A/HRC/16/43 I. Introduction 1. This is the first report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Chaloka Beyani, submitted in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 14/6 of June 2010. The Special Rapporteur was appointed by the Human Rights Council during its fifteenth session and assumed his mandate on 1 November 2010. The first part of this report records the activities undertaken by the previous mandate holder, Walter Kälin, the Representative of the Secretary-General on the human rights of internally displaced persons, since he presented his last report to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/13/21). That report described, in particular, the achievements of his mandate as well as key challenges in the area of the protection of internally displaced persons (IDPs). 2. The second part of this report provides a description of some of the issues and challenges with regard to internal displacement which the newly appointed Special Rapporteur has identified and decided to prioritise in the initial phase of his mandate. Nearing its second decade, the mandate on the human rights of internally displaced persons, has made important progress in advancing and gaining broad acceptance for the normative framework now used to understand, protect and implement the rights of this group of persons. This normative framework has its foundations in the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, which themselves draw on existing international standards. The mandate has also been instrumental in furthering advancements in this field, by articulating the human rights aspects of certain types or phases of displacement, such as through the Framework on Durable Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons, and the Operational Guidelines on the Protection of Persons in Situations of Natural Disasters (revised). 3. Other contributions by the mandate have included addressing specific issues related to internal displacement, in an effort to enhance either the understanding of normative principles or the practices and policies of States, civil society and the international community. One such issue relates to the consultation and participation of displacementaffected communities in decisions which impact on them. In this regard, the mandate contributed towards the publication of the guide book, Integrating Internal Displacement in Peace Processes and Agreements. Through its thematic reports to the Human Rights Council and to the General Assembly, the mandate has also addressed a wide variety of other aspects related to internal displacement, often in order to provide guidance on issues on which there have been significant gaps. 4. These efforts have been undertaken from a mainstreaming perspective, with regard to which the mandate’s participation in the Inter-Agency Standing Committee has been instrumental, as well as from a capacity-building and collaborative approach which has prioritised strong links with key United Nations agencies, as well as other international organizations and civil society more broadly. 5. At the level of its engagement with States, the mandate has placed an emphasis on follow-up to its country visits, often in the form of working visits, continued engagement by providing advice on specific issues or developments, and when possible by providing technical support for the development of national policies, legislation or strategies. There is now a momentum towards the development by States of national instruments, which seek to address and protect the rights of IDPs. With the adoption of the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons (Kampala Convention), a regional dimension has been added which further consolidates the international legal foundation of the rights of IDPs, but also offers opportunities to address internal displacement issues from a regional and subregional perspective and to develop solutions better suited to specific needs and contexts. 3