creasing maritime migration of displaced populations . In 2017 , 1 in 36 migrant attempts to cross the Central Mediterranean ended fatally . 1 Thus , the Mediterranean is one of the deadliest migration routes , causing an increasing humanitarian crisis . Solving the refugee crisis requires more than addressing the refugees – it also requires figuring out how to work with the IDPs to relieve the pressures on the entire system . This paper will look at gaps in international law affecting IDPs , the specific situation in the Mediterranean , and make recommendations on how to deal with the IDP crisis .
IDPs are currently a challenge primarily affecting concentrated geographic regions . In 2015 , roughly three-quarters ( 30 million people ) of IDPs globally were located in 10 countries with half of them ( Colombia , DRC , Iraq , Sudan , and South Sudan ) having posted the largest IDPs ‘ every year since 2003 ’. 2 The IDP growth trend is indicative of a lack of solutions to the causes of displacement in these areas , and further compels displaced populations to cross borders in order to flee the situations in their home countries . Of the top five countries with high IDP numbers , four of them are in Africa or the Middle East . Thus , the Mediterranean poses an enticing opportunity for IDPs ultimately to cross over into European Union countries that offer far better standards of living , economic opportunities , and freedom of movement within the EU countries .
IDPs are currently at a distinct disadvantage , in comparison to refugees for example , in the protections guaranteed to them under international law . Though the United Nations General Assembly endorsed a set of Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement in 2005 , they are not legally binding . 3 In general , internally displaced populations face the dilemma that in cases of displacement due to armed conflict , violence , or human rights violations , their displacement is being propagated by their own government or groups allied with their government , which makes the delivery of humanitarian assistance extremely difficult . The United Nation ’ s Principles on Internal Displacement defines IDPs as ( emphasis added by the author ):
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“ Persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or leave their homes or places of habitual residence … as a result of or in order to avoid the effects or armed conflict , situations of generalized violence , violations of human rights or natural or human made disasters , and who have not crossed an internationally recognized State border ”. 4
The last element stipulating IDPs are those who have yet to cross an internationally recognized State border is , however , nullified further on in the set of principles under Principle
15 . Principle 15 states that IDPs have the right to leave their country , seek asylum in another country , and be protected against forcible return or resettlement in any place where their life , safety , and / or health would be at risk . 5 Thus , this Principle confuses the definition of an IDP once they have crossed an international border . In this manner , all refugees are IDPs , but not all IDPs are refugees . In general , the UN does not closely follow Principle 15 , leaving IDPs , who have not crossed a border , in international legal limbo .
Without a United Nations agency specifically mandated to assist IDPs before they can cross a border , the international community must turn to several international organizations that monitor , advocate , and write policy for IDPs but with the majority mainly pertaining to refugees for guidance on standard practices . The Internal Displacement Monitoring Center ( IDMC ), based in Geneva , was established in 1998 by the Norwegian Refugee Council . It is responsible for running an online database which provides information and analysis on internal displacements in over 50 countries . The IDMC monitors internal displacement caused by ‘ armed conflict , generalized violence , and human rights violations ’. 6 The International Organization for Migration ( IOM ) is the U . N .’ s agency with primary responsibility over issues of maritime safety . Although not tasked directly with IDP issues , IOM has become involved because of the humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean . Taken together , IDMC and IOM combine international mechanisms for policy and monitoring with the customary humanitarian tradition of rescue and maritime international law ( The United Nations Convention on Laws of the Sea ). 7 As such , they allow the international community to construct the framework through which the humanitarian crisis of migration on the Mediterranean can be examined .
In February of 2005 , the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees ( UNHCR ) in conjunction with the European Commission , started a yearlong joint project aimed at gathering information on mixed migration trends in the Mediterranean . 8 The need for this can be clearly seen through the end of 2015 statistics highlighting that North Africa and the Middle East made up roughly one-third of the world ’ s IDPs ( 13.2 million people ). 9 UNHCR sought to identify the gaps in the protection of refugees , and examining maritime rescue and interception policies . The project highlighted the need for internationally recognized clear definitions of interception , rescue , refouelment ( forcible return of refugees to a country liable to persecute them ), and disembarkation . If solutions are to be effectively proposed and enacted to alleviate the fatal passage across the Mediterranean , then it is necessary to identify the shortcomings and conflicts that make these bod-