Knapp, Nadine; Koch, Anne
Resea ch Repo
The legacy o he UN Special Ad ise on Solu ions
o In e nal Displacemen : How o main ain poli ical
momen um a e he manda e expi es
SWP Commen , No. 51/2024
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
S i ung Wissenscha und Poli ik (SWP), Ge man Ins i u e o In e na ional and Secu i y A ai s,
Be lin
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Knapp, Nadine; Koch, Anne (2024) : The legacy o he UN Special Ad ise on
Solu ions o In e nal Displacemen : How o main ain poli ical momen um a e he manda e
expi es, SWP Commen , No. 51/2024, S i ung Wissenscha und Poli ik (SWP), Be lin,
h ps://doi.o g/10.18449/2024C51
This Ve sion is a ailable a :
h ps://hdl.handle.ne /10419/306289
S anda d-Nu zungsbedingungen:
Die Dokumen e au EconS o dü en zu eigenen wissenscha lichen
Zwecken und zum P i a geb auch gespeiche und kopie we den.
Sie dü en die Dokumen e nich ü ö en liche ode komme zielle
Zwecke e iel äl igen, ö en lich auss ellen, ö en lich zugänglich
machen, e eiben ode ande wei ig nu zen.
So e n die Ve asse die Dokumen e un e Open-Con en -Lizenzen
(insbesonde e CC-Lizenzen) zu Ve ügung ges ell haben soll en,
gel en abweichend on diesen Nu zungsbedingungen die in de do
genann en Lizenz gewäh en Nu zungs ech e.
Te ms o use:
Documen s in EconS o may be sa ed and copied o you pe sonal
and schola ly pu poses.
You a e no o copy documen s o public o comme cial pu poses, o
exhibi he documen s publicly, o make hem publicly a ailable on he
in e ne , o o dis ibu e o o he wise use he documen s in public.
I he documen s ha e been made a ailable unde an Open Con en
Licence (especially C ea i e Commons Licences), you may exe cise
u he usage igh s as speci ied in he indica ed licence.
h ps://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/
NO.
51
NOVEMBER 2024
In oduc ion
The Legacy o he UN Special Ad ise on
Solu ions o In e nal Displacemen
How o Main ain Poli ical Momen um a e he Manda e Expi es
Nadine Knapp and Anne Koch
In June 2022, he Sec e a y-Gene al o he Uni ed Na ions (UN) published he “Ac ion
Agenda on In e nal Displacemen ”. I aims o undamen ally e o m he way in e nal
displacemen is add essed. On he one hand, he ocus mus shi om sho - e m
humani a ian aid o mo e de elopmen -o ien ed app oaches. On he o he hand, he
go e nmen s di ec ly a ec ed mus be mo e ac i ely in ol ed in he sea ch o du able
solu ions. A UN Special Ad ise , Robe Pipe , has been en us ed wi h he implemen-
a ion o he Ac ion Agenda. O e he pas wo yea s, he has ini ia ed posi i e de el-
opmen s in a numbe o coun ies and con ibu ed o be e coo dina ion be ween
ele an UN o ganisa ions. Beyond he manda e o he Special Ad ise , which expi es
a he end o 2024, he p og ess he has achie ed hus a mus be secu ed. To his end,
Ge many should ad oca e o sus ainable go e nance s uc u es and campaign o
in e nal displacemen o be sys ema ically aken in o accoun in de elopmen and
clima e inancing.
The opics o mig a ion and c oss-bo de
displacemen a e omnip esen in he public
deba e in Ge many and many o he EU
membe s a es. Much less a en ion is paid
o in e nally displaced pe sons (IDPs), i.e.,
people who le hei place o o igin in ol-
un a ily bu emain in hei own coun y.
This ca ego y includes well o e hal o he
app oxima ely 117 million people wo ld-
wide who we e leeing pe secu ion, iolen
con lic , and human igh s iola ions a he
end o 2023. In addi ion, he e a e people
who ha e been o ced o lea e hei homes
due o na u al disas e s and ex eme wea he
e en s caused by clima e change. The o al
numbe o IDPs is ising con inuously. A
new high o almos 76 million people was
eached a he end o 2023.
