IV 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 426 
Recognizing 2007 as the Year of the Rights of Internally Displaced Persons 
in Colombia, and offering support for efforts to ensure that the internally 
displaced people of Colombia receive the assistance and protection they 
need to rebuild their lives successfully. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 22, 2007 
Mr. MCGOVERN (for himself, Mr. PITTS, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. SMITH of New Jer-
sey, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. LANTOS, Ms. MCCOLLUM of Minnesota, Mr. RUSH, 
Mr. LYNCH, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. WEXLER, Ms. SUTTON, Mr. FARR, Mr. 
FATTAH, Ms. DELAURO, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. WATSON, Ms. JACKSON- 
LEE of Texas, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. HINCHEY, Ms. LEE, 
Mr. MCDERMOTT, and Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Recognizing 2007 as the Year of the Rights of Internally 
Displaced Persons in Colombia, and offering support for 
efforts to ensure that the internally displaced people 
of Colombia receive the assistance and protection they 
need to rebuild their lives successfully. 
Whereas Colombia has experienced the internal displacement 
of more than 3,800,000 people over the past 20 years, 
representing approximately 8 percent of Colombia’s popu-
lation; 
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•HRES 426 IH 
Whereas Colombia’s internally displaced population is one of 
the worst humanitarian crises in the Americas, and the 
second largest internally displaced population in the 
world, after Sudan; 
Whereas more than 200,000 people continue to be displaced 
internally every year; 
Whereas Colombia’s internally displaced people are often 
forced from their homes multiple times, and fear reper-
cussions if they identify their attackers; 
Whereas the International Committee of the Red Cross and 
the World Food Program have found internally displaced 
people 
in 
Colombia 
to 
be 
poorer 
and 
more 
disenfranchised than the general population, with 70 per-
cent suffering from food insecurity, inadequate shelter, or 
limited health care services; 
Whereas Afro-Colombian and indigenous peoples are dis-
proportionately affected by displacement, representing al-
most one-third of the internally displaced; 
Whereas women and children also comprise a large majority 
of the internally displaced; 
Whereas very few internally displaced Colombians have been 
able to return to their original homes due to ongoing con-
flict throughout the country, and when returns take place 
they should be carried out voluntarily, in safety and with 
dignity; 
Whereas, in 1997, the Government of Colombia passed land-
mark legislation, known as Law 387, to guarantee rights 
and assistance to its internally displaced population; 
Whereas the Government of Colombia has expanded its abil-
ity to assist internally displaced people through its own 
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•HRES 426 IH 
agencies, and with the financial, technical, and oper-
ational support of the international community; 
Whereas the Constitutional Court of Colombia has handed 
down multiple decisions recognizing the insufficient na-
ture of the government’s efforts to meet the basic needs 
of internally displaced persons and upheld the importance 
of implementing law 387 in light of the United Nations 
Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement; 
Whereas the Constitutional Court of Colombia, in consulta-
tion with the Government of Colombia, civil society, and 
the United Nations, has developed an extensive set of 
measurements to ensure government compliance with 
Law 387; 
Whereas the Government of Colombia, the international com-
munity, and civil society are engaged in the London- 
Cartagena Process to develop coordinated responses to 
domestic problems, including humanitarian assistance 
and internal displacement; 
Whereas the Government of the United States provides valu-
able, but limited, humanitarian assistance to Colombia, 
and has programs targeted specifically for internally dis-
placed people; and 
Whereas the United Nations High Commissioner for Refu-
gees, Antonio Guterres, on a visit to Colombia in March 
2007, urged greater attention to the issue, stating that 
it should be a ‘‘national priority’’ and asked for ‘‘greater 
coherence’’ in programs to address the needs of the inter-
nally displaced: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that— 
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•HRES 426 IH 
(1) the United Nations High Commissioner for 
Refugees, the Colombian Catholic Church, and the 
Coalition for Human Rights and Internal Displace-
ment should be commended for their initiative to de-
clare the Year of the Rights of the Internally Dis-
placed People in Colombia; 
(2) the Government of Colombia and the inter-
national donor community should be encouraged to 
prioritize discussion of humanitarian assistance and 
internal displacement with the international donor 
community, especially within the context of the Lon-
don-Cartagena Process; and 
(3) the Government of the United States should 
increase the resources it makes available to provide 
emergency humanitarian assistance and protection 
through international and civilian government agen-
cies, and assist Colombia’s internally displaced peo-
ple in rebuilding their lives in a dignified, safe, and 
sustainable manner. 
Æ 
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