A/HRC/38/39 Principles — that is to say, from prevention through to the achievement of durable solutions for internally displaced persons. That reflects the goal set by the Secretary-General in his Agenda for Humanity and is also in line with important State-endorsed agendas and frameworks, such as the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. 16. In line with the focus of the plan of action at the national level and her own priorities, the Special Rapporteur has encouraged all stakeholders (Governments, United Nations agencies, international organizations, civil society and internally displaced persons themselves) to organize and develop activities to mark the anniversary that are not “one-off” events but that seek to promote new or ongoing initiatives, contributing to prevention, protection and solutions for internally displaced persons, particularly in relation to facilitating and strengthening the participation of internally displaced persons in processes that affect them; promoting the development and implementation of laws and policies on internal displacement; producing quality data and analysis on internal displacement situations; and finally addressing protracted internal displacement and supporting durable solutions for internally displaced persons. 17. In his foreword to the first edition of the Guiding Principles in 1998, the then UnderSecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs stated that “the humanitarian community is increasingly aware of the crisis of internal displacement which affects over 20 million people worldwide”. In his foreword to the second edition in 2004, the then UnderSecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator stated that “over twenty five million people, in some fifty countries around the world, have been uprooted within their country by conflicts and human rights violations”. As the twentieth anniversary of the Guiding Principles is marked in 2018, it is telling and concerning that the number of displaced persons has risen inexorably to over 40 million people living in internal displacement as a result of conflict and violence. 2 18. That number has nearly doubled since 2000 and annual increases to the global displacement total have been in the millions, with some 6.9 million new internal displacements owing to conflict and violence in 2016 alone. In addition, some 24.2 million new displacements were caused by natural disasters in the same year. An increasing number are locked into situations of protracted displacement, sometimes for years or even decades. In 2014, more than 50 countries were reported to have people living within their borders in protracted internal displacement for over 10 years. Those figures do not include the millions worldwide estimated to be internally displaced by other causes, such as national development projects. Given the number of ongoing conflicts without political solutions and the continuing and increasing adverse effects of climate change, internal displacement on this scale will be difficult to reverse. 19. Despite the critical progress made on enhancing protection and mobilizing a coordinated and coherent response to internal displacement over the last 20 years, the upward trend since the drafting of the Guiding Principles is disheartening. The Special Rapporteur is clear that States and the international community must re-examine the causes of this dramatic increase and do better to prevent them, first and foremost by using all diplomatic means to prevent and resolve conflicts. In 2018, it is clear that the world is facing a massive and neglected crisis of internal displacement and that addressing it must remain one of the highest priorities, not only for affected States but for the international community as well. Protection of the human rights of internally displaced persons must be strengthened as lives, dignity and security are endangered and precariousness and abnormality of life prevail among them. 20. Work is still required to build on elements of the Guiding Principles that have been somewhat neglected. For example, they are clear on the prohibition of arbitrary displacement in cases of large-scale development projects, which are not justified by compelling and overriding public interest. In reality, displacement caused by development projects affects millions annually and the protection of those internally displaced often falls short of the standards required. Further understanding of those issues is required to ensure 2 6 Based on figures provided by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. “New displacements” may include individuals who have been displaced more than once.