Unlike c oss-bo de e ugees, IDPs a e no
en i led o in e na ional p o ec ion. Thei
suppo and ca e a e he esponsibili y o
he espec i e go e nmen . Howe e , he e
is o en a lack o he necessa y capaci ies
and/o poli ical will. The la e is equen ly
he case when s a e ac o s hemsel es a e
a pa y o he con lic and he e o e (co-) e-
sponsible o displacemen . Agains his
backd op, he bulk o suppo is usually
p o ided by humani a ian ac o s. These
ac o s, howe e , lack he poli ical le e age
SWP Commen 51
No embe 2024
2
o wo k owa ds longe - e m solu ions. As
a esul , he es ic ions and disad an ages
a ising om in e nal displacemen o en
pe sis o yea s and he dependence o
hose a ec ed by humani a ian aid is pe -
pe ua ed. This no only cons i u es an
immense bu den o he ch onically unde -
unded humani a ian sys em, bu also ep-
esen s a hea y de elopmen oll o he
espec i e coun ies.
Key challenges o achie ing
du able solu ions
The need o ac ion in he a ea o in e nal
displacemen is well known. In addi ion o
acu e eme gency aid, i is c ucial ha in e -
na ional suppo is gea ed owa ds c ea ing
du able solu ions om he ou se . In p in-
ciple, he e a e h ee op ions: IDPs can
e u n o hei o iginal place o o igin, in e-
g a e locally in he a ea whe e e uge was
sough , o se le in ano he loca ion. Rega d-
less o which o hese h ee solu ions is pu -
sued, i should always be ensu ed ha he
p o ec ion needs and disc imina ion asso-
cia ed wi h displacemen a e elimina ed. Ye ,
he co esponding asks o en go beyond
he manda e o humani a ian ac o s. They
include, o example, eco e ing iden i ica-
ion documen s, ensu ing access o a egu-
la educa ion and heal hca e sys em, sup-
po ing he econs uc ion o homes and
in as uc u e, as well as unde aking com-
p ehensi e peace and econcilia ion wo k,
including he esolu ion o land con lic s.
The sea ch o solu ions is he e o e a com-
plex p ocess ha b ings wi h i challenges
in he a eas o human igh s, humani a ian
aid, de elopmen , econs uc ion, disas e
p e en ion, and peacebuilding. A coo di-
na ed and imely engagemen o a ious
ac o s is c i ical – in line wi h he Humani-
a ian-De elopmen -Peace (HDP) Nexus. In
p ac ice, howe e , du able solu ions egu-
la ly ail due o a numbe o poli ical and
s uc u al obs acles.
Lack o go e nmen commi men
As a gene al ule, du able solu ions o
la ge g oups o IDPs can only be achie ed
i he go e nmen di ec ly a ec ed akes
owne ship o his goal and ac i ely pu sues
i . Wi hou i s leade ship, he endea ou
is doomed o ail om he ou se . Bu his
is p ecisely wha is lacking – p o ac ed
in e nal displacemen in pa icula can
o en be aced back o s a e culpabili y o
go e nmen de ici s and is he e o e highly
poli ically sensi i e. In e na ional e o s o
add ess he pligh o IDPs mo e sys ema i-
cally a e he e o e o en ejec ed by a ec ed
go e nmen s as unaccep able in e e ence
in in e nal a ai s. Dono coun ies, on
he o he hand, ha dly p io i ise he issue:
Unlike in he case o c oss-bo de displace-
men , weal hy s a es a e no di ec ly ex-
posed o he consequences o in e nal dis-
placemen in o he egions o he wo ld.
Acco dingly, he phenomenon has long
been igno ed in key in e na ional p ocesses.
I is no adequa ely e lec ed ei he in he
UN 2030 Agenda’s 17 Sus ainable De elop-
men Goals o in he Global Compac s on
Re ugees and Mig a ion.
