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Summary: References to child rights in the Annual Report of the Representative of the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights on internally displaced persons
14. The Representative is also working on mainstreaming the fundamental rights of displaced persons into the activities of all the competent agencies of the United Nations system. He is involved in particular in institutional machinery such as the Inter-Agency Standing Committee or the cluster working groups on protection and early recovery. He gives priority to close cooperation with key stakeholders dealing with displacement in the United Nations, namely the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Emergency Relief Coordinator and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). More recently, he has embarked on more regular cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). The Representative wishes to make special mention of the cooperation which has been taking shape since last year with the new Peacebuilding Commission to ensure that greater account is taken of the rights and needs of displaced persons in peace processes.
Country Visits:
Central African Republic
19. During his visit to the Representative observed that the violence prevailing in the north of the Central African Republic is the main cause of population displacement. This violence is a direct result of the conflict affecting these regions; it also stems from the acts of brutality and human rights violations committed against civilians and their property by the armed forces, and is linked to the attacks by highway robbers (coupeurs de route) and other bandits in certain areas. As a result of this violence, the Central African Republic is experiencing a severe protection crisis, highlighted by the very large number of displaced persons who are often living in complete destitution, in many cases having lost their homes and with no access to drinking water, healthcare or education for their children.
Democratic Republic of Congo
34. The Representative observed during his visits to the field that displaced persons are living in absolute poverty, and sometimes suffer from considerable food insecurity. A large number of them have lost the voters’ cards which serve as identity cards in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and this increases their vulnerability. The Representative also learned that, even during displacements, acts of sexual violence and the forcible recruitment of children continued to occur. He also noted that, although the vast majority of displaced persons are living with host families, the aid is mainly sent to the displaced persons’ camps, whether informal or organized. The host communities and families receive comparatively little aid, although many of them are overwhelmed by the burden of supporting the new arrivals, and are often unable to do more.
62. The Representative, who was invited to submit a few comments, welcomes the adoption of resolution 2277 by the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) at its thirty-seventh regular session, which was held in Panama City in June 2007. The resolution urges member States “to consider using the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, prepared by the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General ..., as a basis for their plans, policies, and programmes in support of such persons, and, in accordance with international law, in support of, inter alia, indigenous communities and communities of African descent, and the specific needs of children, women, the elderly, and persons with disabilities”. It also calls on States to incorporate the Guiding Principles into their domestic law.
Owner: Walter Kalin