A/HRC/10/13 page 6 12. At the domestic level, the Representative takes note of increasing efforts to incorporate the Guiding Principles into national legal and policy frameworks. Some 15 countries, including most recently Iraq, have already adopted polices or legislation specifically addressing internal displacement. Other countries, including Sudan, are currently in the process of doing so. At the request of both Governments and the United Nations, the Representative provided technical support in a number of cases and will continue to do so. 13. Today, some Governments explicitly recognize the legal character of the content of the Guiding Principles. Iraq’s National Policy on Displacement, issued in July 2008, makes reference to the Guiding Principles and declares that they have become “part of international law”.14 Similarly, the Government of Germany has taken the position that the Guiding Principles “can by now be considered to be international customary law”.15 14. The Representative remains at the disposal of interested Governments to support the development of domestic legislation and policies consistent with the Guiding Principles. Shortly after his appointment and in cooperation with the Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement, he initiated a process of research and consultation on how best to support Governments in their efforts to domesticate the Guiding Principles. Following a consultative meeting in Vienna in May 2008 which was hosted by the Government of Austria and attended by Government legal experts, humanitarian agencies and non-governmental organizations, this process culminated in the publication of a manual for law and policymakers on protecting IDPs.16 The central aim of the manual is to provide advice on shaping laws and policies to address protection and assistance needs of IDPs in a manner that ensures full protection of their rights in accordance with the Guiding Principles. The manual covers all phases of displacement (prevention; protection and assistance; and durable solutions). Importantly, it identifies common problems and challenges that States face - based on their shared experiences17 and the 14 Iraq National Policy on Displacement, section 5.3, available at http://www.usip.org/ruleoflaw/ projects/iraq_property/other_docs/NationalPolicyOnDisplacement-En.pdf. 15 See Achter Bericht der Bundesregierung über ihre Menschenrechtspolitik in den auswärtigen Beziehungen und in anderen Politikbereichen, available at http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/diplo /de/Infoservice/Broschueren/MRB8.pdf. 16 Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement, Protecting Internally Displaced Persons: A Manual for Law and Policy Makers, the Brookings Institution, 2008, available at: http://www.brookings.edu/papers/2008/1016_internal_displacement.aspx. 17 The Representative particularly recognizes the important contributions by governmental experts, judges and staff of national human rights institutions from Afghanistan, Angola, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Denmark, Finland, Georgia, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Tanzania, Turkey, Uganda, and the United States of America. He would also like to acknowledge the contributions by experts from Georgetown University, Habitat International Coalition, the International Committee of the Red Cross, Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre/Norwegian Refugee Council, International Labour Organization, International Organization for Migration, Ludwig Boltzmann Institute, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Office of