International legal standards for the protection of internally displaced persons: theoretical and practical aspects

Abstract

The article analyzes the system of international legal standards for the protection of the rights and freedoms of internally displaced persons, their doctrinal sources, and mechanisms for ensuring them. The purpose of the article is to study the existing international legal standards on the protection of the rights and freedoms of internally displaced persons, their theoretical, contractual and institutional foundations, implementation problems and identification of improvement prospects. It is substantiated, that the system of standards for the protection of IDPs constitutes a kind of international mechanism for ensuring the status, first of all, the rights and freedoms of IDPs, the corresponding guarantees, which are regulated by the norms of universal, regional and special treaties, are implemented by authorized subjects at various levels and spheres of life. The standards of the universal, supranational, regional levels, ones of mandatory legal force and recommendatory, permanent and temporary, etc. are distinguished. Compared to refugees, who have a special mechanism of international protection, IDPs acquire protection indirectly, as they are under the legal protection of their country of citizenship and residence, its government, etc. Attention was drawn to the significance of the Guidelines of 1998, which are based on numerous acts of the Council of Europe, the EU, etc. However, the existing standards regarding IDPs do not have a unified character, as well as the corresponding institutional mechanism. Therefore, at the national level, the authorized bodies are assigned a significant amount of tasks, functions, and powers to ensure the rights and freedoms of IDPs, guarantee their implementation and protection, restore violated rights, and implement international standards and best foreign practices. Therefore, it is natural to improve the legislation of Ukraine, ensure effective and accessible procedures, and integrate IDPs into the life of the community, society and the state. It is expedient to activate our state in international law-making on the issue of IDPs for the solution of existing problems, first of all, their social protection, electoral rights, housing and land rights, provision of legal assistance, etc