Displaced populations and long term humanitarian assistance

Guidance Note: Humanitarian Action for Different At-Risk Groups in Displacement , 2024

To effectively protect and assist displaced persons with diverse characteristics, it is essential to address challenges to their participation, promote more inclusive coordination mechanisms and data systems, and ensure the delivery of more appropriate services. The active and meaningful participation of at-risk groups in displacement is a precondition for more inclusive and effective humanitarian action. Defining roles and responsibilities for the protection of specific groups among humanitarian actors and integrating specialised stakeholders in relevant coordination mechanisms are crucial for developing tailored responses to the specific needs of displaced people. Gaining a comprehensive understanding of the composition of the displaced population and identifying gaps in data collection, use, analysis, and dissemination can lead to practical improvements in humanitarian programming for all displaced persons. Effective humanitarian action requires removing barriers to accessing essential services, as well as complementing these services with targeted efforts that ensure the safety and dignity of every displaced individual.

2016

Human displacement in form of internal displacement and refugee has become a nightmare to the global community's unfolding events in the middle East and Africa leading to increase in the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees in the world. The influx of refugees and IDPs presented the problems and challenges of management of refugees and internally displaced persons to the African governments and heads of states which necessitated the intervention of United Nations High Commission on Refugees to take over the management of refugees in West African subregion. This however has not been able to address the humanitarian crisis posed by the escalating figures of refugees and internally displaced persons. This paper therefore attempted a holistic analysis of refugees and IDPs phenomenon globally with focus on West Africa and Nigeria with emphasis on conceptual clarification of refugees and IDPs, factors responsible for displacement, vulnerabilities of the displaced people, and response plan to manage humanitarian crisis occasioned by the phenomenon of refugees and IDPs.

2019

There is need to respond to the plight of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) amidst the growing number of calls for concerted efforts and better management. This can be facilitated through collaboration among the agencies responsible for the management of IDPs. The government of nations has the primary responsibility to cater for the healthcare needs of IDPs, however, in most nations experiencing displacement, the government do not have the capacity to provide such services. Hence, NGOs mandated by the United Nations Guiding Principles (91998) most often intervene to mitigate on the sufferings of the IDPs. This paper provided a review of literature, which showed that most often the health needs of the IDPs are not well catered for, especially when interventions are done independently or by single organizations. The study hence recommended for a collaborative approach in the provision of health services to IDPs.

2004

International Organizations, 2022

Since its inception in the postwar period, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has played an extremely important role in providing protection and care for refugees and asylum seekers around the world. The changing circumstances in the world over the seventy years of the UNHCR's existence have led the UNHCR to adapt to new situations. Millions of refugees and internally displaced people needed to be cared for after the Second World War. During the Cold War turmoil, the need to take care of refugees received a new note. Even after the Cold War, due to the disintegration of certain countries and the outbreak of armed conflicts, it left its mark in the area of taking care of refugees and displaced persons. Until the latest mixed refugeemigrant crisis, the UNHCR successfully adapted to the needs on the ground. By working in the field and adopting various documents, socalled "soft law" sources, the work of the UNHCR became effective. However, it remains to be seen whether all the needs of refugees in modern times will be met by an adequate legal framework, which would facilitate the activities of the UNHCR and other providers of refugee protection and asylum seekers.

International Political Sociology, 2015

Scholarly interest in the camp has grown over recent years, inspired in part by Giorgio Agamben's (1995; Homo Sacer: Sovereign Power and Bare Life) work. Scholarship in this area has built on Agamben's view of the camp as an abject space of exception and bare life but also, in reaction to this view, has theorized the camp as a political and social space which constitutes refugees and displaced persons as political subjects, active in demanding rights and social justice. Building on existing scholarship, this article draws attention to another important trend in the camp which has emerged alongside the growing activism of refugee populations, dissatisfied with their lack of rights and abject conditions. This is the trend of engaging refugees to become self-governing in the management of the camp, to think of the camp in terms of community development, with camp life providing the experiences through which refugees are to refashion themselves as resilient, entrepreneurial subjects. Our analysis examines this trend through the issue of humanitarian emergency governance of refugees and IDPs and within the context of reforms undertaken by the United Nations-specifically, through what we term "resiliency humanitarianism." We use this term to suggest a particular rationale of care, camp coordination, and management which emerges within neoliberal government and which focuses on assisting refugees and IDPs to adapt to, and survive, crisis with the aim of responsibilizing them. Today, there are more refugees or internally displaced persons (IDPs) than in any other period since 1994, with some 45.2 million persons displaced, including 15.4 million refugees, 937,000 asylum seekers, and 28.8 million internally displaced persons. Contributing to these alarming numbers is the Syrian civil war, which has dislodged over 9 million Syrians, with some 2.8 million refugees seeking protection and requiring elevated humanitarian responses (UNHCR 2013). While 1 Authors' notes: We would like to acknowledge a grant from the Balsillie School of International Affairs that supported the research for this article.

