A/HRC/32/35
recognizing that the Philippines is on the front line of the adverse effects of climate changerelated extreme weather events. However, over two years on, attention to internally
displaced persons and resources allocated to them appear to be waning. Many lack adequate
housing and access to basic services, water, sanitation and electricity.
23.
A law on the rights of internally displaced persons has been debated for over a
decade without adoption, which sends the wrong signal about the commitment of the
Government. In Mindanao, multiple displacement due to conflict and disaster has become
the common pattern in some localities. Intensified efforts are required to achieve lasting
peace and provide durable solutions for internally displaced persons. Armed conflict,
extractive and logging activities and development projects in the ancestral territories of
indigenous peoples (Lumads) have had a devastating impact, displacing them and
subjecting them to violations of their human rights that threaten their unique communities,
cultures and lifestyles.
Honduras
24.
From 23 to 27 November 2015, the Special Rapporteur conducted an official
mission to Honduras.5 Internal displacement caused by generalized violence and criminal
gangs known as maras, is an invisible epidemic affecting whole communities. Gang-related
murders are commonplace, while extortion puts every small business owner at risk in some
neighbourhoods. Families under threat abandon their homes. As there are few viable
options that provide safety, security and livelihood in Honduras, internally displaced
persons with protection needs become “migrants in orbit” and face exploitation from
human traffickers and smugglers. Labelled “economic migrants” by countries of transit and
destination, they face expedited deportation that does not take account of their genuine
protection concerns.
25.
The Government must strengthen legal, policy and institutional frameworks and take
comprehensive action to tackle the root causes of displacement and protect the rights of
internally displaced persons. Providing support and viable options for local integration or
resettlement should form part of a strategy of durable solutions for such persons. Priorities
must include tackling impunity and rebuilding trust in institutions, including the police and
criminal justice system, which has been deeply eroded. The Special Rapporteur welcomed
an undertaking by the Government to draft a law on internal displacement during 2016.
C.
Progress towards key internal displacement priorities
26.
At the end of 2014, there were 38 million persons displaced by conflict, generalized
violence and human rights violations, and 11 million were newly displaced during the year.
This represented an overall increase of 4.7 million people compared with 2013, when 33.3
million were internally displaced.6 Some 60 per cent of the newly displaced were in five
countries: Iraq, South Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, the Democratic Republic of the
Congo and Nigeria. Massive forced displacement was caused by the conflict in Ukraine,
where internal displacement is at risk of becoming protracted. The geographical spread of
displacement demonstrates that all regions can be affected and calls for global measures of
5
6
See A/HRC/32/35/Add.4.
See Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, Global Overview 2015: People internally displaced by
conflict and violence (Geneva, 2015). Available from www.internaldisplacement.org/assets/library/Media/201505-Global-Overview-2015/20150506-global-overview2015-en.pdf.
7
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