Inadequa e linking o
in e na ional suppo
Ano he challenge lies in he s uc u e o
he in e na ional aid sys em. Despi e long-
s anding e o s o achie e g ea e syne -
gies, he humani a ian and he de elop-
men sec o con inue o ollow hei own
logics o ac ion and p io i ies. This o en
hinde s join da a collec ion and analysis,
planning, and p og amming – wi h he
esul ha sho - and longe - e m suppo
se ices in he a ea o in e nal displace-
men a e insu icien ly in e linked. In addi-
ion, he implemen a ion o he hi d pilla
o he HDP Nexus, peacebuilding, which
is u gen ly needed o du able solu ions in
cases o con lic -induced in e nal displace-
men , so a emains inadequa e. Fu he -
mo e, he ins i u ional esponsibili ies
o IDPs wi hin he UN sys em a e unclea .
This leads o con lic s o e manda es, pa -
SWP Commen 51
No embe 2024
3
icula ly be ween he In e na ional O ga-
niza ion o Mig a ion (IOM) and he Uni ed
Na ions High Commissione o Re ugees
(UNHCR).
Financing gaps
Du able solu ions a e cos ly and can ha dly
be ealised wi hou adequa e inancial e-
sou ces. The mos signi ican hu dle is no
a lack o o e all humani a ian unding.
Ins ead, he main p oblem is ha he con-
ce ns o IDPs a e no su icien ly aken in o
accoun in de elopmen inancing and ha
he e is a lack o inancing ins umen s spe-
ci ically aimed a add essing in e nal dis-
placemen . As a esul , many o hose a -
ec ed no longe ecei e adequa e suppo
once humani a ian eme gency aid uns
ou . This h ea ens o pe pe ua e he dis-
ad an ages and ulne abili ies a ising om
displacemen , leading o p o ac ed in e nal
displacemen . The e is a li ely deba e wi hin
he in e na ional communi y as o whe he
i is mo e expedien o ea in e nal displace-
men as a c oss-cu ing issue o o c ea e
sepa a e ins umen s o his pu pose. How-
e e , he e is consensus ha p o ac ed
in e nal displacemen has se ious nega i e
de elopmen impac s and ha i is he e-
o e necessa y o make mo e de elopmen
unding a ailable o sus ainable solu ions.
Realignmen o in e na ional
engagemen
In esponse o hese di e en needs o
ac ion, he UN Sec e a y-Gene al published
he “Ac ion Agenda on In e nal Displace-
men ” (he eina e : Ac ion Agenda) in June
2022. The Ac ion Agenda con ains 31 UN
commi men s o p omo e du able solu-
ions, p e en u u e displacemen c ises,
and ensu e p o ec ion and assis ance o
IDPs. In o de o ad ance he implemen a-
ion o he Ac ion Agenda, he pos o UN
Special Ad ise on Solu ions o In e nal Dis-
placemen (he ea e , Special Ad ise ) was
c ea ed o a pe iod o a ound wo and a
hal yea s. The main ask o he incumben
is o ini ia e app op ia e changes wi hin
and ou side he UN sys em.
De eloping conc e e
solu ion pa hways
One o he main objec i es o he Special
Ad ise was o de elop solu ions o up o
10 million IDPs in 15 pilo coun ies by he
end o 2024: A ghanis an, he Cen al A i-
can Republic, Chad, Colombia, E hiopia,
I aq, Libya, Mozambique, Nige , Nige ia,
Somalia, Sou h Sudan, Sudan, Vanua u,
and Yemen. On nume ous ips o hese
coun ies, Pipe engaged in high-le el lob-
bying o p omo e he unde s anding ha
a decisi e commi men o inding du able
solu ions o IDPs would ha e a posi i e
de elopmen impac on socie y as a whole.
This, in u n, would be an impo an con-
ibu ion o he 2030 Agenda. As a esul ,
some angible successes ha e been achie ed.
Fo example, go e nmen s in he Cen al
A ican Republic, Colombia, E hiopia
(Somali egion), I aq, Libya, Nige ia, and
Somalia ha e commi ed o place a ound
8.5 million IDPs on solu ions pa hways.
This amoun s o a commi men o g adually
es o e he equal economic, social, and po-
li ical pa icipa ion o a ec ed IDPs. To his
end, s a egies and oadmaps ha e been
de eloped a he na ional o sub-na ional
le el. These s a egies a e pa icula ly alu-
able i hey ha e a clea link o na ional
de elopmen plans and, in he o m o
cos ed plans, no only iden i y p io i y a eas
o ac ion, bu also he expec ed cos s ha
will be incu ed h ough sec o -speci ic
measu es. Some also con ain inancial com-
mi men s by he go e nmen s conce ned. Fo
example, he Nige ian s a es o Adamawa,
Bo no, and Yobe ha e pledged o use be-
ween 5 and 15 pe cen o hei espec i e
budge s o he implemen a ion o hei
espec i e ac ion plans o e h ee yea s.
