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CONCLUSION
From global to local solutions
In 2018, IDMC took stock of the progress made in the20 years since the adoption of the Guiding Principles
on Internal Displacement. This year is the 10th anniversary of the Kampala Convention, and to mark theoccasion the African Union has declared 2019 the Yearof Refugees, Returnees and IDPs. Activities across thecontinent will draw attention to internal displacement
and the need for durable solutions, but the situationof those displaced has not significantly improved at theregional or global level.
The figures presented in this report show that in many
countries affected by conflict, not only is displacement
becoming protracted, but new displacements continue
to take place, deepening national and regional crises.
Certain countries and regions are also consistently
affected by disasters year after year. Many IDPs faceserious vulnerabilities and protection gaps and are athigh risk of being displaced again within urban centres,
particularly if they lack secure tenure, employment andsocial support that ensure their local integration.
Humanitarian responses alone will not resolve theinternal displacement crises affecting many countries
around the world, nor reduce the risk of future displacement. As our cities grow and the landscape of urban
displacement changes, local authorities will be at theforefront of both responding to crises and reducing riskin the long-term. National responsibility and leadershipand international accountability now must combinewith tangible and significant support to local action.
And given that growing numbers of IDPs live in urban
centres across the world, this local action will increasingly need to happen in towns and cities.
The provision of basic services for IDPs remains animportant humanitarian challenge in active crises andcamp settings. It also lies at the heart of development
efforts in complex urban and protracted displacement
settings.485 Long-term displacement in already deteriorating socioeconomic conditions makes it difficult
for local authorities to provide services to the wholeurban population. Decades of conflict and displacement result in municipal structures and services unable
to meet the needs of the urban poor. Many IDPs aretrapped in poverty, which in turn contributes to making
their displacement protracted. In such circumstances,
concerted and coherent poverty reduction efforts,
including targeted assistance and broader social protection, need to be developed in place of siloed, short-term
humanitarian interventions.486
Cities are also tasked with applying and localising global
and national development frameworks as part of thesustainable development agenda, but often struggle
to do so. The way and extent to which authority andresources are decentralised will determine their capacity
for effective governance and implementation. Financial capacities to achieve development objectives andaddress humanitarian crises vary considerably fromcountry to country, and from city to city. Size, economic
productivity, social equality and institutional arrangements all determine the ability of a city’s government
and its communities to prevent and cope with crises,
including internal displacement crises.487
Affecting city-level change will require progress acrossat least three main areas. Knowledge and evidence ofthe drivers, impacts and risks of urban displacement andof appropriate and successful approaches to addressing
it are a prerequisite for effective action. The capacity
to act on the evidence also needs to be strengthened,particularly in low-income countries and those that facelarge displacement crises.
Most importantly, however, incentives to increase political will are needed at both the municipal and national
level to adapt urban planning, investment, regulationand service delivery to the realities of informality andprotracted displacement. Urban opportunities cannot be
unlocked without political solutions, and those solutions
need to move beyond short-term responses to embracelong-term risk reduction and inclusive development.

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In moving ahead in these three areas, a checklist ofsorts may be useful to guide prioritisation of local-level
actions and encourage more national and international
support for relevant sectors and institutions, adapted toeach city. Data and insight, and the capacity to present
evidence that generates incentives to create the required
political will are critical in this regard and suggest afirst set of priority areas for action at local level (seeFigure 24).
As we look into the coming years, the conclusions fromour last global reports remain alarmingly valid. Morethan 20 years of mass displacement and increasingly
protracted situations across the globe leave us todaywith the highest number of people living in displacement ever. Despite policy progress in several countries,
the root causes of internal displacement persist.

This report shows, however, that despite the significant
challenges, promising approaches exist. In a rapidly
urbanising world, many of the opportunities for solutions to displacement are located in and around cities.
For the urban displaced to break out of protracted andcyclical displacement, inclusive legislation, housing
provision and service delivery need to become a partof the DNA of urban governance.
The involvement and, over time, leadership of displaced
people in urban planning and service provision is central
to their success. Where responsible states work handin hand with local governments and communities,
supported by the international community, solutions
are found and the future of those displaced today andof global displacement risk becomes less bleak.

Figure 24: Toward a checklist for action on urban displacement: start by building an evidence base

Data and analysis|| Systematically account for urban IDPs. Record their number and the duration and severity of their displacement, disaggregated by sex, age, disability and other relevant criteria|| Monitor movements and conditions of those displaced over time, not just during and immediately after crises|| Undertake profiling exercises that include both displaced and host populations|| Collaborate with humanitarian, development and other stakeholders working to reduce vulnerability and risk
to ensure that any data collected is interoperable

Capacity and participation|| Build on communities’ existing capacities, including for the collection of data on their vulnerabilities and needs,
but also their existing resources, skills and community services|| Strengthen the capacity of local organisations and government departments for data and statistical analysis|| Work with IDPs and those at risk of displacement to identify priority areas in service delivery and infrastructuredevelopment|| Identify urban development approaches that accommodate informality, including through flexible and secure
tenure arrangements and adaptive labour market strategies in line with national and international sustainable
development initiatives

Incentives and political will|| Estimate the impacts of displacement on city development and the risks inherent in inaction, including effects
on the city’s economy, security, stability and social wellbeing|| Use risk assessments to advocate for new and appropriate financing mechanisms to support city action andmake displacement risk one of the core considerations in urban planning and development|| Document successful approaches to managing and reducing internal displacement in cities and provide aplatform for exchange and learning for municipalities and their partners|| Recognise IDPs as local citizens, even when return is their preferred long-term solution, by allowing voting
rights and providing space for public participation, and supporting their access to documentation

GRID
2019