Panel's Website

 

About

In May 2019, 57 Member States, representing every geographical group and including States directly affected by internal displacement, wrote to the UN Secretary-General calling for the establishment of a High-Level Panel on internal displacement.

The High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement was established by the UN Secretary-General to identify concrete recommendations on how to better prevent, respond and achieve solutions to the global internal displacement crisis. The Panel was comprised of eight members, co-chaired by Federica Mogherini, former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and Donald Kaberuka, Chair of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The Panel has officially submitted its report to the UN Secretary-General on 29 September 2021. 

Presentation to the UN Secretary-General

Wednesday, 29 September 2021 | UN Web TV

The event marks the formal submission of the report of the High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement to the UN Secretary-General by the Co-chairs of the Panel, concluding an 18-month process that the Panel undertook following its appointment by the SG last year.

 

Transcript of Secretary-General’s Remarks 

A Brief Timeline

View all events

UN Secretary-General announced the establishment of a High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement

Oct. 2019

The UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement kicked off its work in its first meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.

Feb. 2020

First meetings with stakeholders

The Panel met with Member States, under the "Group of Friends" mechanism, UN agencies, NGOs, the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement in a series of meetings.

Feb. - Mar. 2020

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Panel has partnered with 32 UN Agencies and NGOs on the ground to carry out the consultations on its behalf.

May 2020

The Panel and the EU Delegation in Geneva convened a webinar on ensuring life-saving assistance and longer-term support to IDPs in face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jun. 2020

The Panel, IFRC and ICRC jointly organized a discussion on the prevention of internal displacement due to armed conflict, violence and disasters.

Jul. 2020

Meeting with MDBs

The Panel met with representatives from the IsDB, AfDB, ADB, IADB, EBRD, EIB, and the World Bank to discuss how development financing institutions can support solutions to internal displacement.

Sep. 2020

The Panel heard from Asian governments their experiences in managing risk and addressing disaster displacement.

Nov. 2020

The new Refugee Survey Quarterly (RSQ) Special Issue, guest-edited by two members of the Secretariat of the Panel, is out with new articles.

Jan. 2021

The EU and the Secretariat of the Panel co-hosted an online event on "Supporting Nationally Owned Durable Solutions Processes".

Feb. 2021

The Panel heard the call from Pacific governments for urgent action on disaster displacement in light of the climate crisis.

Feb. 2021

With the support of UN-Habitat, JIPS and IIED, the Panel held urban displacement consultations with mayors, regional and local authorities in Burkina Faso, Colombia, Iraq, Ukraine, Somalia and Honduras.

Feb - Apr 2021

Panel's roundtables

To test its findings, the Panel held a number of roundtables with stakeholders and experts on topics ranging from data and financing to coordination for solutions to internal displacement.

Feb - May 2021

The Panel held a consultation with Member States and experts to discuss how peace and security can be incorporated systematically into action on solutions.

Mar. 2021

Member States sounded the alarm on disaster displacement in a virtual joint consultation with PDD on coordination for solutions and financing.

May 2021

With the support of ICRC, the Panel consulted with former IDPs in Rumbek, South Sudan, who recounted their experience of displacement, stories of resilience and longing for peace.

Jun. 2021

A group of States, NGOs and UN agencies shared their reflections on the Panel's emerging recommendations from an Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) lens in a roundtable co-hosted by the Danish Mission in Geneva, the Danish Refugee Council, Plan International, Save the Children, and the Women’s Refugee Commission.

July 2021

Documents

View all documents

Key Messages of Panel's Report

This document outlines the key messages of the Panel’s report titled “Shining a Light on Internal Displacement: A Vision for the Future.”

Letter of 57 Member States to the UN Secretary-General

In May 2019, 57 Member States wrote to the UN Secretary-General calling for the establishment of a High-Level Panel on internal displacement. 

Concept Paper

This concept paper, prepared by the Secretariat, provides an overview of key challenges and potential opportunities under each of the five priority areas of the Panel’s ToR.

High-Level Panel Terms of Reference

The High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement has been appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General with a clear Terms of Reference (ToR).

