Internal Displacement, Internal Migration and Refugee Flows: Connecting the dots

This briefing draws on existing evidence to explore how conflict-driven internal displacement relates to internal economic migration and refugee flows as an external form of ‘forced’ movement
Published on August 21, 2020
David James Cantor and Jacob Ochieng Apollo | idrp, IDPs, Refugees, Internal migration

‘Internal displacement’ is usually treated by as a distinctive form of movement due to its ‘internal’ and ‘forced’ character. But how does internal displacement compare to other related forms of movement? This research summary draws on existing evidence to explore, in countries affected by armed conflict or other serious violence, how internal displacement relates empirically to (i) internal economic migration as a more voluntary form of ‘internal’ movement; and (ii) refugee flows as an external form of ‘forced’ movement.

This paper was presented to the UNSG High Level Panel on Internal Displacement in Work-stream 6.

Professor David James Cantor is Director, Internal Displacement Research Programme and Jacob Ochieng Apollo is a graduate from the MA in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies.

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