LANID

LATIN AMERICAN NETWORK ON INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT

MERNID

MIDDLE EASTERN RESEARCH NETWORK ON INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT

GENIDA

GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT NETWORK ON INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT IN AFRICA

HIDN

HEALTH AND INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT NETWORK

IDRP

INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT RESEARCH PROGRAMME

RID Spotlight

Three Decades of Policies on Internal Displacement: Patterns, Progress, and an Uncertain Future

By Adam Lichtenheld and Abbey Steele

| March 26, 2026

This is the fourth volume in our series on ‘Internal Displacement in a Changing World Order’. It examines how state policies addressing internal displacement have evolved since the Cold War, analysing 588 policies across 86 countries adopted between 1989 and 2022. The authors find that policy adoption surged during the peak of the liberal international order, particularly in the 2000s and 2010s, driven by major displacement crises, international advocacy, and normative frameworks like the 1998 UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, the 2006 Kampala Convention, and the IASC Durable Solutions Framework. While most countries address displacement through broader vulnerable population frameworks, the content of IDP-specific policies has shifted over time. Provisions establishing camps and granting formal IDP status have declined since 2018, whereas service provision guarantees expanded dramatically between 2003 and 2018, likely reflecting state-building efforts in conflict-affected nations. As the liberal international order weakens, the authors question whether policy adoption will slow without international pressure and normative consensus, while suggesting that existing policies may serve as valuable tools for domestic advocates to hold governments accountable.

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Researching Internal Displacement connects researchers, practitioners, policy-makers, students, artists and people from displacement-affected communities with cutting-edge research, analysis, creative materials and other resources on internal displacement.

 

The platform is hosted by the Refugee Law Initiative, a unique academic centre at the  School of Advanced Study, University of London, promoting interdisciplinary research, teaching and exchange on law, policy and practice in refugee and displacement contexts.

LATEST RESOURCES

Desplazamiento interno en Ecuador: Soledad en la respuesta institucional

By Gabriela Malo

| July 22, 2026

En el Ecuador ha aumentado en la década de 2020 la actividad de grupos criminales dedicados al narcotráfico transnacional, minería ilegal y actividades complementarias. Ante la ausencia de respuestas estatales a sus problemas, un número creciente de habitantes opta por escapar. En un contexto del que se tiene escasa información, este trabajo aporta a la comprensión de un fenómeno en el que las familias dependen de su propia iniciativa y capital social para decidir si desplazarse y a dónde ir. Se analizan las responsabilidades del Estado ante el desplazamiento interno, constatando que con pocas excepciones, no existe una respuesta nacional ante este fenómeno. También se describe uno de los pocos casos de desplazamiento masivo que han tenido visibilidad pública: el caso de los indígenas Chachi en la provincia de Esmeraldas.

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The Impact of Funding Cuts on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons in Haiti and South Sudan

By Kadidjatou Sawadogo

| June 30, 2026

The working paper examines the impact of humanitarian funding contractions on the realisation of economic and social rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Haiti and South Sudan. Drawing on a human rights-based framework, documentary analysis, and key informant interviews, it analyses how reductions in humanitarian assistance affected access to adequate food and healthcare in contexts of protracted displacement, institutional fragility, and humanitarian dependence. The findings show that funding cuts reduced food assistance, disrupted health services, suspended mobile clinics, and weakened nutrition coverage for displaced populations. Humanitarian actors adopted hyper-prioritisation approaches that focused on life‑saving interventions but left significant protection and socio‑economic needs unaddressed.

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WHAT IS INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT?

Internally displaced persons (or IDPs) can be understood as:

"persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights or natural or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed an internationally recognized State border."

IDP TRAINING

Our free course in
‘Internal Displacement,
Conflict and Protection’

Find out more

ABOUT US

Connecting researchers,
practitioners, policy-makers,
students, artists and IDPs

Find out more

IDP TRAINING

Our free course in
‘Internal Displacement,
Conflict and Protection’

Find out more

ABOUT US

Connecting researchers,
practitioners, policy-makers,
students, artists and IDPs

Find out more

CALL FOR PAPERS

NEWS AND EVENTS

Key Messages on Migration, Displacement, and Planned Relocation for the 2026 June Climate Meetings (SB 64)
By Advisory Group on Climate Change and Human Mobility and the Loss and Damage and the Challenges Of Human Mobility and Displacement Working Group | Jun 1, 2026
This document, prepared by the Advisory Group on Climate Change and Human Mobility and the Loss and Damage and the Challenges of Human Mobility and Displacement Working Group, provides key messages on migration, displacement, and planned relocation, for key agenda items...

Researching Internal Displacement offers a platform for publishing insightful and engaging short pieces of writing, artistic productions and other research outputs, policy briefings and think pieces on internal displacement from our networks and others in a conversational and informal setting.

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE

Researching Internal Displacement publishes engaging and insightful short pieces of writing, artistic and research outputs, policy briefings and think pieces on internal displacement.

We welcome contributions from academics, practitioners, researchers, officials, artists, poets, writers, musicians, dancers, postgraduate students and people affected by internal displacement.