ABSTRACT
States and other international actors have shared understandings around the Internally displaced person (IDP) issue, marked by international norms which have developed since the 1970s. These norms, while acknowledging the primary responsibility of the state to protect and assist their own populations, simultaneously recognize an international responsibility to provide IDPs with assistance and protection. Issues over property rights can also lead return and other durable solution processes to stall out. In Bosnia, for example, there was a significant international focus on IDP returns; however, there was lack of funding for reconstruction, court rulings significantly increased the costs for IDPs to recover property, and minority returnees frequently faced discrimination and reprisals. Afghanistan’s national policy is effectively defunct due to land rights issues at the local level. Without fast returns, commitments in peace agreements can languish or be ignored as governments shift to new priorities.
