18 December 2008: The UN has launched a year-long advocacy campaign to help millions of internally displaced persons (IDPs), which represent 1% of the world’s population, focusing on mitigating the impact of conflict and natural disasters.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes noted
that the numbers of IDPs are increasing significantly, with the number
of those displaced by natural disasters having quadrupled over the last
20 years due to the growing effects of climate change. Globally, 50
million people have been displaced by hurricanes, tsunamis,
earthquakes, landslides and flooding.
The UN campaign marks the
10th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Guiding Principles on
Internal Displacement, which states that the UN and its partners stand
ready to support IDP communities, but the primary responsibility lies
with the national Governments.
The campaign will be implemented globally and within selected IDP countries, starting in the Central Africa Republic. [UN News Centre]