IDP definition

There are two important elements in the IDP definition: the movement is involuntary and takes place within national borders. IDPs are thus distinct from individuals who can remain safely in their place of residence but have opted to depart on their own free will, without coercion. For example, the IDP definition does not cover persons who move solely for economic reasons. IDPs are also distinct from refugees because they have not crossed an internationally recognized territorial border, and thus do not require a special legal status as a result of being outside their country and without its protection. As explained above, IDPs are entitled to all the rights and guarantees as citizens and other habitual residents of their country.

It is significant that the Guiding Principles do not refer to the notion of citizenship, thus indicating that foreigners may also qualify as internally displaced persons. As a result, the following categories can also qualify as IDPs: displaced stateless persons who have their habitual residence in the country concerned; displaced nationals of another country who have lived there for a long time (maybe even generations) and have largely lost contact with their country of nationality; displaced nationals of another country who have their habitual residence in the country concerned because they have been admitted permanently or for prolonged periods of time.

The IDP definition references a non-exhaustive list of causes of internal displacement, such as armed conflict, generalized violence, human rights violations, and natural or human-made disasters (including slow-onset disasters in the context of climate change). The phrase "as a result of or in order to avoid the effect of" also recognizes that persons may be internally displaced after suffering the effects of coercion or in anticipation of such effects.

In accordance with the IDP definition and various other principles, specific groups such as indigenous communities or pastoralists can also be internally displaced. It should be noted that although in some contexts, certain people or groups (e.g., homeless or poor urban communities) residing in the same areas as the IDPs may live in very similar conditions and also suffer from marginalisation, lack of access to services and human rights violations, they should not automatically be considered as IDPs. Where non-displaced communities in the same area receive assistance from UNHCR, they are considered host communities.

An individual should be considered an IDP until s/he has achieved a durable solution, which occurs when her/his assistance and protection needs are no longer directly associated with her/his displacement and human rights are enjoyed by the individual without discrimination on account of her/his displacement. National authorities have the primary responsibility to provide durable solutions to IDPs, with international humanitarian and development actors playing a complementary role. A durable solution can be achieved through sustainable (re)integration in:

• an area where s/he has taken refuge (local integration);
• another area of her/his country (settlement elsewhere in the country); or
• her/his place of origin (sustainable return).

The International Recommendations on IDP Statistics, which were developed by the Expert Group on Refugee, IDP and Statelessness Statistics (EGRISS) and unanimously adopted at the UN Statistical Commission (UNSC) in 2020, provide critical guidance on how to develop a statistical framework for internal displacement in line with the Guiding Principles and other relevant international and regional standards.