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intensity, spatial extent, duration and timing of extreme weather and climate events, 477 possibly increasing displacement in the near future. 635. People displaced by either conflict or natural disasters share significant vulnerabilities. Secondary displacement is common, that is, persons who are currently internally displaced may have been forcibly evicted because of discrimination or precarious housing situations. In 2011, this was the case in 18 of the countries monitored by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. Unemployment is also generally higher among internally displaced persons. 478 By virtue of their displacement, internally displaced persons often lack documentation and authorization to work. All too often, internally displaced women have fewer options for income generation and, along with their children, turn overwhelmingly to precarious, low-paid, informal work and other strategies. 479 While females and males are generally displaced in equal numbers, social ruptures, temporary housing, scarcity of resources and lack of security can make conditions particularly unsafe for displaced women and girls, resulting in gender-based violence. 480 5.
Refugees 636. According to UNHCR, the number of refugees worldwide peaked in 1992 at 17.8 million. In 2012 there were about 15.4 million refugees, the largest group being Afghans (2.7 million) in Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran, the two countries hosting the largest refugee populations within their borders. The four other countries with the highest refugee populations in 2012 were Somalia, Iraq, the Syrian Arab Republic and the Sudan. Jordan has been particularly affected by a recent influx of Syrians, after also having absorbed waves of Iraqi and Palestinian refugees previously. The overwhelming majority of global refugee populations are located in the Arab region. In addition to looking at absolute numbers, the United Nations has devised assessments of refugee impact by considering refugees in relation to economic capacity. Using that measure, Pakistan, followed by Ethiopia and Kenya, was the country most affected by refugee influxes in 2012. 481 637. Refugees experience many of the same vulnerabilities as internally displaced persons, including the double vulnerability of displacement and loss of livelihood and well-being at points of settlement. As refugees face persecution and lack protection from their own State, countries of destination represent a viable solution for the protection, promotion and guarantee of their human rights and dignity. States
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“Summary for policy makers”, in Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation: Special Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, C. B. Field and others, eds. (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2012). Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, “Employment rate of IDPs”; available from www.internal-displacement.org/idmc/website/countries.nsf/%28httpEnvelopes%29/ C3D334B77955EA84C12579C70059E6CA?OpenDocument; and “Barriers to Employment of IDPs”; available from www.internal-displacement.org/idmc/website/countries.nsf/ %28httpEnvelopes%29/7D4A873BE935B1BBC12577ED005DDE12?OpenDocument. A. Fielden, “Ignored displaced persons: the plight of IDPs in urban areas”, New Issues in Refugee Research Paper No. 161 (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, July 2008), pp. 9 and 12, available from www.unhcr.org/487b4c6c2.pdf; UNHCR, “IDP Working Group: internally displaced persons in Iraq — update” (June 2008), pp. 1 and 17, available from www.unhcr.org/491956e32.pdf. Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, “Gender-based violence”; available from www.internal-displacement.org/thematic/women. UNHCR, “Displacement, the new 21st century challenge” (see footnote 390 above).
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