Internally displaced persons (IDPs) are individuals or groups who are forced or obliged to leave their homes to avoid the effects of armed conflict, generalized violence, human rights violations, or disasters, but who remain within their country’s borders. This widely accepted definition, originating from the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement and reflected in regional instruments such as the Great Lakes Protocol and the Kampala Convention, emphasizes two core elements: the coerced nature of movement and non‑crossing of international borders.

Documentation is fundamental to the enjoyment of human rights, as legal identity enables individuals to exercise their rights and access essential services. International human rights law guarantees the right to recognition as a person before the law, and civil registration systems record vital events—such as birth, marriage, divorce, death, and parentage—that form the basis of legal identity and family life.

The right to family life is a core principle of international human rights law, which recognizes the family as the fundamental unit of society entitled to protection and assistance. This right encompasses the ability to form a family, live together, and maintain family relationships without arbitrary interference. States must not only refrain from disrupting family life but must also take positive, reasonable measures to preserve family unity and facilitate reunification, especially in situations of forced displacement.

The right to work is a fundamental human right that ensures everyone has the opportunity to gain a living through freely chosen or accepted work. For forcibly displaced and stateless persons, access to decent and lawful employment is central to achieving self‑reliance, economic inclusion, and dignity. International human rights law, along with refugee and statelessness instruments, protects not only entry into the labour market but also the conditions under which work is performed. 

Social protection encompasses the policies and programmes that prevent and reduce poverty, vulnerability, and social exclusion throughout the life cycle. It includes social insurance, social assistance, and social services, each designed to help individuals maintain an adequate standard of living, especially during periods of crisis or heightened risk. For forcibly displaced and stateless persons, access to social protection is essential to ensure dignity, reduce vulnerability to exploitation, and support recovery and long‑term inclusion. 

The Nationality, Integration and Public Affairs category examines how domestic legal frameworks support the long‑term inclusion of refugees, asylum‑seekers, stateless persons, and internally displaced persons (IDPs). Integration is a multidimensional process encompassing access to nationality, permanent residency, participation in public life, and social cohesion. 

The right to liberty and security of person is a core human right articulated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and other international instruments, applicable to all individuals—including refugees, asylum‑seekers, stateless persons, and internally displaced persons (IDPs). It encompasses freedom from arbitrary detention, protection against threats to physical and mental integrity, and safeguards ensuring that any deprivation of liberty is lawful, necessary, and proportionate. 

Housing, land and property (HLP) rights are central to the safety, dignity, and self-reliance of forcibly displaced and stateless persons. Under international human rights law, they encompass the right to adequate housing, protection of property, and access to land—each essential for physical security, livelihood opportunities, and durable solutions. Adequate housing requires security of tenure, affordability, habitability, cultural adequacy, accessibility, and suitable location, and applies regardless of tenure type, including informal arrangements and emergency accommodation.

The right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health is guaranteed under international human rights law and applies to everyone, including refugees, asylum‑seekers, stateless persons, and internally displaced persons (IDPs). This right requires States to ensure non‑discriminatory access to health facilities, goods, and services; to take immediate steps towards full realization; and to guarantee minimum essential levels of care.

Freedom of movement is a fundamental human right guaranteed under international human rights and refugee law to all persons lawfully within a State’s territory, including refugees, asylum‑seekers, stateless persons, and internally displaced persons (IDPs). This right includes the liberty to move freely within a country, choose one’s residence, leave any country—including one’s own—and return to one’s country. These freedoms are central to ensuring access to other rights such as work, education, food, housing, and family life, and are essential for achieving durable solutions.