Restitution and return

Throughout most of human history, refugees and others displaced during war stood little or no chance of ever returning to their homes. During the past decade, however, protecting the housing, land and property rights of refugees and IDPs has been increasingly treated as a fundamental human rights concern.

In post-conflict situations, restitution is now widely seen as an essential element of peace-building, reconciliation and reconstruction. It is a treated as a primary means of reversing ‘ethnic cleansing’, conflict-induced displacement and considered vital to securing a war-torn nation’s future social, political and economic stability.

There are now more than 12 million refugees worldwide, with an additional 25 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) dispersed in camps, slums and temporary shelters within the borders of their own countries.

This group of some 37 million people, however, is only part of the displacement dynamic facing the world today. If we add to this total those forced from their homes by politically-motivated forced evictions, development-induced displacement, natural disasters or other means, the actual number of the world’s displaced is probably closer to 50-60 million, if not considerably more.

Some of the most serious problems facing displaced people around the globe are the loss of land, housing and property rights during their displacement and the consequent inability to return to their original homes and lands once they choose to voluntarily repatriate.