Despi e such p og ess, conside able chal-
lenges emain – e en in coun ies whose
go e nmen s ha e signalled commi men s
h ough solu ion-o ien ed s a egies o
ac ion plans. The I aqi leade ship, o exam-
ple, is p io i izing he apid closu e o IDP
SWP Commen 51
No embe 2024
4
camps by o e ing IDPs money o e u n o
hei espec i e homes. The indi idual dis-
placemen si ua ion is hen o icially con-
side ed o be o e , al hough se ious secu i y
isks and a lack o sou ces o income o en
o ce people o mo e again. The e a e simi-
la p oblems in he Nige ian s a e o Bo no,
which is s ill la gely inaccessible o humani-
a ian ac o s due o he p esence o Boko
Ha am mili ias. Due o he poo secu i y
si ua ion, an ac ual e u n is o en no pos-
sible. Ins ead hose a ec ed ind e uge
in egional u ban cen e s, wi hou access
o a able land o o he sou ces o income.
He e, he UN Sec e a y-Gene al’s Ac ion
Agenda h ea ens o be misused as a he o i-
cal jus i ica ion o he p ema u e closu e
o IDP camps. The E hiopian go e nmen
is also pushing o he e u n o IDPs a e
he end o he con lic in Tig ay – e en o
egions whe e he secu i y si ua ion emains
c i ical and public in as uc u e is ba ely
unc ional.
These examples sha e a numbe o com-
monali ies: go e nmen s o en push o he
e u n o IDPs wi hou espec ing hei ee-
dom o choice be ween di e en solu ions
and wi hou in ol ing hem in ele an
planning and decision-making p ocesses.
The ocus is he e o e on he physical
eloca ion o IDPs and no on es o ing
hei igh s o s eng hening hei capaci y
o ac . The ongoing ma ginalisa ion o hose
a ec ed poin s o he highly poli ical na u e
o con lic - ela ed in e nal displacemen , in
pa icula . Pu ely echnical suppo om he
in e na ional communi y can make an im-
po an con ibu ion o inding du able solu-
ions. Howe e , displacemen -speci ic dis-
ad an ages can only be comp ehensi ely
elimina ed i co esponding measu es a e sys-
ema ically in eg a ed in o peace and econ-
cilia ion p ocesses and a e accompanied by
iable comp omises e.g. in land con lic s.
An addi ional s umbling block a he
coun y le el is inadequa e da a. Despi e
he pionee ing wo k o he In e nal Dis-
placemen Moni o ing Cen e, he e is a
lack o eliable da a on he ex en o in e -
nal displacemen in many places, as well
as on he speci ic ulne abili ies, needs, and
capaci ies o IDPs and hos communi ies. In
addi ion, he e is a lack o na ional moni-
o ing and e alua ion sys ems ha could be
used o measu e success in he implemen a-
ion o solu ions. The e has been conside -
able p og ess in his a ea, o example, in
he o m o a de elopmen -o ien ed indica o
sys em de eloped by he Join In e nal Dis-
placemen P o iling Se ice and he Uni ed
Na ions De elopmen P og am (UNDP),
inanced by he Ge man Fede al Minis y
o Economic Coope a ion and De elop-
men (BMZ). Howe e , he e is s ill a lack o
eliable socio-economic da a and s anda d-
ised analysis. In some coun y con ex s, UN
ac o s and (sub)na ional go e nmen s also
wo k wi h compe ing da a se s and incon-
sis en de ini ions o when exac ly a dis-
placemen si ua ion has been esol ed.
S eng hening in e nal
UN coo dina ion
A second ield o ac ion o he Special Ad-
ise is o sensi ize ele an UN ac o s along
he en i e HDP Nexus o he impo ance
o he de elopmen policy implica ions o
in e nal displacemen . This goes hand in
hand wi h he aim o in eg a ing co e-
sponding solu ions mo e e ec i ely in o
exis ing UN p ocesses and mechanisms.
