FOR ADVANCING PREVENTION, PROTECTION AND SOLUTIONS FOR INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE

WHY A PLAN OF ACTION?

Since the 1990`s there has been important progress on responding to internal
displacement. However, for the vast majority of internally displaced people (IDPs),
durable solutions remain elusive and the persistent annual trend of significant new
displacements shows no sign of abating.
The year 2018 marks the 20th anniversary of the Guiding Principles on Internal
Displacement (GP20), an important and unique opportunity for all stakeholders
working on internal displacement to step up their work with and for IDPs and, at
the same time, galvanize others to do the same.

WHAT IS THE GP20 PLAN OF ACTION?

The three-year multi-stakeholder Plan of Action to Advance Prevention, Protection
and Solutions for IDPs from 2018 – 2020 was launched in April 2018 in Geneva and
endorsed by the IASC principals in May 2018.
Spearheaded by UNHCR, UN OCHA and the Special Rapporteur on the Human
Rights of IDPs and engaging a broad range of stakeholders, it is operational in
focus and brings us around the common goal of reducing and resolving internal
displacement through prevention, protection and solutions for IDPs in line with the
Guiding Principles.

WHAT IS THE FOCUS OF THE GP20 PLAN OF ACTION?

The Plan of Action calls on the wider community working on internal displacement
to join forces and work more closely — largely but not exclusively at the national
level — around four priorities:

• engage IDPs in decision-making processes that affect them;
• promote, develop and implement national frameworks to prevent and address
  internal displacement;
• enhance the quality of data and analysis on internal displacement; and,
• address protracted displacement while driving solutions for IDPs.

WHAT IS THE VISION OF THE GP20 PLAN OF ACTION?

The vision of this first-ever such effort on internal displacement is twofold:

1. Prevention of the conditions that cause displacement and improved
   lives of people already displaced; and,
2. More inclusive, coherent and strategic action among stakeholders engaged on and affected by internal displacement no matter the cause.

The Plan of Action goes beyond international humanitarian organisations to include
development organisations, local civil society and governments of countries affected
by all types of internal displacement. It also engages IDPs in decision-making.

HOW IS THE GP20 PLAN OF ACTION BEING IMPLEMENTED?

The Plan of Action is being rolled out in three ways:

• operational partners and their field offices,
• UN Resident Coordinators and Humanitarian Coordinators
  at the national level, and
• the Geneva-based Steering Group and its work on the priorities.

The Steering Group in Geneva is comprised of UN member states, NGOs and their
consortia, UN entities, the World Bank, IFRC and ICRC.1 The bulk of the work is
envisioned to take place at the national level.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

We call on you to rally around the goal and objectives in the Plan of Action and take
individual or collective action in support of it, including:

• Convene an agency and/or an inter-agency discussion on the GP20 Plan of Action and agree on joint initiatives and activities in support of the Plan of Action;
• Promote the development and implementation of national laws and policies that align with the Guiding Principles through outreach, seminars and technical support;
• Facilitate IDPs’ access to engage meaningfully in key decision-making processes through, for example, national and local consultations and establishment of IDP committees;
• Evaluate the quality of data on internal displacement in your context and advocate for improved quality as required; and,
• Engage in a dialogue with national governments to ensure that they prioritize durable solutions to internal displacement in their national and regional development planning.

WHERE CAN YOU GET MORE INFORMATION?

The GP20 Plan of Action is available at www.globalprotectioncluster.org and you can download the GP20 Plan of Action English version or the GP20 Plan of Action French version.

The GP20 Steering Group and the GP20 Coordinator based in Geneva are available to enhance visibility for your activities and to advocate support for national-level
action for IDPs.

We invite you to share your planned and anticipated activities, in line with the GP20 Plan of Action, as well as any questions and feedback, by email to GP20@unhcr.org.

We all have a role to play in supporting internally displaced people. Check out the GP20 Campaign Mission Statement, and add your name to the growing list of supporters below:

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