Last year alone, an estimated 40 million people fled their homes to escape conflict, violence and disasters but remained in their own countries. Addressing this crisis of internal displacement, today the independent UN Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement launches its long-anticipated report: ‘Shining a Light on Internal Displacement: A Vision for the Future’. Among many recommendations for improving the response to this crisis, the panel emphasises the need to strengthen the effective use of internal displacement data and analysis.
In launching Researching Internal Displacement today, we respond to this call in two ways. First, this new website platform connects researchers, practitioners, policy-makers, students, artists and people from displacement-affected communities with resources, events, cutting-edge research, analysis and creative materials on internal displacement. Against the backdrop of the current crisis, it aims to raise the profile and understanding of internal displacement and the situations faced by internally displaced persons (IDPs) globally.
Second, Researching Internal Displacement hosts independent research networks working in this field. It provides our networks with a shared web-space and facilitates sharing, reviewing and disseminating the latest research, writing and creative materials by their membership and by others interested in internal displacement. Each network promotes engagement with internal displacement research, particularly by people living in countries affected by internal displacement. All networks host regular events, promote research and publications, and feed into policy and practice.
Our networks have a strong regional focus, including: the Global Engagement Network on Internal Displacement in Africa (GENIDA); the Middle East Research Network on Internal Displacement (MERNID); the Latin American Network on Internal Displacement (LANID); as well as the Internal Displacement Research Programme (IDRP) and the Health and Internal Displacement Network (HIDN). The leads of each network, working jointly with the website Coordination Team, run Researching Internal Displacement, drawing on financial support from the UK Research and Innovation Global Challenges Research Fund (AH/T005351/1).
As network leads for the site, we are delighted to launch Researching Internal Displacement today. We trust that you will find it a useful resource for finding and sharing independent research and analysis on internal displacement!
- Obonyo Francis Alphonse – GENIDA
- Dr Beatriz Eugenia Sánchez Mojica – LANID
- Dr Hana Asfour – MERNID
- Professor David Cantor and Dr Agnes Woolley – IDRP
- Dr Winifred Ekezie & Diana Rayes – HIDN