World + 3 more
Displaced but not forgotten: Momentum is building to ensure internally displaced are not ‘left behind’
By Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien
Each year, millions of people are forced from their homes by armed conflict, human rights violations and natural disasters. Some cross borders and seek protection and assistance in other countries as refugees, but the majority remain internally displaced within their country.
Internally displaced people (IDPs) come from all over – Democratic Republic of Congo produced the largest number of IDPs in 2016, alongside Afghanistan, Colombia, South Sudan, Sudan and Syria, fleeing conflict, violence, persecution and abuse. In 2016 conflict, violence, persecution and abuse led 31.1 million people to become freshly displaced within their own borders – the equivalent to one person per second. This brings the number of conflict-led IDPs to 40.3 million, while millions more were displaced by natural disasters.
Read more on OCHA
- UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
- To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.