Conc e e p og ess has also been made he e.
While only IOM and UNHCR had de eloped
ins i u ional s a egies o add essing in e -
nal displacemen be o e he Special Ad ise
ook o ice, his is now he case o eigh
UN o ganisa ions. UNDP, in pa icula , is
commi ed o g ea e ins i u ional esponsi-
bili y in he a ea o in e nal displacemen –
bo h in e ms o solu ions and p e en ion
– and is hus closing an exis ing gap in he
UN’s commi men in his a ea. A he same
ime, a S ee ing G oup o Solu ions o
In e nal Displacemen (he ea e S ee ing
G oup) was es ablished in line wi h he
Ac ion Agenda. I consis s o eigh ele an
UN o ganisa ions (as well as he Wo ld Bank
as an obse e ), p omo es hei exchange
a he global le el, and hus imp o es he
coo dina ion o UN ac i i ies ega ding
in e nal displacemen .
SWP Commen 51
No embe 2024
5
Realizing such coo dina ion a he coun-
y le el is p o ing o be much mo e chal-
lenging. UN Residen Coo dina o s (RCs)
play a cen al ole he e. As he highes - ank-
ing ep esen a i es o he UN de elopmen
sys em, hey lead he UN coun y eams
and also ac as humani a ian coo dina o s
in imes o c isis. In line wi h he Ac ion
Agenda, he UN Sec e a y-Gene al has u -
he s eng hened hei ole in o de o
e ec i ely coo dina e e o s on he g ound
and suppo go e nmen s in de eloping
solu ions o in e nal displacemen . RCs in
all pilo coun ies (excep Vanua u) a e sup-
po ed by Solu ions Ad ise s who a e unded
by a ious dono s h ough a dedica ed acil-
i y ( he so-called Solu ions Ad ise s Deploy-
men Facili y) es ablished by UNDP – cu -
en ly F ance, he Eu opean Union, he
Uni ed Kingdom, No way, and Swi ze land.
As capaci ies in RCs’ o ices a e o en lim-
i ed, Solu ions Ad ise s play a key ole in
coo dina ing and p omo ing solu ions wo k
a he coun y le el. This is done h ough
s a egic and echnical ad ice o RCs and
UN coun y eams, high-le el ad ocacy wo k,
and coun y isi s by he Special Ad ise , as
well as h ough s eps o engage humani a -
ian, de elopmen , clima e, and peace ac o s.
As an addi ional ins umen , he Special
Ad ise launched he In e nal Displacemen
Solu ions Fund (IDSF) in Augus 2023. This
is a new und designed o p o ide a as and
lexible sou ce o ca aly ic unding o col-
labo a i e and c oss-sec o al p og am wo k
by UN coun y eams ha p omo es du able
solu ions. The und’s esou ces a e s ill a
om he a ge o US$100 million. So a ,
Ge many, No way, he Uni ed Kingdom,
and Swi ze land ha e pledged a o al o jus
unde US$19 million. Ne e heless, he
p ojec s inanced by he und can s eng hen
p ac ical collabo a ion be ween di e en
UN o ganisa ions and con ibu e o hema i-
cally ocused capaci y building o s a e
au ho i ies in indi idual coun y con ex s.
Once he manda e o he Special Ad ise
has expi ed, he main esponsibili y o he
UN’s in e nal ealignmen and he newly
c ea ed s uc u es (including he s ee ing
g oup and und) is mean o o a e be ween
UNDP, IOM, and UNHCR. This is an indica-
ion ha hese h ee o ganisa ions could
o m a unc ional “leade ship io” in he
a ea o du able solu ions in he u u e. De-
spi e his p og ess, in e nal UN coo dina ion
a he coun y le el emains di icul . The
ongoing compe i ion o inancial esou ces,
which is inc easing due o dwindling unds,
o en pe pe ua es clea ly sepa a e humani-
a ian and de elopmen ac i i ies wi hou
common objec i es being de eloped o pu -
sued.
