A/HRC/35/27 neglected drivers of displacement, including development projects and generalized violence. In conducting her thematic work she will consult widely, in order to identify particular issues where her mandate can make the most effective contributions while avoiding duplication of the work of other institutions. A. Strengthening the participation of internally displaced persons 48. The Special Rapporteur is concerned by evidence coming from internal displacement situations in all regions, including that gathered in the context of numerous country visits undertaken by the mandate holders, that minimum standards for consultation with and participation by internally displaced persons are not being achieved in practice. This undermines the enjoyment of human rights by internally displaced persons as well as progress towards the achievement of durable solutions for them. Internally displaced persons have the right to be involved in all decisions affecting them, at all phases of displacement, and, to the extent possible, to decide on the solutions most appropriate to them and to their location, housing and livelihood preferences. Solutions are only durable when they offer internally displaced persons the best possible available outcomes for them. 49. Interaction with internally displaced persons commonly reveals: a lack of information provided to them at all phases of displacement; infrequent engagement by the authorities responsible; an absence of or inadequate mechanisms and processes for consultation and participation; and decision-making processes that fail to take their views, needs and objectives fully into account. Ensuring that internally displaced persons are included from the outset, in the design, planning and implementation of all actions and measures directed towards them, must be at the heart of responses by national governments and by all humanitarian, development and other relevant actors. Participation empowers internally displaced communities, informs them of their rights and is instrumental in the process of community resilience-building and recovery, where it is effective and resultsoriented. Moreover, meaningful participation returns essential dignity to communities devastated by displacement, allowing them to be agents in their own recovery rather than only beneficiaries of assistance. 50. Lack of information, of consultation and of meaningful participation, or tokenistic participation, means that recovery efforts are more likely to fail and may not meet the needs or expectations of the internally displaced communities affected. It can result in deeper and more persistent levels of poverty, as internally displaced persons face the challenges of reestablishing normal lives and appropriate livelihoods under conditions that they were not fully involved in shaping. The challenges to ensuring the meaningful participation of internally displaced persons are significant and must be acknowledged to have hampered efforts in some situations. Cultural, social, historical and political factors must all be taken into account when shaping participation programmes. The challenge remains to ensure that inclusive participation of internally displaced persons is systematically applied and effectively managed in all displacement situations. 51. The Special Rapporteur recognizes the excellent work and analysis that has been conducted by others in this field, including as part of the Brookings Institution and University of Bern Project on Internal Displacement, in its 2008 publication entitled Moving Beyond Rhetoric: Consultation and Participation with Populations Displaced by Conflict or Natural Disasters. 14 She considers that her mandate can be instrumental in initiating a call for renewed action and a necessary rethinking of approaches to the participation of internally displaced persons, with the aim of improving these in practice in displacement situations. She will produce a thematic report that will consider essential elements of the participation of internally displaced persons, identify barriers, and propose measures to promote inclusive participation by internally displaced persons in decisions affecting them. 14 See www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/10_internal_displacement.pdf. 13