Conflict, Violence Displace 68 Million People within Borders, Expert Warns Third Committee, Urges Action to Restore Rights
Human Trafficking, Modern Slavery, Freedom of Expression Also Take Centre Stage
Special Rapporteurs — United Nations-appointed independent experts — presented their reports on internal displacement, human trafficking, modern slavery, the promotion of the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and the protection of human rights defenders, as the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) continued its interactive dialogues today.
“The imperative to work towards sustainable peace and solutions to the global crisis of internal displacement is more urgent than ever,” stressed Paula Gaviria Betancur, Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, introducing her report (document A/79/334) on the intersection between peacebuilding and internal displacement.
At the start of 2024, 76 million people globally were living in internal displacement, with nearly 90 per cent — around 68 million individuals — displaced due to conflict and violence. Working towards durable solutions to the global crisis of internal displacement is, therefore, impossible without efforts to address conflict and violence as its principal drivers. “In conflict situations, internally displaced persons may be both victims and actors with the potential to end the conflict, build sustainable peace and prevent further conflict,” she observed, underscoring the need to ensure their ownership of the peace process.
This, in turn, will also help ensure the legitimacy of the process and rebuild trust in public institutions, she said. With peace agreements key to laying the groundwork for durable solutions to internal displacement, she highlighted the need for responses such as restoring housing, land, and property rights, promoting economic recovery and livelihood access, and offering diverse settlement options beyond return.
In the following interactive dialogue, speakers expressed concern about the unprecedented number of people who were forced to leave their homes due to conflict, violence, human rights violations, persecution, disasters and the impact of climate change over the past year.
“We are currently witnessing one of the most egregious global displacement crises,” with nearly two million people being displaced up to ten times, said Egypt’s delegate, adding that “this should coin a new term for this violation”. Palestinian civilians in Gaza continue to face daily brutal aggression, with no prospect of a safe return, he said, adding that even the so-called “safe areas” are continuously being targeted.
Also condemning Israel’s attack against the Palestinian people, Algeria’s delegate said its “killing machine” displaced almost the entire population of Gaza during the last year. Such acts require special attention from the Special Rapporteur, he stressed, citing occupation as “the worst form of human rights violations”.
“Since 23 September, Lebanon has been subjected to a massive wave of forced displacement,” said the country’s representative, adding that the intensification of shelling has pushed civilians to seek refuge in safer areas. Over 1.2 million people have been internally displaced in Lebanon, among them 400,000 children. Many were forced to live in overcrowded shelters with little or no privacy. Also, she stressed, many children there need urgent psychological support.
Ukraine’s delegate said that in the third year of the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion, over 11 million Ukrainians had been displaced, including 4.1 million internally. Women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities are among the most severely impacted. Moreover, she cautioned, the humanitarian situation has worsened drastically due to relentless shelling and destruction of Ukraine’s power-generating infrastructure.
Her counterpart from Georgia recalled that — as a result of multiple waves of ethnic cleansing carried out by the Russian Federation in her country — hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons are still deprived of the right to return to their homes.
In Myanmar, over 3.4 million people have been internally displaced, said the country’s delegate, adding that the number more than doubled in the past two years. Given the ratio between Myanmar and the global population, it is “a shocking reality” that this number amounts to 5 per cent of the internally displaced persons worldwide, he pointed out, attributing the increased displacement to the military junta and its illegal coup in 2021.
“While conflicts are statistically the leading cause of displacement, we must not ignore those displaced by disasters,” said Brazil’s representative. She underscored the critical necessity of international support of national efforts, ensuring adequate protection for all individuals in forced displacement situations, irrespective of their migration status, particularly given that 75 per cent of them are in developing countries.
Experts emphasize:
- UN’s scant attention to human trafficking limits victims’ access to justice
- Workers’ organizations play a crucial role in preventing labour exploitation and other modern slavery
- Human rights defenders must have unanimous State support as SDGs do
Among other experts briefing the Committee today was Siobhán Mullally, Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, who presented her report (document A/79/161) highlighting the significance of gender in the realization of justice, peace and security. With the imminent twenty-fifth anniversary of the adoption of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000), the report analysed the limited progress made in integrating measures to combat trafficking in persons into the women and peace and security agenda and presents targeted recommendations.
