Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Internally Displaced People (Idps) At the end of 2017, an estimated 40.0 million people were displaced within their own countries due to armed conflict, generalized violence, or human rights violations. This is the third year in a row that the global number of IDPs has decreased, declining from 40.3 million in 2016 and 40.8 million in 2015, according to estimates from the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). As Figure 11 shows, the IDP population continually increased until 2015 but has decreased since then.40 However, this total figure to some extent masks upheavals that took place in 2017, with many new large-scale displacements as well as large numbers of people returning to their homes, often under difficult circumstances. 36.6 million at the end of 2016 and 37.5 million at the end of 2015. This number comprised populations reported by 32 countries where UNHCR was engaged with IDP populations during 2017, compared with 29 countries reporting the previous year. Since the inter-agency cluster approach was introduced in January 2006, IDP statistics have been collected jointly by UNHCR and cluster members. 41 The total number of IDPs, including those in IDP-like situations, reported by UNHCR offices also decreased (UNHCR’s figure is lower than IDMC’s global figure, as not all IDP populations received UNHCR support, assistance or protection, and in some cases different sources are used). 42 At the end of 2017, the IDP population reported by UNHCR offices stood at 39.1 million compared with 40 For detailed statistics on global internal displacement see the IDMC website at www.internal-displacement.org. unhcr > Global trends 2017 In 2017, Colombia remained the country with the largest IDP population [Figure 12]. According to the Government, 7.7 million IDPs were registered in Colombia, an increase of over a quarter-million from the beginning of the year, with no IDP returns or other decreases reported. 43 41 In December 2005, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee endorsed the ‘cluster’ approach for handling situations of internal displacement. Under this arrangement, UNHCR assumes leadership responsibility and accountability for three clusters: protection, shelter, and camp coordination and camp management. 42 The total number of IDPs reflected in UNHCR’s official statistics constitute only those individuals that are internally displaced by conflict-induced situations and are of concern to the organization. Therefore, the total number of IDPs reported in the annex tables of this report does not constitute the global number of IDPs worldwide. 43 The large number of registered IDPs in Colombia comes from the total cumulative figure from the Victims’ Registry, which commenced in 1985. See http://rni.unidadvictimas.gov.co/RUV. 33