Guiding Principle 28: The Unfulfilled Promise to End Protracted Displacement in Azerbaijan

In 1998 internal displacement became a major focus of international concern with the adoption the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement by the United Nations. This seminal document outlined the rights and protections of internally displaced persons (IDPs), as well as developing policy solutions for ending displacement. In the two decades since the adoption of the Guiding Principles, there has been an explosion of research into various case studies. This paper re-examines the case of Azerbaijan within a new theoretical framework. This paper uses the work of Walter Kalin, former UN Secretary-General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons (2004-2010), and Phil Orchard, an eminent scholar of internal displacement, to argue that contrary to the reports of international organizations and other academic scholars, Azerbaijan has failed to make any significant progress in resolving its situation of protracted internal displacement, and has actively implemented policies which undermine a resolution to internal displacement. This paper further offers the case of Georgia as a policy contrast to Azerbaijan. This paper further asks the question of how the international community can better advocate for durable solutions in recalcitrant and reluctant states