Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement

The 1998 Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement describe internal displaced persons (IDPs) as... 

At the operational level, implementation of the rights of IDPs as codified in the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement first and foremost happerrs with national or local authorities and humanitarian actors undertaking protection activities, that is activities aimed at obtaining full respect for the rights of the individual in accordance with the letter and the spirit of the relevant bodies oflaw. ... 

Cohen, R. (2004) The Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement An Innovation in Intemational Standard Setting. ... 

Goldman, R. K. (2009) Internal Displacement, the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, the Principles Normative Status, and the Need for their Effective Domestic Implementation in Colombia. Anuario Colombiano de derecho internacional 2 59-85. 

Kalin, W. (2008) Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement Annotations (2nd edn.). Washington, DC The American Society of International Law. 

Schmidt, P. (2004) The Process and Prospects for the U.N. Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement to Become International Customary Law A Preliminary Assessment. Georgetown Journal of International Law 35(3) 483-520. 

Africa is the continent that has moved from soft to hard law. In 2006, the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region adopted the Great Lakes Protocol on the Protection and Assistance to Internal Displaced Persons. The Protocol obliges its presently 19 states parties to fully incorporate the Guiding Principles into their domestic legal order and thus provide them with the force of law. 

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