agencies and functions as a consultative body on IDP issues, and as a conduit for information-sharing between the Division and the respective agencies.

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4 This Guidance is based on and supersedes the IASC Policy on the Protection of Internally Displaced Persons (December 1999), the Supplementary Guidance to Humanitarian and Resident Coordinators on their Responsibilities in Relation to IDPs (March 2000) and the Guidance Note on the Collaborative Approach in Responding to Crises of Internal Displacement (March 2003).

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5 Established in January 2002 by the ERC, with the approval of the Secretary-General and the IASC, and originally entitled the Internal Displacement Unit. The Division is housed within OCHA-Geneva and includes staff on secondment from different IASC members. Further information available in Annex 4 of the policy package and at www.reliefweb.int/idp

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6 The IASC brings together a broad range of UN and non-UN humanitarian partners including UN humanitarian agencies, IOM, three consortia of major international NGOs and the Red Cross movement represented by ICRC and IFRC. Its primary role is to formulate humanitarian policy to ensure coordinated and effective humanitarian response to both complex emergencies and to natural disasters. For more information see www.humanitarianinfo.org/iasc/

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7 The IASC-WG role in enhancing the response to the needs of IDPs is spelled out in detail in its Terms of Reference on IDPs (5 June 1998).

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8 In complex emergencies, the responsibility lies with the HC, whether or not he/she is also serving as the RC. The HC reports to the ERC. In countries affected by displacement but where an HC has not been appointed, the RC is the responsible official.

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9 Where an international response is required, the Sevilla Agreement on the Organization of the International Activities of the Components of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (26 November 1997) defines the respective responsibilities of the individual components of the Movement.

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10 See further, Principles and Good Practice of Humanitarian Donorship, contained in the report of the International Meeting on Good Humanitarian Donorship, Stockholm, 16-17 June 2003. Available at www.reliefweb.int/ghd/

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11 These different publications are available on Reliefweb (www.reliefweb.int) or directly from the Division (www.reliefweb.int/idp).

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12 The Note of Guidance is available at www.humanitarianinfo.org/iasc/publications.asp

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13 This section is adapted from Hugo Slim and Luis Enrique Eguren, Humanitarian Protection - A Guidance Booklet, ALNAP (2004).

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14 Some agencies, such as UNHCR and ICRC, are also mandated with the legal responsibility for supervising specific international treaties.

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15 Under international humanitarian law, the term "civilian population" encompasses all civilians. IDPs are therefore covered by ICRC's mandate to afford protection and assistance to the civilian population affected by armed conflict and internal disturbances.

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16 Available on Reliefweb (www.reliefweb.int) or directly from the Internal Displacement Division.

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17 Developed in 2003 by the IASC CAP Sub-Working Group and to be used by Country Teams as a basis for discussion and analysis, with the objective of reaching a common understanding of the needs of a particular population. Available at www.reliefweb.int/cap/Policy/CAP_PolicyDoc.html

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18 GA resolution 58/114 (2003).

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19 4Rs is a programme concept referring to the related repatriation, reintegration, rehabilitation and reconstruction processes of a given operation and which aims to ensure linkages between all four processes so as to promote durable solutions for refugees and IDPs, ensure poverty reduction and help create good local governance. The concept provides an overarching framework for institutional collaboration in the implementation of reintegration operations allowing maximum flexibility for field operations to pursue country specific approaches. See further, UNHCR, Framework for Durable Solutions for Refugees and Persons of Concern (May 2003). Available at www.unhcr.ch

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20 For further guidance in transition issues, see the Report of the UNDG/ECHA Working Group on Transition Issues (February 2004). Available at www.undg.org/documents

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21 This annex is, for the most part, based on the IASC's Policy on the Protection of Internally Displaced Persons, endorsed by the IASC in December 1999, see note 2 above. In addition, sections of this note draw on Slim and Eguren, note 13 above.

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22 See Sylvie Giossi Caverzasio (ed), Strengthening Protection in War - A Search for Professional Standards, Geneva: ICRC (2001).

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23 On the issue of derogations, see further Compilation and Analysis of Legal Norms, UN Doc. E/CN.4/1996/52/Add.2 (5 December 1995); and Compilation and Analysis of Legal Norms, Part II, UN Doc. E/CN.4/1998/53/Add.1 (11 February 1998). Available at www.unhchr.ch The Convention on the Rights of the Child includes no derogation clause and thus applies to all children in all situations.

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24 See further Paul Bonard, Modes of Action Used by Humanitarian Players, Geneva: ICRC (1999), cited in Slim and Eguren, note 13 above, at 26.

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Procedural Road Map for Developing an IDP Response Strategy [PDF]

Letter of the ERC encouraging wide dissemination and implementation of the Policy Package

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