Displacement due to armed conflict uproots people from their normal lives, often inflicting untold suffering on them. A new ICRC report, “Internal displacement in armed conflict,” paints a vivid, disturbing picture of this phenomenon. In this interview, Angela Gussing, ICRC Deputy Director of Operations, discusses the challenges faced by internally displaced people (IDPs).

Despite not being the beneficiaries of a specific convention, as is the case for refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs) are protected by various bodies of law, principally national law, human rights law and, if they are in a State experiencing an armed conflict, international humanitarian law.

The United Nations' Inter-Agency Standing Committee, a coordination group for humanitarian agencies, has produced a basic fact-file on legal aspects of aid work during conflicts. Two dozen concise questions and answers explain essentials such as who is protected, under which branch of law, what type of acts are forbidden, and what constitutes a war crime.

Internal displacement, affecting tens of millions of people, is one of the most tragic consequences of armed conflict and other violence. This new ICRC report highlights the reasons people are forced to flee, the risks they face and how they cope.

These Guiding Principles address the specific needs of internally displaced persons worldwide. They identify rights and guarantees relevant to the protection of persons from forced displacement and to their protection and assistance during displacement as well as during return or resettlement and reintegration.

A few comments on the contribution of international humanitarian law, by Jean-Philippe Lavoyer, Deputy Head of the ICRC Legal Division.

An area where both human rights and humanitarian law considerations are being taken into account

It has been 10 years since the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement were presented to the UN Human Rights Committee. They resulted from the greater awareness at the United Nations in the early 1990s of the displacement phenomenon. The process of drafting the Guiding Principles - to which the ICRC actively contributed - and the reports by the special representative revealed several strands of thought.

United Nations, General Assembly, 64th session, Third Committee, Items 41 of the agenda, Statement by the ICRC, New York, 3 November 2009

Statement by Jakob Kellenberger, President of the ICRC. Special summit on refugees, returnees and IDPs in Africa, Kampala, Uganda, 23 October 2009.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, address by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Geneva, 28 September – 2 October 2009

United Nations, General Assembly, 63rd session, Third Committee, Item 39 of the agenda, Statement by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), New York, 5 November 2008

Address by Angelo Gnaedinger, Director-General, International Committee of the Red Cross, Ten years of Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, Achievements and Future Challenges, Oslo, Conference 16-17 October 2008

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, statement by Jakob Kellenberger, President of the ICRC, Geneva, 6 October 2008

International humanitarian law, refugee law and human rights law are complementary bodies of law that share a common goal, the protection of the lives, health and dignity of persons. They form a complex network of complementary protections and it is essential that we understand how they interact. Statement at the International Association of Refugee Law Judges world conference, Stockholm, 21-23 April 2005, by Emanuela-Chiara Gillard, ICRC Legal Adviser.

ICRC statement to the UNHCR Global Consultations on International Protection, first meeting, 8-9 March 2001

Report on the implementation of resolution 4 of the 2001 Council of Delegates - Council of Delegates of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, Geneva, 30 November - 2 December 2003

Extract from ICRC publication "International humanitarian law: answers to your questions"

The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) runs an online database providing comprehensive information and analysis on internal displacement in some 50 countries. The Centre’s IDP database provides frequently updated information and analysis on conflict-induced internal displacement around the globe.

The Global Database on the Guiding Principles provides instant access to official documents about the rights of the internally displaced and the application of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement.

Refworld contains a vast collection of reports relating to situations in countries of origin, policy documents and positions, and documents relating to international and national legal frameworks.