Human rights of internally displaced persons in armed conflicts
The Permanent Mission of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the UN Office and other International Organizations in Geneva has organized a side event on “Human rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in armed conflicts” within the margins of the 32nd session of the UN Human Rights Council, on 17th of June 2016, in Palais des Nations.
The side event was moderated by Ambassador Vaqif Sadiqov, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and panellists included Dr. Chaloka Beyani, Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Ms. Alexandra Bilak, Interim Director of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, Norwegian Refugee Council, Mr. Alexander Tyler, the Senior Legal Officer in the Europe Bureau, UNHCR, Mr. Louis Hoffman, Head, Transition and Recovery Division, Department of Operations and Emergencies, IOM, and Ms. Fanny Dufvenmark, Migration Law Expert, IOM.
The objective of the event was to draw attention of international experts, diplomats, representatives of NGOs and academia to the continuous plight of IDPs who are the victims of armed conflicts, and to discuss the issues related to their human rights.
During his opening remarks Ambassador V.Sadiqov mentioned that the current unprecedented level of displacement (40.8 million IDPs worldwide) caused by armed conflicts covers both new and old situations, some of which have been neglected for a certain period of time. The overall magnitude of the problem also points to the continuing phenomenon of protracted internal displacement, for which durable solutions and regional and international cooperation are necessary. In this regard, he highlighted the importance of resolution of the IDPs’ problem for the overall settlement of the armed conflicts, including Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The panellists discussed the issues related to the protracted situations of internal displacement caused by armed conflicts, legal framework for protection of IDPs, violations of human rights of IDPs, role of UNHCR, IOM and OHCHR in addressing internal displacement, and search for durable solutions. The numerous conflicts throughout the world, such as in Syria, Yemen, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, Georgia, and Azerbaijan were a part of discussions during the interactive dialogue.
The meeting concluded its deliberations by recognizing the necessity to make all possible efforts in the field of protection and promotion of human rights of all vulnerable groups, including refugees and IDPs in the time of armed conflicts.
