Cairo - Ahead of the forthcoming UN General Assembly (UNGA), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and its partner, the King Salman Humanitarian Aid & Relief Centre (KSrelief) call on the international community and governments around the world to intensify efforts to resolve internal displacement and find “durable solutions” for the estimated 55 million people living in internal displacement worldwide due to conflict, violence and disasters.

IOM and KSrelief will co-organize a virtual side event at 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time (17:00 KSA time) on 16 September 2021, during the high-level week of the UNGA on Durable Solutions. The event – “Durable Solutions; Ending Protracted Displacement in a World of Increased Complex Mobility” – will focus on convening experts in the field, to discuss achievements to date in increasing self-reliance and resolving displacement, evolving needs in response to rapidly shifting dynamics on the ground and advocacy on durable solutions amongst different stakeholders, including Governments, United Nations (UN) agencies, donors, think tanks and academic institutions. The session will be transregional engaging experts and experiences from the Middle East and North Africa region, and the East Africa and Horn of Africa region. 

“With rates of internal displacement outpacing the numbers of people achieving durable solutions, we must strengthen our understanding of the changing needs and socioeconomic vulnerabilities of displaced people beyond the immediacy of their initial displacement.” said IOM MENA Regional Director Carmela Godeau. “IOM, and partners, supports a range of programming towards self-reliance and eventual durable solution, centred on government ownership, collaboration, and the inclusion of affected populations’ preferences in the planning and execution process for both policy design and activity implementation.”

The event, which targets Governments, representatives of the UN system, regional organizations, civil society actors, academia and private sector institutions, will facilitate constructive dialogue on the ways and means to improve the quality, predictability, and accountability in view of ending protracted displacement in an everchanging mobility landscape in pursuit of longer-term holistic solutions.

“KSrelief works to address human suffering in all its forms. It acts to protect life, secure health, and alleviate the suffering of millions of people in urgent need of assistance.” Said Eng. Ahmed Al Baiz KSrelief’s Assistant Supervisor General of Operations and Programs. “Responding to modern displacement contexts requires practitioners to understand mobility dimensions and leverage them to increase self-reliance. Without reflection on how we can adopt a mobility lens to inform our approaches to resolving the vulnerabilities of displacement, we may limit our capacity to best serve people.” Saudi Arabia has supported the issue of displacement and the IDPs since 1992 with over USD 1.7 billion in 28 countries. 

As of 2020, there are an estimated 55 million people living in internal displacement due to conflict, violence and disaster. Around two-thirds of these internally displaced persons (IDPs) are locked in displacement situations for more than three years. In a global context where people are more mobile than ever, either by choice or by necessity, displacement is not an exception to this growing phenomenon, and the challenge to providing solutions that support an end to protracted displacement has only become more challenging and complex.

The international community and governments around the world base their efforts to resolve internal displacement in an approach referred to as “durable solutions”. A durable solution, for those that are internally displaced, is achieved when individuals no longer have any specific assistance and protection needs linked to their displacement and can enjoy their human rights without discrimination on account of their displacement.

To register for the event please click here.

ENDS

For more information and media questions, please contact:

IOM KSrelief, Riyadh, Media@ksrelief.org

IOM Regional Office, Middle East and North Africa, mmabunajela@iom.int

IOM Regional Office, East Africa and Horn of Africa, kodiwuor@iom.int