Papers - Conference 2009 - Institute of Latin American Studies

The emergency humanitarian assistance phase runs once displacement takes place.At this stage, the national government shall initiate immediate action to guaranteeemergency humanitarian assistance with the purpose of relieving, assisting, andprotecting the displaced population, and attending to its needs in the areas of food,personal hygiene, supply management, kitchen utensils, psychological andmedical assistance, emergency transportation and temporary housing inappropriate conditions. In all displacement cases, civil and military authorities indisplaced population reception zones shall guarantee the free passage ofhumanitarian aid shipments, national and international accompaniments to thedisplaced population, the establishment of permanent or temporary offices for thedefence and protection of human rights and the fulfilment of internationalhumanitarian law standards. While the situation persists, the creation andpermanence of inter-institutional teams, made up of government and state entitiesat the municipal, departmental, and national levels, shall be sponsored for theprotection of the displaced and their personal property. The right to emergencyhumanitarian assistance has a maximum duration of three months, renewableunder exceptional circumstances for another three.The national government shall support displaced populations that want to return totheir places of origin, pursuant to the provisions contained in the law on thesubjects of socio-economic stabilisation, consolidation, and protection. The thirdphase is focussed on socio-economic stabilisation and consolidation. At this point,the national government shall promote medium and long-term actions andmeasures with the purpose of creating conditions of social and economicsustainability for displaced populations within the framework of voluntary returnor resettlement in other urban or rural areas. These measures shall give displacedpopulations direct access to government social programs, particularly programsrelated to: 1. Profitable projects 2. National system of agrarian reform and ruraldevelopment 3. Fostering small business 4. Social organisation and training 5.Social assistance in the areas of health, education, urban and rural housing andeducation, children, women, and the elderly and 6. Urban and rural employmentplans by Acción Social. Acción Social is the main agency responsible for co-18