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Refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs)

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People fleeing intolerable circumstances are particularly vulnerable. The SDC's humanitarian aid programmes are committed to protecting and meeting the basic needs of refugees and internally displaced persons.

The UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that there are currently 15 million refugees and 27 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) world-wide. These people – many of them women and children – have had to flee from war, violence and natural disasters and are extremely vulnerable. Often, their lives depend on the protection and help of the international community. At the same time, there are considerable differences between refugees and those who have been displaced in their own countries.

Refugees
Refugees are people who have found refuge in another country after fleeing hostility in their own. They have a legal status that is rooted in international refugee law and, in particular, the 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention. A particularly important principle is that of "non-refoulement", which forbids a person being sent back to a country in which their life or freedom is at risk.

Three-quarters of the world's refugees are found in Africa, Latin America, Asia and in the Middle East – often in developing countries that lack the capacity to accommodate large numbers of refugees and give them proper protection. Refugees stranded in this way can neither move on to another country nor return to their homeland. Their irregular status means that they are unprotected and often subject to physical threats. They are frequently susceptible to robbery, rape and human trafficking. They are unable to satisfy their basic needs for food and shelter, and have no access to medical care. Other refugees succeed in their perilous journey to move on to other countries and regions.

Worth Knowing
• There were approximately 15 million international refugees in 2009. The figure for internally displaced persons (IDPs) is almost twice as high, estimated at 27 million.
• While the proportion of total global migration accounted for by refugees has fallen from 8.8% to 7.6% in recent years, the share attributed to IDPs has remained around 13%.

Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)

Unlike refugees, internally displaced persons have not crossed any national borders. They have been displaced by force within their own country. As a result, they remain citizens of that state, and are entitled to the same rights and freedoms as the rest of the population. Primary responsibility for their care lies with the governments and local authorities concerned. These governments and authorities are not always able or willing to exercise this responsibility, however. In situations like this, the international community steps in to help IDPs in the form of direct support, or with drafting the appropriate legal norms. In 2009, around 27 million people in 50 countries had been displaced by force in their own countries as a result of armed conflict. There are no binding international norms for the protection of internally displaced persons. However, Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, aimed at safeguarding IDPs' human rights, have been drafted by an international UN group of experts led by the Bern Law Professor, Walter Kälin. IDPs have also fallen within the UNHCR's remit ever since these Guiding Principles were adopted in 1998.

The SDC Focus:

Migration is an important issue for the SDC's Humanitarian Aid (HA) department, because a large proportion of the target groups it is designed to help are made up of persons who no longer live in their own homes (refugees, IDPs). HA responds to migratory movement in the wake of crises primarily in terms of emergency assistance and reconstruction. As a complex, global phenomenon, migration nonetheless demands more far-reaching responses from the SDA. Protection for the victims of armed conflict through the wider deployment of "Protection Officers", and a greater effort with regard to the problems of HIV and AIDS in migration, are just a few examples of the comprehensive commitment of HA on the ground.

The SDC is also involved in projects under the aegis of the 2007 "Protection in the Region" interdepartmental concept to strengthen protection for refugees in their home regions. The aim of this concept is to afford refugees effective protection at an early a stage as possible in their regions of origin, and to support initial destination countries in their efforts to give these people the protection they need.

Theme contact: Jürg Schneider

Additional Information and Documents


Internal Links
  • Humanitarian Aid
  • UNHCR
    The United Nations High Commission for Refugees, UNHCR, was founded in 1950 with the mandate to guar...

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