| 16-03-2007 War and displacement: key points Respecting the rights of civilian populations in armed conflict and other situations of violence is the best prevention against displacement. No affected person should be left unattended and all should benefit from protection and assistance in accordance with their needs.
Afghanistan, Ghor province, Chagchavan. Displaced persons camp.
ref. AF-E-00021
12/2001 © CICR /Stephen Farell
- Armed conflicts are one of the major causes of displacement of civilians.
- The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) considers internally displaced persons (IDPs) to be first and foremost civilians. As such, IDPs are protected by international humanitarian law and lie at the heart of the ICRC’s mandate. The ICRC gives priority to those in most urgent need, in accordance with the principle of impartiality.
- International humanitarian law, which is legally binding on both state and non-state actors, is adequate to address most problems of internal displacement associated with situations of armed conflict.
- National authorities bear primary responsibility for dealing with problems resulting from internal displacement, and for ensuring that IDPs are protected and assisted.
- The ICRC seeks to preserve conditions conducive to people remaining in their homes, to protect those who are uprooted and to promote their return wherever appropriate. In order to meet the needs of victims, the ICRC favours confidential dialogue with all parties to a conflict.
- As one of the major humanitarian organizations concerned with internally displaced persons, the ICRC aims to improve action oriented complementarity and field based coordination between the work of the components of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the United Nations and non-governmental organizations, while at the same time fulfilling its particular role as a neutral and independent intermediary in situations of armed conflict.
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