SUMMARY

In the present report, submitted pursuant to resolution 50/6 of the Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Paula Gaviria Betancur describes the activities undertaken in fulfilment of her mandate during the reporting period and since her previous report to the General Assembly (A/78/245). She also presents a thematic study on the planned relocation of people in the context of disasters and the adverse effects of climate change. 

The Special Rapporteur concludes that relocations may become increasingly inevitable as areas of origin disappear or become uninhabitable. Planned relocations, whether anticipatory or responsive, should be a last resort, used only when sustaining settlements is impossible. In the context of disasters and the adverse effects of climate change, planned relocations can endanger a wide range of human rights and have profound social and cultural impacts. When all options are exhausted, well-planned, financed and implemented planned relocations that prioritize community needs can mitigate displacement risks, protect human rights from the start and lay the foundation for durable solutions. This requires a government-led, and whole-of-society approach with human rights-based frameworks in accordance with international human rights norms and standards.