Inter-State Dialogue on Internal Displacement: Promoting Global Platforms?

This briefing paper explores the potential of existing fora as sites or models for inter-State dialogue on internal displacement, and assesses the need for a dedicated global forum on internal displacement.

Published on August 21, 2020

Ben Hudson and Bríd Ní Ghráinne | idrp, International, Regional, International organisations, United Nations, Human Rights Law

There is no formal State-based forum at the global level specifically dedicated to internal displacement. This briefing paper thus: (i) explores the potential of existing fora as sites or models for inter-State dialogue on internal displacement (sections 1-3); and (ii) assesses the need for a dedicated global forum on internal displacement (section 4).

Specific attention is given to: a) human rights platforms, particularly UN human rights treaty bodies (HRTBs) and the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a procedure of the UN Human Rights Council in which all States participate (in section 1); b) refugee-related fora, namely the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner’s Programme (EXCOM) and Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) (in section 2); and c) informal fora specifically on internal displacement, such as the GP20 process and the Displacement Dialogues (in section 3).

The briefing was presented to the UNSG High Level Panel on Internal Displacement in Work-stream 1 (Political Will).

Dr Ben Hudson is a Lecturer, University of Exeter, and Dr Bríd Ní Ghráinne is Senior Researcher, Judicial Studies Institute, Masaryk University.

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