Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, what assessment they have made of the report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Global Trends: Forced Displacement in 2017, published on 25 June 2018, which estimates that (1) on average, 44,400 people were forced to flee their homes each day, (2) 68.5 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide, and (3) there were 40 million internally displaced people, in 2017 as a result of persecution, conflict, or generalised violence; and what steps they are taking to devise, encourage and promote international initiatives to tackle the root causes of current levels of mass migration.

UNHCR’s Global Trends: Forced Displacement in 2017 is an important tool in informing our support for refugees and internally displaced persons around the world.

At least half of DFID aid is focussed on fragile and conflict affected states and regions – the drivers of forced displacement. DFID’s aid programmes seek to address drivers of conflict, instability and lack of economic opportunities which in turn help to tackle some of the root causes of displacement. By creating jobs and livelihoods, improving education, and facilitating labour mobility we are giving people more opportunities to build a decent life at home or in their region.

The UK Government has been actively involved in the development of the UN Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and the Global Compact on Refugees, both of which have now been adopted. These two Compacts offer a cohesive and forward-leaning framework to improve the international response to large movements of people.

The UK is also supporting the UN and member states to set up a High-Level Panel on internally displaced persons. The overarching goal of the Panel is to galvanise action to reduce the number of internally displaced persons, whilst providing more effective protection and assistance, and reinforcing the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement.