DRC Position Paper on IDP Protection

DRC sees the increasing number of Internally Displaced Persons1 (IDPs) as a major problem and challenge. DRC has advocated for and provided assistance and protection to IDPs for a number of years and in the majority of our international programmes, IDPs are the primary target group. To reflect this, DRC in 2004 chose to revise the mandate for its international work taking into account, among other things, an expanded interpretation of DRC’s target groups. The mandate now reads:
“..Protection and promotion of durable solutions to refugee and displacement problems on the basis of humanitarian principles and human rights, including to provide refugees, internally displaced and other affected groups in situations of war and conflict with assistance according to their rights..”.
The purpose of this position paper is two-fold. One, to present DRC’s position on IDP protection thereby putting IDPs, as a group with particular protection needs, on the agenda in the whole organisation. Two, to further raise the awareness about DRC’s specific competencies in IDP protection.