1 May 2009 - International efforts have failed to reduce the scale of internal displacement caused by conflict. According to IDMC’s report Internal Displacement: Global Overview of Trends and
Developments in 2008, an estimated 26 million people were still displaced within their
countries, the same number as in 2007 and the highest since the early 1990s.
- “In the context of conflict prevention, forced displacement remains a major challenge, as does
the protection of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees
António Guterres at the launch of the report at the International Peace Institute in New York.
- In a world where people are increasingly forced to move due to conflict, environmental
degradation, and natural disasters related to climate change, the need for proper information and
analysis remains essential, according to Guterres.
4.6 million people were newly displaced in 2008. The biggest new displacement in the world was
in the Philippines, where 600,000 people fled fighting between the government and rebel groups.
There were also massive new displacements in Sudan, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo,
Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia, Columbia, Sri Lanka and India. The largest internally displaced
populations are found in Sudan (4.9 million), Colombia (up to 4.3 million) and Iraq (2.8 million).
- “We all share the responsibility to assist and show our solidarity with the world’s IDPs”, NRC
Secretary-General Elisabeth Rasmusson said.
- “Millions of IDPs are forced to survive in appalling conditions, in informal settlements alongside
local communities, or hiding in urban slums or forests from the groups who displaced them.”
The majority of IDPs across the world remains trapped in protracted displacement. They face many obstacles in rebuilding their lives and they are increasingly neglected and marginalised. According to John Holmes, the UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, “The number of internally displaced will rise significantly due to anticipated increases in the intensity and frequency of natural disasters. That is why we need to focus urgently on finding appropriate solutions for IDPs to end their displacement and their dependence on relief assistance.”





The report Internal Displacement: Global Overview of Trends and Developments in 2008 is available for download at the IDMC website www.internal-displacement.org.

For more information contact:


Kate Halff, Head of NRC Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, Geneva.

Tel. (41) 795 518 257 /kate.halff@nrc.ch


Siri Elverland, NRC Press Adviser; Oslo

Tel (47) 93 21 82 19 / siri.elverland@nrc.no