Sys ema ic in ol emen o
mul ila e al de elopmen banks
The Special Ad ise sees g ea un apped
po en ial o a solu ions-o ien ed app oach
o in e nal displacemen wi h in e na ional
inancial ins i u ions, abo e all wi h mul i-
la e al de elopmen banks (MDBs). Pipe
has he e o e used his e m in o ice o
engage MDBs in s a egic dialogue and cam-
paign o g ea e conside a ion o be gi en
o IDPs in he design o inancing ins u-
men s. The esul s in his a ea a e mixed.
The Asian and he A ican De elopmen
Bank ha e each ini ia ed p ocesses o iden-
i y sui able en y poin s o solu ion-o i-
en ed p og am design o o addi ional
in es men in he collec ion and analysis
o ele an da a. A signi ican de elopmen
a he Wo ld Bank is ha IDPs ha e been
included in he new in e nal a ge sys em
(“Wo ld Bank G oup Sco eca d”). The issue
o in e nal displacemen is also gaining
inc easing isibili y, o example, as pa
o he annual Wo ld Bank F agili y Fo um.
Howe e , he Bank’s managemen has so
a ejec ed he idea o c ea ing a sepa a e
inancing ins umen o coun ies a ec ed
by in e nal displacemen o hos communi-
ies. One eason o his is ha he espon-
sibili y o IDPs lies clea ly wi h he espec-
i e go e nmen and hei suppo is he e-
o e – unlike he ecep ion and ca e o
c oss-bo de e ugees – no conside ed a
con ibu ion o he global common good.
In addi ion, he Wo ld Bank gene ally seeks
o a oid he s ong ea ma king o unds
made a ailable o i .
SWP Commen 51
No embe 2024
6
Es ablishing sus ainable
go e nance s uc u es
Ano he a ea whe e he wo k o he Special
Ad ise has so a allen sho o expec a-
ions is he long- e m ancho ing o he issue
o in e nal displacemen in he agenda o
he in e na ional communi y. The Ac ion
Agenda p oposes he es ablishmen o an
in e go e nmen al pla o m o UN mem-
be s a es o exchange expe iences, p og ess,
and bes p ac ices, bu so a his has ailed
due o he lack o commi men om mem-
be s a es. This poin s o a cen al dilemma
o Pipe ’s compa a i ely sho manda e. He
has p io i ized conc e e p og ess in pilo
coun ies based on he easonable assump-
ion ha such angible successes a e essen-
ial o c ea e poli ical momen um o he
in e na ional communi y o add ess in e -
nal displacemen . A he same ime, how-
e e , his came a he expense o e o s o
es ablish a sus ainable go e nance s uc u e
ha could sus ain momen um beyond he
end o his manda e.
The ac ha s a es a e holding back
he e is in pa due o a lack o a en ion and
esou ces esul ing om a mul i ude o
compe ing issues. Howe e , he e is also
a undamen al scep icism on he pa o
s a es owa ds a global public deba e on
in e nal displacemen , which is due o he
inhe en ly poli ical na u e o he issue. This
applies no only o cases in which go e n-
men s as pa ies o he con lic ha e di ec ly
caused o con ibu ed o in e nal displace-
men . Ra he , long-las ing displacemen
si ua ions, ega dless o he o iginal ig-
ge s, signal ha he espec i e go e nmen
is neglec ing he ask o es o ing he igh s
and pa icipa ion o he a ec ed people,
he eby ailing o li e up o i s esponsibil-
i y owa ds i s own na ionals.
How can Pipe ’s legacy be secu ed?
The posi ion o Special Ad ise has c ea ed
a s ong ad oca e o p io i izing solu ion-
o ien ed app oaches o suppo IDPs wi hin
and ou side he UN sys em. Th ough his
high-le el ad ocacy wo k, Pipe has been
ins umen al in ensu ing ha ele an
decision-make s in indi idual pilo coun-
ies ha e publicly p omo ed he de elop-
men o du able solu ions and ha e allo-
ca ed inancial esou ces o his pu pose.
Join p og amming and in e nal UN co-
o dina ion ha e been s eng hened, pa i-
cula ly h ough he S ee ing G oup, he
Solu ions Fund, and s eng hened RC
leade ship. A he same ime, he assess-
men abo e illus a es he limi s o wha
UN-in e nal e o ms and echnical assis-
ance can achie e in he poli ically cha ged
a ea o in e nal displacemen . As Pipe ’s
manda e will no be ex ended beyond he
end o 2024, he ques ion a ises as o how
he p og ess made in ecen yea s can be
secu ed and how he implemen a ion o
he Ac ion Agenda can be u he ad anced.
