RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Elizabeth Ferris and Kimberly Stoltz, December 2008, The Brookings Institution
It is no coincidence that many internally displaced persons and refugees are members of minority groups. In every region of the world, minorities have been repressed, killed and displaced by governments and other armed actors seeking to take over their territory, command their loyalty, and control their actions. In this paper, Elizabeth Ferris & Kimberly Stoltz examine the relationship between minorities and displacement, with a particular emphasis on Iraq's smaller minorities. Read More
PAST EVENT
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
3:00 PM to 4:30 PM
Washington, DC
In 1998, 30 basic principles describing human rights standards for the internally displaced were presented to the United Nations. These principles were adopted and are today known as the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement and are the international standard on protecting the rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs). The Brookings-Bern Project hosted a panel discussion on the successes of the Guiding Principles as well as challenges that remain in protecting the rights of IDPs. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Benjamin Wittes and Zaahira Wyne, December 16, 2008, The Brookings Institution
Defense Secretary Robert Gates has asked his staff to draw up plans to close down the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba in case the Obama administration decides that shuttering the prison is a top priority come January. Benjamin Wittes and his colleagues identify and describe, in as much detail as the public record will permit, the current population of 248 detainees at Guantánamo, what the government alleges about them and what they claim about their own affiliations and conduct. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Catharin Dalpino, December 2008, The Brookings Institution
December 10 marks the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations General Assembly. Catharin Dalpino writes that the Obama administration will face unprecedented challenges in the promotion of human rights in Asia, but is also likely to find new opportunities and should adopt a fresh approach. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Benjamin Wittes and Jack L. Goldsmith, December 08, 2008, Slate
President-elect Barack Obama has made clear that he will close the Guantanamo Bay detention center. Closing the facility, which currently holds 250 or so alleged terrorists, involves a raft of hard decisions and trade-offs. In Slate, Benjamin Wittes and Jack Goldsmith provide a checklist of the major questions President Obama will face before he can close the camp. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Ana María Ibáñez and Andrea Velásquez, December 2008, Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement
The intensification of the armed conflict in Colombia during the 1990s provoked the forced displacement of more than 2.4 million people, with the vast majority of municipalities either losing or receiving persons displaced by the conflict. Though Colombia has several national laws and decrees on internal displacement, implementation has been slow and uneven throughout the different state and municipal institutions. In this new report commissioned by the Brookings-Bern Project, Ana María Ibañez and Andrea Valásquez, examine the obstacles to greater involvement by municipal authorities with IDPs, focusing on four cases: Bogotá, Medellín, Antioquia, and Santa Marta. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Walter Kälin, November 26, 2008, Council of Europe, Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population
While Africa could be considered the continent of internal displacement because it has more than 12 of the roughly 25 million displaced by armed conflict worldwide, Europe, with its estimated 2.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), could be called the continent of protracted displacement, since 99% of Europe's remaining displaced fled their homes some 15-25 years ago. In recent years, some governments have taken important steps to improve their situation, but overall the situation of most IDPs remains a cause for concern. Read More
PAST EVENT
Monday, November 24, 2008
9:30 AM to 11:00 AM
Washington, DC
The growing number and complexity of emergency situations in the world today places increasing pressure on the humanitarian community to respond effectively. On November 24, Brookings will host Pierre Krähenbühl, director of operations for the International Committee of the Red Cross, for a discussion on the future of humanitarianism. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Benjamin Wittes, November 21, 2008, The Washington Post
President-elect Obama has reiterated his campaign promise to close Guantanamo Bay. As Benjamin Wittes writes, the incoming administration must create a systematic and rigorous review of the detainee population, whose handling will require wrenching choices with no easy answers. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Elizabeth Ferris, November 11, 2008, Internal Displacement and the Construction of Peace Seminar, Bogota, Colombia
There is a close relationship between finding solutions for displaced persons and peacebuilding as peacebuilding involves: re-establishing security and law and order, reconstruction and economic rehabilitation, reconciliation and social rehabilitation, and political transition to creating more accountable governance structures and institutions. If IDP concerns in these areas are not taken seriously, it may jeopardize the sustainability of peace in the country. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Walter Kälin, October 30, 2008, The Irish Times
Ten years after the UN defined legal rights for them, internally displaced people - refugees in their own countries - remain a neglected global responsibility. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Alex Mundt and Elizabeth Ferris, October 28, 2008, Enhancing Protection of Civilians in Protracted Conflicts, ARC/Austcare Symposium
Though there are important similarities in the impact of prolonged displacement on the lives of IDPs and refugees, there are also significant differences in their situations -- particularly when it comes to solutions. While return is often the desired solution for both IDPs and political actors, Alex Mundt and Elizabeth Ferris argue that local integration and return should not be seen as mutually exclusive alternatives, as they can encourage IDPs to build new lives elsewhere without having to give up the possibility of an eventual return. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Walter Kälin, October 27, 2008, United Nations General Assembly, Third Commitee
Despite important achievements, people continue to be displaced and their rights continue to be violated. Millions of internally displaced persons continue to languish in protracted situations. Humanitarian access in particular to persons displaced during armed conflicts is often not possible. While we should indeed be proud of the improvements since the adoption of the Guiding Principles, much remains to be done. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Elizabeth Ferris, October 25, 2008, Workshop on the Role of African National Human Rights Institutions in Protecting the Human Rights of IDPs
Most people who are displaced by natural disasters remain within the borders of their country, making them internally displaced persons (IDPs) as defined by the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the national government to provide protection and assistance to them and to facilitate durable solutions for their displacement. In disaster response, Elizabeth Ferris argues, it is necessary to develop a rights-based approach to guarantee that the rights of those who've been displaced by the disaster are protected. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Ted Piccone, October 2008, The Brookings Institution
Ted Piccone outlines several versions of the League of Democracies concept that has reemerged during the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign. Though it finds support in both conservative and liberal circles, Piccone argues that the current framework will not succeed in today’s political environment. However, Piccone believes democracy promotion should remain a top priority for the next administration, and he offers recommendations for strengthening multilateral approaches. Read More