United Nations, Oct 24 (IANS): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday announced the establishment of a High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement.

In a statement, Guterres said that worldwide, the number of internally displaced persons has continued to grow in recent years, with more than 41 million uprooted by the end of 2018 as a result of armed conflict and violence, the Xinhua news agency reported.

He added that millions more become internally displaced every year due to natural disasters.

The UN chief pointed out that internally displaced persons are among the most vulnerable and face a variety of risks to their lives, health and well-being.

Noting the panel will focus on finding solutions to internal displacement situations and alleviating the impact on millions of affected people, Guterres said its work is to increase global attention on and support for displaced persons, while developing concrete recommendations for the international community to improve the approach and response to the issue, with a particular focus on durable solutions.

Guterres said he will announce the composition of the panel shortly, and he expects the panel to begin its deliberations in early 2020 and submit recommendations to him within a year of its first meeting.