This paper presents the realities on ground concerning internally displaced persons within the African continents as a result of terrorism and natural disasters. There have been serious cases of regional conflicts orchestrated by insurgency groups especially in Nigeria, Mali and Somalia. Also, the incidence of flooding due to torrential rains, poor infrastructural facilities and urban planning is another aspect. The conflict within the northeastern region of Nigeria has displaced millions of people residing there since 2008. There is a continuous rise in the numbers of internally displaced persons across Nigeria and by extension other African countries. This paper would throw more light on the harsh realities internally displaced persons have to contend with in different parts of Nigeria. Studies reveal many factors responsible for the upsurge in displaced people are all related to socially structured sources of insecurity such as poverty, unemployment, inequalities, hunger, marginalization and oppression by the government. These are some of the major challenges of internally displaced persons. Also, lack of social integration and inadequate social amenities are some sources of insecurities. Some of the host communities were resistant towards foreigners. The objective of the this paper is to examine the challenges of internally displaced persons in line with intervention programs designed to enhance their resettlement within their host communities or make a return to their roots. Government stakeholders and international organizations need to collaborate on how to resolve the challenges of the internally displaced persons IDPs through enhanced access to loans, basic social amenities, infrastructure and offer support for livelihood via employment and empowerment (skills acquisition and trainings.) Internally displaced persons should be resettled in regions where they can easily have access to good economic and social opportunities whilst relating with the host community.

THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE LAW AND CRIMINOLOGY, 2024

The extraordinary magnitude of population displacement, stemming from conflict, persecution, and natural disasters, has exerted significant strain on international organizations, governments, and civil society. Humanitarian interventions, involving various actions undertaken by these entities, are essential in supplying refugees with vital resources, protective measures, and possibilities to endure and reconstruct their lives. This study thoroughly evaluates the influence of humanitarian interventions on refugee welfare, investigating their roles and impacts, addressing their challenges and triumphs, and offering policy recommendations to enhance refugee welfare through more effective humanitarian initiatives. The research design is qualitative, employing secondary data sources including scholarly publications, policy documents, and reports from international organizations and NGOs. Data and visualizations from Our World in Data were utilized to examine trends and patterns in refugee welfare, encompassing access to fundamental requirements, protection, healthcare, education, livelihoods, and psychosocial assistance. The results underscore the substantial influence of humanitarian efforts on refugee well-being, as demonstrated by the examination of the Syrian and Rohingya refugee crises. The graphical representation depicts the significant spike in asylum applicants resulting from these crises and the extent of dislocation experienced by impacted populations. The study highlights the necessity of ongoing and extensive humanitarian aid to meet the varied requirements of refugees, encompassing shelter, nutrition, healthcare, psychosocial support, and protection. The study indicates that humanitarian interventions are essential for improving refugee welfare; nonetheless, hurdles remain, including resource limitations, coordination difficulties, and the necessity to transition from short-term relief to long-term development. Recommendations encompass enhancing global alliances, ensuring equitable burden-sharing, integrating long-term development goals, refining legislative frameworks, prioritizing vulnerable populations, and investigating novel finance options.

International Studies Perspectives, 2006

A pressing new problem came onto the international agenda at the end of the cold war, persons forced from their homes by conflict and human rights violations who remain uprooted and at risk within the borders of their own countries. The international system created after the ...