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Forced Internal Displacement ISSUE No. 447
Internally displaced persons are individuals compelled to leave their original homes and relocate within the same
country due to disasters, persecution, or to evade anticipated harm. The reasons for forced internal displacement
may encompass armed violence, human rights violations, or natural or man-made disasters.
In the context of forced internal displacement, individuals do not cross internationally recognized borders, and as
such, do not require a specific international legal status. In accordance with the principle of sovereignty, national
authorities bear the primary responsibility for preventing forced displacement and safeguarding internally
displaced persons.
Internally displaced persons can include citizens, stateless individuals, and regular residents, enjoying equal
rights and freedoms as stipulated in international and national laws, similar to other individuals within their
respective countries. Consequently, their government assumes responsibility for their protection in accordance
with national laws, while international organizations play a supplementary, technical, and logistical role within
the framework of the sacred principle of state sovereignty.
It is essential to note that forced internal displacement currently lacks a specific binding international legal
framework. Instead, there exist guiding principles on forced internal displacement adopted by the United Nations
in 1998, serving as an indicative roadmap for addressing and mitigating the challenges associated with internal
displacement.

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