Ending Internal Displacement

Abstract

Abstract When does internal displacement end? On the face of it, ending internal displacement is an unquestionably laudable goal. In practice, however, efforts to resolve internal displacement are often highly coercive and raise a host of under-examined normative questions pertaining to the rights and obligations of internally displaced persons (IDPs), states, international organizations, and other actors involved in displacement situations. Using the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Framework as a springboard, this chapter offers a normative account of what durable solutions for IDPs entail. I contend that the resolution of internal displacement cannot be reduced to a focus on IDPs’ physical location, occupancy, or territorial rights. Rather, I argue for a rights-based approach centring respect for IDPs’ autonomy and their interest in developing and pursuing their life-plans. The chapter considers some related moral questions pertaining to the exercise of choice in the resolution of displacement, and whether the search for solutions for IDPs may legitimately be limited to the boundaries of their own countries.