Ge many has an impo an ole o play
he e, despi e d as ic unding cu s in hu-
mani a ian aid and de elopmen coope a-
ion. On he one hand, he Ge man go e n-
men has long been p omo ing sus ainable
p ospec s o IDPs and hos communi ies.
Speci ic c isis ins umen s like he Special
Ini ia i e “Displaced Pe sons and Hos
Coun ies”, he Middle Eas employmen
d i e “Pa ne ship o P ospec s”, and he
“T ansi ional De elopmen Assis ance”
se e his pu pose. On he o he hand, i
has ac i ely suppo ed he implemen a ion
o he Ac ion Agenda om he ou se . The
Fede al Fo eign O ice ecen ly ea i med
his in i s new S a egy o Humani a ian
Assis ance Ab oad. In i s new co e a ea
s a egy on “Peace and Social Cohesion”,
he BMZ also ad oca es o u he de elop-
ing and s eng hening i s own po olio
on in e nal displacemen in line wi h he
Ac ion Agenda.
Wi h his in mind, he ecommenda ions
o he In e -Agency S anding Commi ee on
e o ming he humani a ian sys em should
be implemen ed. In addi ion, he con inu-
a ion o he echnical suppo s uc u es
es ablished unde Pipe should be u he
p omo ed, including h ough paymen s
in o he Solu ions Fund and o he Solu-
ions Ad ise s Deploymen Facili y. I may
SWP Commen 51
No embe 2024
7
be possible o ex end hese ins umen s o
o he pa ne coun ies o Ge man de el-
opmen coope a ion ha show po en ial
o go e nmen -led, de elopmen -o ien ed
solu ions. In addi ion, he Ge man go e n-
men should s ep up i s engagemen in he
a eas ou lined below.
Keeping IDPs on he
in e na ional agenda
The so-called “G oup o F iends” plays a
decisi e ole in e o s o place in e nal
displacemen on he in e na ional agenda
in he long e m. I consis s o he 15 pilo
coun ies and 15 dono coun ies (including
Ge many) and has closely suppo ed Pipe ’s
manda e om he ou se . The Ge man
go e nmen should wo k o main ain and
expand his g oup, which mee s in Gene a,
and d i e o wa d discussions on how and
whe e he issue o in e nal displacemen
should be ins i u ionally ancho ed. A o um
whe e UN membe s a es mee egula ly
would be concei able, enabling a ec ed
coun ies o epo on hei expe iences and
p og ess, in ol ing mul ila e al de elop-
men banks and ensu ing ha he oices
o IDPs a e hea d. Ge many’s exis ing con-
ening powe could be u he s eng hened
i he Ge man go e nmen we e o ake
o e he co-chai manship o he G oup o
F iends. In pa allel o he p ima ily humani-
a ian discussions in Gene a, Ge many
could make a decisi e con ibu ion o mobi-
lizing he in e na ional communi y in New
Yo k, whe e key de elopmen policy deci-
sions a e made. The ac ha he goal o
acili a ing access o du able solu ions o
IDPs is included in he ecen ly adop ed UN
Pac o he Fu u e cons i u es an impo an
new poin o access o ela ed ad ocacy
e o s.
Le e aging de elopmen and
clima e inancing o IDPs
As a sha eholde in in e na ional inancial
ins i u ions and an impo an oice, pa -
icula ly on he Wo ld Bank Boa d, Ge many
should ad oca e o he speci ic needs o
IDPs o be gi en g ea e conside a ion in
de elopmen inancing. This can ei he ake
he o m o dedica ed inancing ins umen s
o elie e he bu den on pa icula ly a ec ed
go e nmen s o by sys ema ically aking
he needs o IDPs in o accoun in exis ing
ins umen s. The ul ima e goal is o c ea e
incen i e s uc u es ha encou age s a e
au ho i ies in a ec ed coun ies o ecog-
nize in e nal displacemen as a de elop-
men challenge and o make c edible olun-
a y commi men s. I such commi men s
exis in he o m o cos ed plans, he espec-
i e go e nmen should be gi en access o
iable addi ional sou ces o unding. In he
case o disas e - ela ed in e nal displace-
men , c oss- inancing om he clima e sec-
o is also concei able. Among o he hings,
he new Loss and Damage Fund es ablished
in 2023 akes he issue o in e nal displace-
men in o accoun . The Ge man go e n-
men should wo k o ensu e ha his ans-
la es in o de ac o access o loans and g an s
o coun ies pa icula ly a ec ed by in e -
nal displacemen . To con ibu e o he im-
p o ed p e en ion o in e nal displace-
men , i should also wo k owa ds inc eas-
ing unding o clima e adap a ion, disas e
isk educ ion, and esilience-building
measu es.
