Main Challenges:  Access, Identification and Protection

 

A young Timorese girl at the Motael Camp for IDPs.December 2007. [Photo UN/Evan Schneider]

International attempts to assist IDPs are often hampered by a lack of security, by physical and political obstructions, and by the very size of internally displaced populations It is very difficult to get accurate figures for IDPs because populations are constantly fluctuating or inaccessible: some IDPs may be returning home while others are fleeing, others may periodically return to IDP camps to take advantage of humanitarian aid; some return home temporarily but come back to their place of displacement, or move elsewhere.

Access for IDP populations to humanitarian assistance is often difficult, particularly (though not exclusively) in conflict areas. Often, access to IDP concentrations or camps are controlled by state and non-state actors, unwilling to allow free access for humanitarian organisations. Insecurity in many conflict zones presents a major obstacle to access for humanitarian staff.  In some of the large-scale natural disasters, access has been severely hampered by the physical obstructions presented by massive infrastructure damage, remote locations and lack of appropriate transport.

Protecting IDPs is a major challenge for governments, and humanitarian organizations alike. In conflict, whilst threats are often more obvious, our ability to prevent or respond quickly to abuses when they occur are often greatly hampered by lack of access. Governments faced major challenges including limited resources, lack of awareness of the needs and situations of IDPs, as well as a lack of political will to protect them. 

Commonly, even as a conflict ends, the plight of IDPs is ignored, with peace processes failing to provide concrete and appropriate long-term solutions for their return, resettlement or local integration. In Southern Sudan, despite the signing of a Comprehensive Peace Agreement ending the long-running north-south conflict, many of the four million people displaced in Khartoum and around southern Sudan remain vulnerable and isolated. 

 

Next: Finding Durable Solutions