The United Nations Special Rapporteur for Human Rights on Internally Displaced Persons Dr. Chaloka Beyani visited the transitory sites in Zamboanga City early today.

Beyani together with DSWD Assistant Secretary Vilma Cabrera, LGU representatives, IOM and the other delegates of the UNSR roamed around Transitory Sites in Mampang and Rio Hondo, where families affected by the 2013 siege were transferred early on.

The UN delegation aimed to monitor and document good practices along interventions provided by the government and NGOs for the IDPs.

“Each place is different. There are places that are worst and some are better. But the pressure is always towards providing durable solutions.” the independent expert stated.

Beyani visited the 394 units of bunkhouses in Mampang, a joint project of DSWD and IOM. Aside from this the UNSR also went to Rio Hondo transitory site currently occupied by 132 IDP families.

After the visit, the group gathered the LGU, line agencies and other local and international partners to share their preliminary findings and recommendations on human rights mechanisms for IDPs. During the meeting, the Special Rapporteur lauded the on-going efforts of the national and local government as well as the aid rendered by the International Organizations like IOM to find lasting solutions to internal displacement.

“The Mampang transitory shelters are very impressive. They are great achievement of the government and should really be part of the durable solutions that we want to provide to the IDPs.” Stated the Special Rapporteur.

However the Special Rapporteur cautions the humanitarian and development partners that while the effort to build permanent shelters is noteworthy, he believed that there should also be livelihood built around these houses, alongside other basic services such as clean and safe water, healthcare, education for children, employment or entrepreneur activities.

Dr. Beyani also stressed some key challenges and gave recommendations regarding the IDPs in Lupa-Lupa, Rio Hondo who opted to return to the place of their origin without adequate facilities.

“Our major recommendation is to immediately improve the conditions of the IDPs who have moved from Grandstand to Rio Hondo. Seeing them earlier, I think they are happy to be in the place they had been. But it’s important that the protection and assistance needs available for them should not be linked to the original situation of displacement. Because some of them have no house.” Beyani said.

In his message, he finally encouraged and called on all the key sectors to go for comparative expertise and conduct continuous dialogue among all the humanitarian and development partners for them to come up with a common solution to the problems of IDPs.

Dr. Beyani is scheduled to visit few more places in the country that have been affected natural and man-made disasters, such as Tacloban and Cotabato City.

Beyani is a Zambian national and professor of International Law at the London School of Economics. He obtained his D.Phil from Oxford and his LL.M and LLB from the University of Zambia. Beyani has worked and published extensively in the fields of human rights, and international criminal and humanitarian law, as well as on issues relating to humanitarian assistance and population displacements, including internal displacement. Beyani has also acted as an adviser to a number of United Nations agencies and other international and regional organizations.