Scant attention to trafficking in persons as a violation of international humanitarian law and international criminal law, including by United Nations mechanisms, limits access to justice and reparations and guarantees of non-recurrence for victims, she said, also highlighting challenges in monitoring and verifying the incidence of grave violations against children in armed conflict, linked with child trafficking. She also called for recognition of the gendered impact of trafficking in forced labour, underlining the need to place prevention of human trafficking, protection and accountability at the heart of an expanded women, peace and security agenda.
Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences, Tomoya Obokata, presented his report (document A/79/159), which explored the role of workers’ organizations in preventing labour exploitation and other offenses. Those organizations promoted international and regional labour and human rights standards — an essential first step in preventing exploitation and abuse — he said, highlighting their role in advocacy, monitoring workplaces and identifying human rights abuses, supporting victims of labour exploitation, and influencing domestic labour policy and legislation. Workers’ organizations proactively empower their workers, particularly those facing structural discrimination, such as migrant workers.
Pointing to concerning evidence of limitations imposed on the right to form or join workers’ organizations in law and practice in various parts of the world, he said they also face threats, harassment and violence from State authorities and private actors such as employers. According to the International Trade Union Confederation, unionists were killed in eight countries in 2023, and workers experienced arbitrary arrests and detentions in 46 per cent of 149 countries covered by its research. Workers and their unions may also face obstruction and interference by businesses and employers, he observed, underlining the need to recognize intersecting forms of discrimination to provide tailored support to vulnerable workers.
“No conflict in recent times has threatened freedom of expression so seriously or so far beyond its borders [as the one in Gaza]”, said Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, presenting her report on the subject. Among other threats, she spotlighted Israel’s denying access to international journalists and targeted killing of journalists with total impunity, highlighting that “States that champion themselves as media freedom champions [have] remained silent in the face of such unprecedented assault on journalists.”
Another alarming trend is the distortion of legal standards on and offline to assimilate criticism of Israeli policy and Zionism to anti-Semitism, she said, noting that the latter is a racial and religious hatred of Jews that must be condemned, while Zionism is a political ideology subject to criticism. The genocide in Gaza and Israel’s disregard of international law are “matters of global public interest”, she said, calling for consistency in tackling hate speech on social media.
Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, underscored the role of those activists in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which hold unanimous State support. Accordingly, her report is a response to State actors either characterizing human rights defenders as “politically motivated […] agents of the West” or supporting them abroad while “cracking down on [them] at home,” she said, underscoring that people promoting the SDGs are defending human rights.
For example, the Sudanese women activists setting up kitchens in war-torn Khartoum — ensuring food security for over 250,000 families in 2023 — as well as the seven members of the World Food Kitchen killed by an Israeli Defense Force drone strike were all working to fulfill Goal 2 on “zero hunger”, she noted. Meanwhile, others working on the Goals are intimidated, criminalized and imprisoned in many States, she stressed, citing the jailing of a renewable energy expert in Viet Nam. All human rights defenders working on the SDGs need to be supported and encouraged, given that only 17 per cent of the Goals are on track, she stated.
Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Gina Romero, presented her report on harmful narratives vilifying activists globally. “Terrorist! Foreign agents! Traitors! […] Internal Enemies! Instigators! Wizards and Witches! Extremists! Misandrists! Dangerous!” Such rhetoric spread by State actors and amplified by media is “not just words”, she said. Rather, these are used intentionally to silence, repress and criminalize human rights defenders for exercising their rights to peaceful assembly.
Primarily targeted are those who promote ethnic and religious minorities, women’s and LGBTIQ rights, she said, highlighting the recent crackdown on global Palestinian solidarity protests. Citing restrictive “foreign agent” laws — which amplify those hateful narratives, she called on Member States to repeal them and hold both State and non-State actors accountable for spreading such rhetoric inciting violence against activists and protesters.
Also speaking was Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Ilze Brands Kehris, who introduced 16 reports of the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner — all mandated by the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council and relating to the promotion and protection of human rights. The Committee also heard from Michelle Gyles-McDonnough, Director of the Sustainable Development Unit at the Executive Office of the Secretary-General (EOSG), who presented the fifth report of the Secretary-General on mainstreaming disability inclusion within the Organization.