A UN expert called for more protection for victims displaced by terrorism and related security operations, during the eighth commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism on Thursday.
The UN special rapporteur on the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, Ben Saul, urged UN member states to fulfill their obligations under international law to safeguard displaced people’s rights. Saul stated:
I urge all States to recommit to the protection of human rights affected by terrorism and counter-terrorism, in line with the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. The international community must redouble efforts to assist displaced people, particularly in low-income, conflict-affected States, as among the most disadvantaged and marginalized of all victims.
Saul highlighted that forced displacement severely impacts individuals’ rights to education and health care, and it disrupts their livelihoods. He added that displacement often occurs in conflict-affected and low-income countries with limited capacity to prevent it or provide adequate humanitarian assistance.
Additionally, the UN rapporteur observed that internally displaced victims continue to face challenges accessing clean water, food, shelter, education, and livelihood opportunities. Many lack funds for medical treatment for traumatized family members, while others do not have the documents needed to exercise their legal rights. Host communities have struggled to provide adequate support due to local pressures, resource competition, and limited public services. These challenges are exacerbated by the global cuts to foreign aid. Saul stressed that forced displacement resulted not only from terrorist threats but also from military counter-terrorism operations and general insecurity during armed conflicts.
Therefore, he emphasized that governments have to recommit to their responsibilities towards displaced people, which include the prevention of internal displacement, provision of assistance during displacement and return, resettlement, and reintegration, as required under the United Nations Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement and the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa. He also stressed that counter-terrorism should not be used as a pretext to expel refugees and condemned the return of Afghan refugees to their home country by foreign states, describing it as a violation of the principle of non-refoulement.
Many regions have endured mass displacements from armed conflicts, terrorist acts, and natural disasters, resulting in a global displacement crisis. According to the UN, organized criminal activity is the primary driver of displacement, especially in regions such as the Sahel, Central America, and Southeast Asia. This has severely affected livelihoods and forced people to live under dire humanitarian conditions. Forced displacement from violent attacks continues in countries like Syria, where thousands of families have fled their homes in the southern city of Suweida because of killings and looting. The UN also expressed concerns in August about new armed attacks in Mozambique that caused thousands of civilians to flee, deepening an already severe humanitarian crisis.
