A/HRC/35/27
strengthen their efforts to promote the integration of internally displaced persons’ needs in
development plans and interventions.
El Salvador
12.
The former Special Rapporteur conducted a working visit to El Salvador from 11 to
14 August 2016 as part of a regional visit. He noted that ongoing internal displacement in
the northern triangle of Central America, due to various causes, including displacement
triggered by widespread criminal and gang-related violence, had had a devastating impact
on the lives of those affected and required preventive action and measures to protect the
rights of internally displaced persons. His visit presented a unique opportunity to start
consulting with government representatives and other stakeholders on the challenges
involved in providing protection and assistance to internally displaced persons. He
welcomed the willingness of the Government to carry out a characterization study on the
internally displaced population in El Salvador with a view to developing concrete proposals
on how to address internal displacement in El Salvador. The Government of El Salvador
subsequently issued an invitation to the current Special Rapporteur to undertake an official
country visit in August 2017.
Honduras
13.
The former Special Rapporteur conducted a follow-up visit to Honduras from 15 to
17 August 2016. The visit was another opportunity to discuss initiatives to prevent and
respond to internal displacement and implement the recommendations of his previous
report (A/HRC/32/35/Add.4) following his mission there in November 2015. He
commended the Government for the measures taken to establish a legal framework for the
protection of internally displaced persons and to criminalize the offence of criminal gangrelated displacement, as well as to facilitate protection and assistance for internally
displaced persons in the short term based on the recommendations of his report. He
encouraged the Government of Honduras to continue working towards the strengthening of
such measures, including by ensuring a sufficient budgetary allocation for this purpose.
Mexico
14.
The former Special Rapporteur conducted a working visit to Mexico on 18 and 19
August 2016 to start consultations with stakeholders on the challenges with regard to
protection and assistance for internally displaced persons. He held discussions with the
Senate on opportunities to establish a normative and institutional framework for protection
of internally displaced persons, following the recent amendments to the Constitution. He
welcomed the willingness of the Government to undertake a study of the various forms of
displacement in order to pave the way for concrete measures.
Nigeria
15.
The former Special Rapporteur conducted an official visit to Nigeria from 23 to 26
August 2016. The visit focused on the situation in the north-east of the country, affected by
the Jama’atu Ahlus-Sunna Lidda’Awati Wal Jihad (Boko Haram) insurgency since 2009.
The insurgency and the Government’s counter-insurgency have killed thousands of people
and have internally displaced nearly 2 million. As areas have been recovered, following
offensives, the full extent of the humanitarian crisis has begun to be revealed, with severe
malnutrition and food insecurity threatening the lives of many thousands. Ensuring that
urgent food, shelter, medical care, water, sanitation systems and other essential services
reach internally displaced persons without delay is critical. Ensuring the protection of
vulnerable internally displaced persons, many traumatized by violence, must be a
paramount concern.
16.
Credible evidence of widespread human rights violations means that the situation
must also be recognized as a human rights crisis. Internally displaced persons’ camps have
been targeted by Boko Haram and internally displaced persons have also been killed as a
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