RES/6/32 Mandate of the Representative of the Secretary-General on the human rights of internally displaced persons.

Human Rights Council

Resolution 6/32. Mandate of the Representative of the Secretary- General on the human rights of internally displaced persons

The Human Rights Council,

Recalling all previous resolutions on internally displaced persons adopted by

the General Assembly and the Commission on Human Rights, including Commission

on Human Rights resolution 2005/46 of 19 April 2005,

Recalling also General Assembly resolution 46/182 of 19 December 1991 on

the strengthening of the coordination of humanitarian emergency assistance of the

United Nations and the Guiding Principles annexed thereto,

Bearing in mind paragraph 6 of General Assembly resolution 60/251 of 15

March 2006,

Recalling its resolutions 5/1 on institution-building of the United Nations

Human Rights Council and 5/2 on the Code of Conduct for Special Procedures

Mandate-holders of the Human Rights Council, of 18 June 2007, and stressing that the

mandate-holder shall discharge his/her duties in accordance with those resolutions and

the annexes thereto,

Recalling also the provisions of its resolution 5/1 concerning the continuation

of mandate-holders for a period of up to six years, without prejudice to the provisions

contained in that resolution on the appointment procedure for special procedures,

Noting the report of the Secretary-General on the performance and

effectiveness of the new mechanism on internal displacement submitted to the

Commission on Human Rights at its sixty-second session (E/CN.4/2006/69),

1. Commends the Representative of the Secretary-General for the

activities undertaken to date, for the catalytic role that he has played in raising the

level of awareness of the plight of internally displaced persons and for his ongoing

efforts to address their development and other specific needs, including through the

mainstreaming of the human rights of internally displaced persons into all relevant

parts of the United Nations system;

2. Expresses its appreciation to those Governments and

intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations that have provided protection

and assistance to internally displaced persons and have supported the work of the

Representative of the Secretary-General;

3. Expresses concern at the persistent problems of large numbers of

internally displaced persons worldwide, in particular the risk of extreme poverty and

socio-economic exclusion, their limited access to humanitarian assistance,

vulnerability to human rights violations and difficulties resulting from their specific

situation, such as lack of food, medication or shelter and issues pertinent during their

reintegration, including, in appropriate cases, the need for the restitution of or

compensation for property;

4. Expresses particular concern at the grave problems faced by many

internally displaced women and children, including violence and abuse, sexual

exploitation, forced recruitment and abduction, and notes the need to continue to pay

more systematic and in-depth attention to their special assistance, protection and

development needs, as well as those of other groups with special needs among the

internally displaced, such as older persons and persons with disabilities, taking into

account the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and bearing in mind

Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) of 31 October 2000;

5. Recognizes the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement as an

important international framework for the protection of internally displaced persons,

and encourages member States and humanitarian agencies to continue to work

together in endeavours to provide a more predictable response to the needs of

internally displaced persons, and in this regard calls for international support, upon

request, to capacity building efforts of States;

6. Decides to extend the mandate of the Representative of the Secretary-

General on the human rights of internally displaced persons for a period of three years,

in order to:

(a) 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;

(b) Work towards strengthening 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 dialogue with Governments,

non-governmental organizations and other relevant actors;

7. Requests the Representative of the Secretary-General on the human

rights of internally displaced persons, in carrying out his/her mandate:

(a) To continue, through continuous dialogue with Governments and all

intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations concerned, the analysis of the

reasons for internal displacement, the needs and human rights of those displaced, the

development of benchmarks for assessing when displacement ends, measures of

prevention and ways to strengthen protection, assistance and durable solutions for

internally displaced persons, taking into account specific situations and relevant

information, including in particular national data and statistics, and to include

information thereon in his/her reports to the Human Rights Council;

(b) To continue, through continuous dialogue with Governments and all

intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations concerned, his/her efforts to

promote comprehensive strategies and support that focus on prevention of

displacement, better protection and assistance and durable solutions for those

displaced, taking into account the primary responsibility of States within their

jurisdiction in this regard;

(c) To continue to use the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement in

his/her dialogue with Governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental

organizations and other relevant actors, and to continue his/her efforts to further the

dissemination, promotion and application of the Guiding Principles and to provide

support for efforts to promote capacity-building and the use of the Guiding Principles,

as well as the development of domestic legislation and policies;

(d) To integrate a gender perspective throughout the work of the mandate

and to give special consideration to the human rights of internally displaced women

and children as well as other groups with special needs among the internally displaced,

such as severely traumatized individuals, older persons and persons with disabilities,

and their particular assistance, protection and development needs;

(e) To continue his/her efforts to promote, where appropriate, the

consideration of the human rights and the specific protection and assistance needs of

internally displaced persons in peace processes, peace agreements and reintegration

and rehabilitation processes;

(f) To continue to pay attention to the role of the international community

in assisting affected States, upon request, in meeting the protection and assistance

needs of internally displaced persons, including in implementing national strategies

and to incorporate in his/her advocacy activities an emphasis on the mobilization of

adequate resources in response to the needs of affected countries;

(g) To continue, through continuous dialogue with Governments and the

intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations concerned, his/her efforts to

promote the protection of human rights of internally displaced persons in the context

of natural disasters;

(h) To strengthen the cooperation established between the Representative

of the Secretary-General and the United Nations, including in the framework of the

Peacebuilding Commission, as well as other international and regional organizations,

in particular his/her participation in the work of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee

and its subsidiary bodies;

8. Encourages all Governments, in particular Governments of countries

with situations of internal displacement, to facilitate United Nations activities

addressing the protection, assistance and development needs of internally displaced

persons and to respond favourably to requests by the Representative for visits and

information, and urges Governments and the relevant bodies of the United Nations

system, also at the country level, to follow up effectively, where appropriate, on

recommendations of the mandate-holder and to make available information on

measures taken in this regard;

9. Encourages the United Nations, including its specialized agencies,

regional intergovernmental organizations, mandate-holders, interested institutions and

independent experts, and non-governmental organizations to develop regular dialogue

and cooperation with the Representative of the Secretary-General in the fulfilment of

his/her mandate;

10. Requests the Secretary-General to provide the Representative with all

necessary assistance and adequate staffing to carry out his/her mandate effectively and

to ensure that the mechanism works with the support of the Office of the

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and in close cooperation with

the Emergency Relief Coordinator and the Office for the Coordination of

Humanitarian Affairs and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees;

11. Invites the Representative of the Secretary-General to submit annual

reports on the implementation of his/her mandate to the Human Rights Council and to

the General Assembly, making suggestions and recommendations regarding the

human rights of internally displaced persons, including on the impact of measures

taken at the inter-agency level;

12. Decides to continue its consideration of the question of the human

rights of internally displaced persons in conformity with the annual programme of

work of the Human Rights Council.

[Adopted without a vote]

34th meeting 14 December 2007

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