The Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, prepared by the Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General on Internally Displaced Persons, considers internally displaced persons as “persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of or in order to avoid the effects of 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”

In 2006, the Gene/ral Assembly has adopted a resolution [AG/RES. 2229 (XXXVI-O/06)] relating to the Internally Displaced Persons which among other things other things establishes that “appeal to the appropriate agencies of the United Nations and inter-American systems, and other humanitarian organizations and the international community, to provide support and/or assistance, as requested by states, in addressing the various factors that cause internal displacement, and in assisting persons affected by internal displacement at all stages, where, should emergency humanitarian assistance be required, account should be taken of the Guiding Principles on strengthening of the coordination of humanitarian emergency assistance (United Nations General Assembly resolution 46/182).”