Development solutions

Nationally and locally-owned development solutions enable internally displaced people and communities to be agents of change and leaders in the processes that shape their lives, making important contributions to the economies and societies of their host communities.

We must go beyond treating internal displacement as just a humanitarian problem and recognize it as a priority for development and peace.

When internally displaced people do not have freedom of movement or access to the labour market, when they and their children lack adequate education and training opportunities, the cycle of aid dependency and poverty is bound to continue.

They need reintegration into places of origin, local communities, or other areas of the country as part of a renewed social contract between governments and their citizens and residents – including those who are displaced – to restore trust and ensure that rights and needs are met.

Delivering nationally and locally-owned development solutions begins with recognizing the rights and agency of displaced people, host communities and communities in areas of return or future settlement.

Sovereignty comes with responsibility and displacement-affected States must recognize action on internal displacement as a national, whole-of-government priority with the rights of displaced people as citizens and residents at the center.

Displacement needs to be included in national and local development, disaster risk reduction and climate change plans. Displaced people need access to livelihoods, clear legal frameworks in line with international human rights standards, and equitable access to services of the State.

We must work collectively on this path from the outset of displacement, drawing on globally recognized standards like the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Framework on Durable Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons.