Refugees and Internally Displaced People

Abstract

The terms “refugee” and “internally displaced person” (IDP) are widely used in the literature of humanitarian assistance and require definition and distinction. Refugees are migrants who must have crossed an international frontier because of a well-founded fear of persecution. IDPs are people who have involuntarily been uprooted and displaced but still remain in their own countries. The distinction is important, as the United Nation’s High Commissioner for Refugee (UNHCR) is legally bound by international law to protect and assist refugees. While care of IDPs is undertaken by UNHCR - witness the conflict in the Balkans - the arrangement is not legally binding. Although there are distinctions under international law, humani-tarian assistance organisations make little or no distinction, and attempt to access and assist all displaced people.