Calling for International Legal Recognition of Internally Displaced Persons & Expanded Access to Health and Human Rights

This policy research examines the current lack of international legal recognition for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and how this gap in international health and human rights law acts as a significant barrier to public health outcomes in this vulnerable population. While the legal status and protection of refugees has been addressed and maintained by the 1951 Refugee Convention and numerous other human rights treaties and instruments, a similar legal framework has yet to be established specifically for IDPs. Since IDPs reside within their countries’ national borders, they largely fall within the domestic jurisdiction of their own national government.  This status may deprive IDPs from certain basic health and human rights due to their lack of adequate political and social representation that can also lead to persecution, discrimination, and stigmatization during periods of displacement and conflict.  In this study, we review the current global health governance framework for IDPs and find that the absence of binding international hard law and a specific UN-agency charged with protecting IDPs, hampers the international community in ensuring healthcare access for IDPs, We also review recent case studies of  internal conflicts in Syria, Pakistan, Sudan, Ukraine and Crimea, and find that health outcomes for IDPs have yet to be addressed though advocacy and policy change is desperately needed. In response, we call for the creation of a legal binding instrument that officially recognizes the legal status of IDPs, granting them full recognition and protection to the right to health as already recognized under international law.