IV. INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS (IDPs) In 2015, 8.6 million people were newly displaced within the borders of their own countries by armed conflict, generalized violence, and human rights violations, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). That figure is more than the entire population of Tajikistan. 26 27 T he total population of IDPs displaced due to conflict and violence was an estimated 40.8 million by the end of 2015,28 the highest figure on record and an increase of 2.6 million over the number reported a year ago. This is the fifth year in a row that the global number of IDPs has increased, largely driven by the persistent violence and conflict in the Middle East, with Yemen, the Syrian Arab Republic, and Iraq accounting for more than half of all new internal displacements. Since the inter-agency cluster approach was introduced in January 2006,29 IDP statistics have been collected jointly by UNHCR and cluster members. The total number of IDPs, including those in IDP-like situations,30 reported by UNHCR offices rose from 32.3 million in 2014 to 37.5 million at the end of 2015, an increase of 5.2 million (16%). This number comprised reports by 28 countries where UNHCR was engaged with IDP populations during 2015, compared to 24 countries reporting the previous year. Of the 37.5 million total IDPs, 13.3 million (35%) were assisted by UNHCR, compared to 15.7 million (49%) in 2014. Yemen dominated the statistics on newly internally displaced individuals in 2015. Renewed and escalated conflict in the country displaced over 2.5 million 26 For detailed statistics on global internal displacement, see the IDMC website at www.internal-displacement.org. 27 Source for population size: United Nations, Population Division, World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision, New York, 2015. 28 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 protected/assisted by 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. See IDMC for statistics on IDPs displaced due to disasters. 29 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. 30 For example, 35,000 people in Myanmar and 105,000 people in South Sudan. UNHCR Global Trends 2015 29