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More than 82 million people worldwide have been displaced inside their own countries by conflict, violence and disasters, Paula Gaviria Betancur, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, said at a press conference at UN headquarters in New York.

Betancur put the reconstruction bill at tens of billions of dollars in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria and hundreds of billions in Ukraine, and warned that rebuilding efforts can either address the harm suffered by displaced people or create new injustices.

Record second-highest level of internal displacement

Betancur said the number of people displaced within their own countries by conflict, violence and disasters has passed 82 million, describing it as the second-highest level ever recorded.

The Special Raporteur said reconstruction needs have reached unprecedented levels, citing $71 billion for Gaza, $11 billion for Lebanon, $216 billion for Syria and close to $588 billion for Ukraine.

Rebuilding can create new injustices

Betancur warned that reconstruction can both remedy the suffering of displaced people and generate new injustices. "When internally displaced people return home, they can find destroyed settlements, infrastructure that no longer exists and no documents with which to prove their property rights," Betancur said.

Betancur said rebuilding is not a neutral process, and that decisions about what is rebuilt, by whom and for whom will shape communities for generations to come. Reconstruction can reward those who profited from the destruction, Betancur said, cautioning that this could trigger forced evictions and leave cities that displaced people cannot return to.

Recognition and justice, not only buildings

Betancur said reconstruction offers an important opportunity to address the root causes of displacement. "People who have lost everything need more than new buildings. They need recognition, they need justice," Betancur said.

Measuring success in reconstruction goes far beyond bricks and mortar, Betancur said. Restoring rights, rebuilding institutions and the public trust placed in them, strengthening social cohesion and creating conditions for displaced people to move beyond displacement and achieve durable solutions are of vital importance, according to the Special Raporteur.

Key takeaways

• More than 82 million people are displaced within their own countries, the second-highest level recorded.
• Betancur cited reconstruction needs of $71 billion in Gaza, $11 billion in Lebanon, $216 billion in Syria and about $588 billion in Ukraine.
• Returnees can face destroyed settlements, lost infrastructure and no documents to prove property rights.
• Reconstruction decisions will shape communities for generations and can reward those who profited from destruction.