A/HRC/40/26 I. Introduction 1. In its decision 35/101 of 22 June 2017, the Human Rights Council, disturbed by the alarming scale, complexity and protracted nature of internal displacements throughout the world, and noting that 2018 would mark the twentieth anniversary of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, decided to convene a panel discussion on the human rights of internally displaced persons in commemoration of the twentieth anniversary of the Guiding Principles, with a particular focus on their application and on achievements, best practices and challenges in that regard, as well as on recommendations to meet those challenges. 2. The panel discussion was chaired by the President of the Human Rights Council, Vojislav Šuc, and moderated by the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Cecilia Jimenez-Damary. The Director of the Human Rights Council and Treaty Mechanisms Division of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Adam Abdelmoula, and the Assistant High Commissioner for Protection of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Volker Türk, gave opening statements. The Federal Minister for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs of Austria, Karin Kneissl, was excused. The panellists were the Commissioner and Special Rapporteur on refugees, asylum seekers, migrants and internally displaced persons of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Maya Sahli Fadel, the Undersecretary for Human Rights of Honduras, Alba Marcela Castañeda, and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Permanent Representative of Fiji to the United Nations Office at Geneva, Nazhat Shameem Khan. 3. During the ensuing discussion, contributions were made by representatives of 23 States and the European Union, 1 international organization, the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions and 5 non-governmental organizations (NGOs). II. Summary of the opening statements 4. In his opening statement, the Director of the Human Rights Council and Treaty Mechanisms Division of OHCHR stressed that human rights were critical to a shared understanding of the complex drivers of internal displacement. While the impact of displacement was indiscriminate, people already in vulnerable situations were at the greatest risk of being displaced and of suffering additional harm as a result. He noted that the Guiding Principles, which reflected and were consistent with international human rights law, remained the standard for the protection of internally displaced persons and that as citizens, those displaced, irrespective of the causes of displacement, were entitled to call on the duty of care of their Government, without exception or discrimination. 5. The Director highlighted links between internal displacement and cross-border movement, indicating that the two frequently shared common drivers and that internally displaced persons should therefore be considered part of the bigger migration challenge. Further analysis of the links between violations of economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights and migration was needed. He insisted on the need to address the factors that propelled people to move to safeguard their rights and dignity and to respond appropriately to the consequences of such displacement. 6. He also emphasized that internally displaced persons were usually among the poorest of the poor and that women and children were often disproportionately affected by internal displacement. Marginalization could be extensive, with internally displaced persons often unable to exercise their economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights. Because of their frequent inability to exercise those rights, durable solutions to displacement remained elusive, as demonstrated by the growing number of people living in situations of protracted displacement. Some internally displaced persons could move to neighbouring countries and become refugees or migrants in vulnerable situations. Keeping the promise to leave no one behind, a core tenet of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, required addressing the patterns of exclusion and unequal power relations often affecting internally displaced persons. Addressing those patterns required, in turn, supporting legal, 2