IDRP

INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT RESEARCH PROGRAMME

The Internal Displacement Research Programme (IDRP) is hosted at the Refugee Law Initiative (RLI), School of Advanced Study, University of London.

The IDRP is a specialised programme that promotes research on internal displacement, including but not limited to policy-relevant research. The IDRP, as an independent research programme, has the following objectives:

 

  • Raise the profile of research on internal displacement in academic and practitioner circles
  • Support, disseminate and share current and ongoing work by researchers in this field
  • Connect research in this field with that in cognate areas, including refugee studies
  • Bring new researchers to the field and develop new cross- and inter-disciplinary work
  • Promote and support research capacity in countries affected by internal displacement

LATEST IDRP RESOURCES

By Rahmath Beevi Kunnummal and Mohammed Firoz C | Oct 8, 2026
This second article in RID's miniseries, Towards Dignified Climate Relocation: Community Perspectives from around the Globe, is an insightful analysis of the challenges faced by community members involved in a planned relocation initiated after the Puthumala landslide of 2019 in Wayanad, Kerala, India. Written by researchers who have worked with this community, the article details the challenges the community faced both during relocation and five years after moving to their new site, including promises made, implementation problems and the difficult realities of everyday life after relocation. Through the account, the authors spotlight important lessons for governments, non-governmental actors, and communities themselves about prioritising a community's shared infrastructure during development, livelihoods and access to employment, and access to grievance and feedback mechanisms. Above all, this article shows that planned relocation processes do not end when a new house is constructed; they require long-term support and monitoring for many years to come. The series is published in collaboration with the Coalition on Dignified Climate Relocation.
By Kadidjatou Sawadogo | Jun 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.

The IDRP is led by the RLI Director, Professor David Cantor. Its early career Research Affiliate and established Senior Research Associate networks bring together research specialists in this field.

The IDRP hosts the INDCaP project that created Researching Internal Displacement and works to support the regional networks GENIDA, LANID and MERNID.

THE IDRP PROGRAMME, NETWORKS AND ACTIVITIES

See the IDRP website for further details of the programme and its networks and activities.

LATEST IDRP NEWS

IDRP EVENTS