Internally Displaced Persons
How the tens of millions of people displaced within their own countries fall through the cracks of international protection, and why the IDP crisis is growing.
The Forgotten Crisis
Internally displaced persons (IDPs) are people forced to flee their homes but who remain within their country's borders. At over 75 million, IDPs vastly outnumber refugees. They are displaced by conflict (Sudan, Ukraine, Syria, Ethiopia), disasters (flooding in Pakistan, earthquakes in Turkey), and development projects (dam construction, urban renewal). Despite their numbers, IDPs receive far less international attention and protection than refugees.
The legal gap is fundamental. Refugees cross international borders and come under the protection of the 1951 Refugee Convention and UNHCR. IDPs remain under the sovereignty of their own government, which is often the cause of their displacement. No single international agency has a mandate for IDPs. The 1998 Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement provide a normative framework but are non-binding. The African Union's Kampala Convention (2009) is the only binding regional treaty on internal displacement, but implementation has been limited.
