Urban displacement is emerging as one of the most pressing human rights challenges globally, according to the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs), Paula Gaviria Betancur. In her report to the General Assembly, she emphasized that while cities can provide safety and opportunities, they can also increase vulnerability if the rights of displaced persons are not fully protected.
Currently, about 60 percent of the world’s 83.4 million IDPs—over 50 million people—live in urban or peri-urban areas. Many migrate to cities seeking safety and livelihoods but instead encounter overcrowded housing, precarious living conditions, exclusion from essential services, and discrimination. Rapid urban expansion has often left municipalities without adequate resources or mechanisms to protect displaced populations.
The Special Rapporteur stressed that durable solutions to displacement, including return, integration, or resettlement elsewhere, must be treated as rights-based and equally valid. Ending displacement is not merely about physical relocation but about restoring rights, dignity, and belonging, enabling displaced people to rebuild their lives in safety.
Gaviria Betancur called for stronger national laws and inclusive public policies, empowered local governments, and integration of displacement into national development planning. She highlighted the need for social protection, tenure security, adequate housing, and investment in mental health and psychosocial support. A whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach is essential, with displaced persons actively participating in decision-making processes.
Internally displaced persons, she noted, are not burdens but contributors who bring skills, knowledge, and resilience to host communities. Ensuring their inclusion strengthens societies. Reliable, disaggregated data is critical for making IDPs visible in urban planning and budgeting, as those left uncounted often lack protection.
The report concludes that with inclusive, rights-based policies and investments in housing, social protection, and mental health support, cities can transform displacement from a source of exclusion into an opportunity for dignity, safety, and belonging. IDPs are not just survivors of crises—they are agents of resilience, rebuilding their lives against all odds.
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