S eng hening pa icipa ion and
accoun abili y
P o ac ed in e nal displacemen ep esen s
a undamen al b each in he ela ionship
be ween he go e nmen and i s ci izens.
Du able solu ions can only be achie ed i
hose di ec ly a ec ed a e included. This is
o en no he case, especially wi h ega d
o women, young people, and ma ginalised
g oups such as indigenous popula ions,
LGBTQIA+ people, o people wi h disabili-
ies. In line wi h i s eminis o eign and
de elopmen policy, he Ge man go e n-
men should ensu e ha ela ed p og ams
i unds a e de eloped in a pa icipa o y
manne , in line wi h he bo om-up ap-
p oach acco ding o he HDP Nexus. IDPs
should hus be gi en he oppo uni y o
choose among di e en solu ions. To sup-
SWP Commen 51
No embe 2024
8
po implemen a ion, i is essen ial o se
up a anspa en da a, moni o ing, and
e alua ion sys em in he espec i e coun y:
Con ex -speci ic goals and indica o s a e
needed o make p og ess owa ds du able
solu ions measu able and o ensu e accoun -
abili y on he pa o s a e au ho i ies.
Fu he Reading
Nadine Biehle , Ba ba a Koble , and Am ei Meie
In e linking Humani a ian Aid, De elop-
men Coope a ion and Peacebuilding in
Displacemen Con ex s
Be lin: S i ung Wissenscha und Poli ik,
Decembe 2023 (SWP Commen 58/2023)
Nadine Knapp and Anne Koch
Wo king owa d Du able Solu ions o
In e nal Displacemen . Recommen-
da ions o he UN High-Le el Panel on
In e nal Displacemen
Be lin: S i ung Wissenscha und Poli ik,
No embe 2021 (SWP Commen 56/2021)
Anne Koch
On he Run in Thei Own Coun y.
Poli ical and Ins i u ional Challenges in
he Con ex o In e nal Displacemen
Be lin: S i ung Wissenscha und Poli ik,
May 2020 (SWP Resea ch Pape 5/2020)
SWP-Dossie
»Fo ced Displacemen and Mig a ion«
Nadine Knapp and D Anne Koch a e Associa es in he Global Issues Resea ch Di ision a SWP.
This a icle was w i en as pa o he esea ch p ojec “S a egic Re ugee and Mig a ion Policy”,
unded by he Ge man Fede al Minis y o Economic Coope a ion and De elopmen .
This wo k is licensed
unde CC BY 4.0
This Commen e lec s
he au ho s’ iews.
The online e sion o
his publica ion con ains
unc ioning links o o he
SWP ex s and o he ele an
sou ces.
SWP Commen s a e subjec
o in e nal pee e iew, ac -
checking and copy-edi ing.
Fo u he in o ma ion on
ou quali y con ol p o-
cedu es, please isi he SWP
websi e: h ps://www.swp-
be lin.o g/en/abou -swp/
quali y-managemen - o -
swp-publica ions/
SWP
S i ung Wissenscha und
Poli ik
Ge man Ins i u e o
In e na ional and
Secu i y A ai s
Ludwigki chpla z 3–4
10719 Be lin
Telephone +49 30 880 07-0
Fax +49 30 880 07-100
www.swp-be lin.o g
[email p o ec ed]
ISSN (P in ) 1861-1761
ISSN (Online) 2747-5107
DOI: 10.18449/2024C51
(English e sion o
SWP-Ak uell 55/2024)