This article looks back at the development and continued relevance of the 2015 Guidance on Protecting People from Disasters and Environmental Change through Planned Relocations, which established an essential set of principles intended to clarify and uphold the rights of people undertaking or considering planned relocations. The article traces how the Guidelines and subsequent Toolkit have helped broaden the conversation to include not only the rights of relocating persons but also those of host communities, those who remain behind in sites of origin, and all those whose lives are affected by planned relocation. It further discusses how the core principles have remained relevant, even as the Guidelines have been adopted across diverse regional, national and community-level contexts. Finally, the author team, which includes the expert who led the development of the Guidance and Toolkit, suggests a brief research agenda, including areas where further direction is needed regarding issues that have become more salient since the 2015 Guidance was published.

The 2022 Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine not only shocked the world and made millions of Ukrainians either refugees or internally displaced persons. It also overshadowed the invasion of Eastern Ukraine in 2014, which resulted in an intense armed conflict, forcing people living in Donbas to flee further from the frontlines. Based on numerous interviews with IDPs, the author explores the 2014 internal displacement from Eastern Ukraine and the challenges faced by IDPs, including integration and reconciliation. Highlighting one of the interviews in particular, this brief article provides the firsthand experience of a displaced person who was forced to leave her hometown, Donetsk, which, before 2014, was the second-wealthiest city in Ukraine, had an international airport that welcomed millions of passengers annually, and hosted concerts of world-renowned musicians and the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship. Her story not only sheds light on how challenging these problems were before the full-scale invasion but also reminds us of what is at stake—the lives of millions of Ukrainians who may never be able to return home.

This brief article highlights the protracted and often overshadowed forced displacement of Serbs from Kosovo, triggered by the conflict in 1999 and the subsequent NATO intervention. More than two decades later, Serbian IDPs continue to face numerous challenges, from complex administrative procedures of obtaining and renewing their residency status to being stigmatised within local communities. The situation of IDPs remains one of the key Serbian arguments in rejection of the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo in 2008. The authors explore not only everyday issues faced by Serbian IDPs but also their perspectives on ending the displacement, situated within the broader political contradictions between Belgrade and Pristina.

The Arab region has faced decades of wars, uprisings, and disasters, displacing millions and straining fragile protection systems. While humanitarian actors often step in during crises, human rights organizations have struggled to play an effective role in safeguarding IDPs. This article examines these institutional shortcomings and proposes a more context-sensitive, community-based approach to protecting IDPs’ rights beyond emergency relief. Ultimately, the author argues for foregrounding a ‘communalised human rights approach’ to displacement, one that integrates the strong Arab cultural traditions of kinship, communal solidarity and mutual aid into protections for displaced people.

This provocative think piece argues that the current "humanitarian reset", intended under the UN 80 New Humanitarian Compact, may not constitute a reset at all, to the detriment of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and their host communities. Lacking sufficient "blue sky thinking", the compartmentalised processes undertaken by UN agencies focus primarily on "doing the same – or less – with less money" rather than enabling more productive country-level action, including addressing durable solutions for people displaced in the context of disasters and climate change. Whilst cost savings are surely needed, without a fresh and inclusive vision of how the UN can use its limited resources to help States achieve the goals and purposes of the UN Charter in a radically changing world, the UN80 initiative risks failure. The authors warn that IDPs, who already suffer from funding and programming gaps, may not see the improvements that they and their communities truly need.

This insightful short article from Nepal highlights a promising case study of voluntary 'migration as adaptation' to socio-environmental changes that has allowed rural villages to maintain their vitality in the face of slow-onset climatic hazards, staving off the displacement of entire village populations. Despite the loss of human resources in the villages, voluntary out-migration has helped reshape and revitalise previously faltering rural livelihoods, helping villages remain culturally vibrant and economically viable communities for older people and others who are unwilling or unable to migrate. Notably, in turn, the cultural vibrance of some rural villages compels many migrants to maintain strong ties to their home villages, creating translocal bonds that help support resilience in the face of environmental change.

The International Court of Justice’s long-awaited Advisory Opinion on the Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change embeds important principles of international human rights law. It confirms that people may be entitled to international protection – that is, as refugees or beneficiaries of complementary protection – where the effects of climate change expose them to life-threatening risks. It also affirms that even if a State’s population and territory were to decline on account of sea-level rise, the State would continue to exist. Finally, by affirming the binding obligations of climate change treaties and the obligation of States to cooperate in the context of climate change, the Advisory Opinion potentially strengthens the case for more climate adaptation and loss and damage funding, including to support people to stay in place or to move elsewhere in a safe and dignified manner.

Este breve artículo presenta la nueva serie de Investigación sobre el Desplazamiento Interno sobre «Desplazamiento interno en el contexto de la violencia criminal organizada», desarrollada por expertos del Programa de Investigación sobre Desplazamiento Interno (Internal Displacement Research Programme) de la Iniciativa sobre el Derecho de los Refugiados (Refugee Law Initiative), en colaboración con la Relatora Especial de las Naciones Unidas sobre los Derechos Humanos de los Desplazados Internos, en relación con su Convocatoria de 2025 para la presentación de contribuciones sobre este tema. Agradecemos nuevas contribuciones a esta serie.