Photo: OCHA/ Kate Pond

A Multi-Stakeholder Process

The Panel’s report is the culmination of extensive consultations, inputs and deliberations. The Panel is immensely grateful to all those who contributed to this grand effort!

SUBMISSIONS & CONSULTATIONS

View public submissions
To hear from as diverse a group of stakeholders as possible, the Panel welcomed interested actors to make written contributions on issues relevant to the Panel’s work. Over 100 submissions were received from Member States, UN agencies, NGOs, researchers and think tanks. With the support of partners, the Panel also organized a series of regional and thematic consultations. The Panel is grateful to the following actors for making submissions and/or assisting the Panel in organizing consultations:

ACT Alliance. Afghanistan. African Union. Ana Mosneaga (Ritsumeikan University). Andres Moya (Universidad de los Andes). Armenia. Asia Pacific Academic Network on Disaster Displacement (APANDD). The Asia Pacific Disaster Displacement Working Group. Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN). Azerbaijan. Burkina Faso. Canada. Catholic Relief Services (CRS). Center for Global Development (CGD). Climate, Migration, and Displacement Platform (CMDP). Colombia. Connecting Business initiative (CBi). Corporación Opción Legal (COL). Cristosal. Croatia. Danish Refugee Council (DRC). Denmark. El Salvador. Ethiopia. European Union. Expert Group on Refugee and IDP Statistics (EGRIS). Faith Action for Children on the Move. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Forum for Development and Multiethnic Collaboration (FDMC). France. Georgia. Germany. Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights (GCENR). Global Engagement Network on Internal Displacement in sub-Saharan Africa (GENIDA). Global Knowledge Partnership on Migration and Development (KNOMAD). GP20. Humanitarian Policy Group at ODI. INDCaP Project - Latin America. INDCaP Project - Middle East. Indonesia. InterAction. Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA). International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). International Labour Organization (ILO). Interagency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE). International Organization for Migration (IOM). International Organization for the LDCs (IOLDCs). Japan. Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS). Joint Data Center on Forced Displacement (JDC). Joint IDP Profiling Service (JIPS). Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law. Lebanon. Mexico. Montenegro. Morocco. Mozambique. Netherlands. Nigeria. Norway. Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Oxfam. Pacific Resilience Partnership. Phil Orchard (University of Wollongong). Plan International. Platform on Disaster Displacement (PDD). Poland. Rebecca Enobong (Researcher). Regional Durable Solutions Secretariat (ReDSS). Regional Working Group for the Brazil Plan of Action (GARPAB). Save the Children. Somalia. Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI). Switzerland. Tonga. Translators without Borders (TWB). Ukraine. UN Country Team in Guatemala. United Kingdom. United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). United Nations Department of Peace Operations (DPO). United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA). United Nations Development Coordination Office (DCO). United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth (UNMGCY). United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). UN-Habitat. United States of America. UN Women. Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC). World Bank. World Food Programme (WFP). World Vision.

SUPPORT FOR CONSULTATIONS WITH IDPS AND HOST COMMUNITIES:

Learn more
From the outset of its work, the Panel believed it was essential to hear from IDPs and host communities. In light of the travel restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the Panel was unable to carry out in-person visits. Instead, the Panel partnered with organizations on the ground to carry out consultations on the Panel’s behalf. Five UN Agencies, 32 NGOs, and the International Committee of the Red Cross supported this process in 22 countries across the world, and the Panel is immensely grateful for their support. The following nine partners below represent the organizations with whom the Secretariat coordinated these efforts in Geneva:

ACT Alliance. CARE. Danish Refugee Council. International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). International Organization for Migration (IOM). Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). Plan International. United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

DONORS:

The Panel is immensely grateful to the following countries for their financial contributions to the Panel’s work:

Canada. Denmark. European Union. Germany. Ireland. Norway. Sweden. Switzerland. United States of America.

CO-CHAIRS OF "GROUP OF FRIENDS":

Throughout the Panel process, the Member State Group of Friends has been an invaluable sounding board for the Panel’s work. The Panel is grateful to the following countries for their leadership of the Group:

Afghanistan. Ethiopia. Mali. Norway.