A/HRC/38/39 I. Introduction 1. The report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons is submitted in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 32/11. The report provides an overview of the activities undertaken by the mandate holder since her previous report to the Human Rights Council in June 2017 (A/HRC/35/27). In addition, and recalling the fact that 2018 marks the twentieth anniversary of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, the Special Rapporteur has dedicated the present report to a consideration of the progress achieved, the ongoing challenges and the necessary actions to be taken by States, regional actors, the United Nations and the international community to better implement the provisions of the Guiding Principles in practice. II. Activities of the Special Rapporteur 2. In its resolution 32/11, the Human Rights Council mandated the Special Rapporteur to address internal displacement, in particular by mainstreaming the human rights of internally displaced persons into all relevant parts of the United Nations system; working towards strengthening the international response to internal displacement; engaging in coordinated international advocacy and action to improve protection of and respect for the human rights of such persons; and continuing and enhancing dialogue with Governments, intergovernmental, regional and non-governmental organizations and other relevant actors. 3. The Special Rapporteur has continued to support the mainstreaming of the human rights of internally displaced persons within the United Nations system and the wider humanitarian community. Her participation in the Inter-Agency Standing Committee at the level of Principal is proving essential in that regard, as it helps to ensure and enhance collaborative approaches and strong links with key United Nations agencies, other international organizations and civil society. In that regard, the Special Rapporteur took part in the Principals meetings of the Committee in October 2017 and will do so in May 2018 as well. 4. The Special Rapporteur co-hosted, with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Institute of Humanitarian Law, the thirteenth course on the law of internal displacement, held in October 2017 in San Remo, Italy. The course continues to be an excellent opportunity to bring together government authorities involved in the protection of internally displaced persons and the Special Rapporteur intends to continue it as the flagship course of the mandate. 5. The Special Rapporteur also organized jointly with Swisspeace and the University of Basel, an expert workshop on transitional justice and internal displacement in December 2017, which brought together scholars and practitioners working on internal displacement and transitional justice. Participants discussed the current state of knowledge and identified lessons learned, best practices and recommendations for improving policies and practices in this field. It served as a platform for dialogue between the expert participants and the Special Rapporteur, who has identified promoting the inclusion of internally displaced persons in transitional justice processes as a core priority of her work. The findings from the workshop will directly inform a thematic report on that topic to be presented to the General Assembly in October 2018. 6. The Special Rapporteur also strengthened the engagement of her mandate with national human rights institutions by attending the annual conference of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions in February 2018, during which she organized a side event examining the work of national human rights institutions with the Guiding Principles and proposed that the scope of that work be expanded. In addition, a consultative workshop was co-convened with UNHCR, the Global Alliance and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on 20 February 2018, to which selected national human rights institutions were invited to exchange views and ideas on their existing and potential roles in addressing internal displacement. The Special Rapporteur also sent a questionnaire to all national human rights institutions to map their ongoing work 3