2026 Conference on Internally Displaced People

Please join Georgetown University, Refugees International, ODI Global, and the Ukrainian Congress of IDP Councils for our third annual virtual conference on internal displacement – at a moment when millions of internally displaced people (IDPs) are navigating global conflict, shrinking humanitarian support, and uncertain futures.

The event will feature a keynote address by UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons Paula Gaviria Betancur and two panel discussions with experts and internally displaced leaders. 

Thursday, April 23
9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET

Keynote 

Paula Gaviria Betancur, Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons 

Panel I: Self-Protection in Times of Conflict

As humanitarian budgets are slashed and aid access contracts, how are IDPs and their communities protecting themselves? Hear directly from displaced leaders about the strategies they are using to survive – and experts’ takes on mechanisms for meaningful support.

Moderator: 

• Tamar Joanian, Senior Community-based Protection Officer, UNHCR Geneva

Speakers:

• Ambassador Salah Siddig Hammad, Head of the Secretariat of the African Governance Architecture of the African Union
• Wai Wai Nu, Founder and Executive Director, Women’s Peace Network (WPN) 
• Ahmed Mhanna, Executive Director of Programs and Operations, Palestinian Housing Council
• Ana María Diez, President, Coalition for Venezuela

Launch of The Oxford Handbook of Internal Displacement

• David Cantor, editor of the handbook and Founder and Director of the Refugee Law Initiative
• Other speakers to be announced

Panel II: Displacement, Justice, and Accountability

IDPs are not just victims of conflict; they are central to rebuilding societies. What role can displaced communities play in transitional justice and accountability efforts? Hear from displaced leaders and experts on IDP participation in durable solutions and sustainable peace.

• Speakers to be announced