A/HRC/40/26 panellists noted that if the international community was serious about leaving no one behind, internally displaced persons and their host communities should be a top priority. Denmark noted that the needs and challenges related to internally displaced persons should be reflected as a cross-cutting objective in local and national development plans so as to ensure a whole-of-society approach and the sustained engagement of development actors in support of humanitarian efforts to address the plight of internally displaced persons. 42. Many delegations stressed that the twentieth anniversary of the Guiding Principles represented an opportunity to turn much-needed international attention to the plight of the internally displaced and that the international community must seize the moment to make real progress towards improving outcomes for internally displaced persons. In that context, several delegates, including those representing Austria, Norway, Switzerland, Togo (on behalf of the Group of African States), Tunisia and the United Kingdom, welcomed the Plan of Action for Advancing Prevention, Protection and Solutions for Internally Displaced People 2018–2020 and saw it as an opportunity to help the international community move the agenda on internal displacement forward. C. Addressing root causes and all causes of displacement 43. Many delegations expressed concern about the increasingly protracted nature of displacement and the lack of durable solutions for the internally displaced. Some delegations stressed the need to focus on solutions from the very onset, while others, including those of China, Togo (on behalf of the Group of African States), Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates (on behalf of the League of Arab States), emphasized the need to tackle the root causes of internal displacement. 44. A number of delegations also noted with concern the growing number of persons internally displaced by disasters. In 2017, over 60 per cent of new internal displacements worldwide had been triggered by disasters. It was also noted that the adverse impact of climate change was only likely to aggravate that trend. Persons internally displaced by disasters should not be forgotten in the ongoing discussions on displacement, including cross-border displacement. V. Conclusions 45. The panel discussion provided an important opportunity to take stock of achievements and challenges since the presentation of the Guiding Principles to the Commission on Human Rights in 1998. The Guiding Principles were the cornerstone for the protection of and assistance to internally displaced persons. The panel discussion also provided an opportunity to reflect on the momentum generated by the twentieth anniversary, on the Plan of Action for Advancing Prevention, Protection and Solutions for Internally Displaced People 2018–2020 and on the way forward. 46. During the panel discussion, the consensus was that international norms and standards existed and were more relevant than ever. However, there were also many challenges in respect of successfully protecting the rights and meeting the needs of internally displaced persons, including with regard to data collection and the national leadership that would make it possible to turn commitments into actionable laws and policies and ensure that they were implemented. 47. Experiences shared during the panel discussion highlighted the need for close collaboration and coordination among all actors at the national level, such as government agencies, national human rights institutions, civil society and humanitarian and development actors. 48. The need for a holistic approach to internal displacement, an approach that was based on human rights, tackled root causes and sought to bridge gaps among humanitarian, peace and development actors, was stressed by many participants. The need for States to make strong commitments to internally displaced persons with 10