Press conference: High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement

As Geneva prepares to host its first ever high-level panel on Internal Displacement, the co-chair of the panel called the issue “a major humanitarian and political crisis of our times.”

To put internal displacement back on the agenda and shift global focus to the millions of people displaced within their own countries, the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres established the first high-level panel to address this issue in October 2019. Federica Mogherini, co-chair of this panel told journalists that even though “the issue of internal displacement tends to be forgotten”, she stressed that it is “one of the major, not only humanitarian, but also political, crisis that our times are seeing.”

Scheduled to hold its first meeting on 26 February 2020, the Secretary-General has tasked the panel with finding concrete long-term solutions and to raise global awareness of internal displacement by improving efforts to help all those affected, including both the displaced and their host communities. Ms. Mogherini, listed one of the panel’s tasks as addressing main drivers of displacement, and delving into the reasons why displacement occurs, of which she listed the three main causes as “climate change, disaster risk reduction, and peace action.” She told journalists that the panel has also been tasked with linking “the IDP issue and the 2030 agenda” so as to be able to understand how to “improve the collection of data and the analysis of the phenomenon” as she stressed that “the issue of recognition of the phenomenon is itself the first step to address it.” The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development also promises to “leave no one behind”. It incorporates internal displacement issues into its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically including IDPs as a vulnerable group that must not be left behind.

Ms. Mogherini worried that the numbers of internally displaced persons have been increasing every year, noting that “41 million people have been displaced by conflict only” in the last year, and millions more are become internally displaced every year “as a consequence of natural disasters or climate-related events.”

The high-level panel draws together expertise from government, international organizations, civil society and the private sector, as focusing only on short-term humanitarian assistance, and narrow goals, have proven to be inadequate, unsustainable, and unsuited to the protracted nature of many IDP crises, according to Donald Kaberuka who maintains that internal displacement is a global problem occurring in all continents, and therefore it requires a global solution. Mr. Kaberuka told journalists that it was not possible “to separate development, environment, and security” and that to be able to respond adequately to the problem, all three must be addressed together, as “we would be failing the Secretary-General if we did not address the issue of climate impact,” he said, stressing the need to make climate change a priority, as well as the urgent need to “bring the international community together to make sure that we resolve this.”

“Internally displaced persons are among the most vulnerable and face a variety of risks to their lives, health and well-being. And ever more people are displaced for longer periods of time, undermining the efforts of affected countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” said the Secretary-General in a statement on establishing the High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement. The Panel will convene at least four times in Geneva, New York and other locations, and will submit its final recommendations to the Secretary-General in one year.

Press conference: High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement

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