United Nations General Assembly A/HRC/DEC/35/101 Distr.: General 13 July 2017 Original: English Human Rights Council Thirty-fifth session 6–23 June 2017 Agenda item 3 Decision adopted by the Human Rights Council on 22 June 2017 35/101. Panel discussion on the human rights of internally displaced persons in commemoration of the twentieth anniversary of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement At its 34th meeting, on 22 June 2017, the Human Rights Council decided to adopt the text below: “The Human Rights Council, Recalling all previous resolutions on internally displaced persons adopted by the General Assembly, the Commission on Human Rights and the Human Rights Council, Deeply disturbed by the alarming scale, complexity and protracted nature of internal displacements throughout the world, for reasons including violations and abuses of human rights, violations of international humanitarian law, armed conflict, persecution, violence and terrorism, as well as natural and human-made disasters, in which internally displaced persons receive inadequate protection and assistance, and conscious of the serious challenges that this is creating for the people affected, including the host communities, and for the international community, Conscious of the human rights, humanitarian, development and possible peacebuilding dimensions of internal displacement, including in long-term displacement situations, the often heightened vulnerability of women and children, as well as of older persons and persons with disabilities, and the responsibilities of States and the international community to further strengthen their protection and assistance, including by respecting and protecting the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all internally displaced persons, with a view to finding durable solutions, Noting that 2018 will mark the twentieth anniversary of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, and reaffirming the recognition of the Guiding Principles as an important international framework for the protection of internally displaced persons, Affirming that the above-mentioned anniversary offers an important opportunity to reflect on the promotion and protection of the human rights of internally displaced persons and on the achievements, best practices and challenges with regard to the application of the Guiding Principles, GE.17-11806(E) 