Internal displacement has long been an urban phenomenon, with an estimated 60% of IDPs now living in cities. While urban areas may offer safety, services and opportunity, they also expose displaced populations to heightened risks to the enjoyment of their human rights such as legal invisibility, inadequate housing, discrimination, and exclusion from public life.
The Committee on Forced Migration will host a discussion on Oct. 22, with a keynote from the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of IDPs examining the issue of internally displaced persons (IDPs) re-entering urban areas through the lens of rights, realities, and pathways forward.
This event will feature a presentation from UN Special Rapporteur Paula Gaviria Betancur on key findings from her latest report to the UN General Assembly on (re)integration of IDPs in urban settings.
Following the presentation, an expert panel will debate the issue, with a focus on locally led and rights-based approaches to (re)integration implemented by local authorities, civil society and international partners.
Columbia ID holders can join the event in person or virtually. Due to campus restrictions, other guests may only join online.
Presenter
- Paula Gaviria Betancur, UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of IDPs
Panelists
- Daniel Naujoks, SIPA Professor and Coordinator, Committee on Forced Migration, Columbia Global (Moderator)
- Sivanka Dhanapala, Director, UNHCR New York Office
- Fernando Travesi, Executive Director of the International Center for Transitional Justice
- Caitlin Sturridge, Senior Research Fellow Displacement, ODI Global (remotely from Nairobi)
- Tetiana Durnyeva (Video Message), Head of the Board, NGO Group of Influence, Ukraine
- Filiep Decorte, Chief, Programme Development Branch and Emergency Director, UN-Habitat
- Andrew Rudd, Urban Environment Officer, UN-Habitat
- Laurel Patterson, Team Leader, Strategic Partnerships and Communications, Crisis Bureau, at UNDP
