Refugees and internally displaced people reflect the shortcomings of political systems. A primary objective of states and their governments is to protect their citizens against violence and persecution. Governments are obliged to ensure respect for human rights. When a government fails to fulfill this duty, the result is often forced displacement. In situations where such displacement involves crossing international borders, the provision of protection is the responsibility of the international community. This is also the case in situations of displacement within national borders when the government concerned fails to provide protection and assistance. Through various forms of intervention, the international community should then provide appropriate responses.

Governments remain the primary protectors, but also violators, of human rights as enshrined in international law. Consequently, attempts to fortify the international protection regime are contingent upon the respect and implementation of states' obligations under international humanitarian law as well as human rights and refugee law.

In recent years, the elevated security concerns of states have increasingly led to practices that ignore international human rights standards. In the process, the international protection regime has been undermined. Therefore, future efforts to meet the on-going challenges in the provision of adequate protection and assistance to those in need, would yield limited results in a world where international law is increasingly under threat.

UNHCR: challenges ahead