Guiding Principle 28: The Failure 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, many situations of internal displacement across the globe have become protracted, that is resolutions to displacement are not forthcoming, nor expected in the foreseeable future. As instances of internal displacement have become increasingly common, research into this phenomenon has exploded. This paper adds to the academic scholarship on protracted internal displacement by re-examining 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 failed to adopt in good faith the durable solutions as outlined by the 1998 Guiding Principles