The consultation in Pakistan, titled “Consultation on Durable Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons in the Context of Shrinking Humanitarian Space”, was held in on 13 December. Politicians, lawyers, journalists and human rights activists comprised the 20 participants. Following an introduction to SAHR’s work on IDPs, and a summary of the UN guiding principles on displacement, presentations were made on the SAHR background paper on IDPs in Pakistan, the issues IDPs currently face there, as well as a review of past responses from the humanitarian community and the government. Finally a session was held on suggestions to operationalise the Deng Principles in Pakistan. Key recommendations included the formation of a working group, to monitor legislation and policy decisions on IDPs, and assess if they are in line with the guiding principles, identification of key authorities to focus responsibility and accountability.
The consultation allowed an exchange of experiences between grassroots activists and INGO personnel on the problems and challenges faced, solutions that have worked, and potential solutions to adopt in future.
The report on the consultation in Pakistan has been completed, and the Sri Lankan report is expected to be finalised in early 2012. SAHR’s next step for this programme is to publish a compilation of the findings and recommendations from the national consultations, with a focus on regional trends and ways to operationalise the Deng Principles.
For the full report, click here.