OIM - Driving Solutions to Internal Displacement Compendium of Projects

DRIVING SOLUTIONS TO INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT: COMPENDIUM OF PROJECTSThe opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout the publication do not imply expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IOM concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning its frontiers or boundaries. IOM is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. As an intergovernmental organization, IOM acts with its partners in the international community to: assist in meeting the operational challenges of migration; advance understanding of migration issues; encourage social and economic development through migration; and uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants. _____________________________ Publisher: International Organization for Migration 17 Route des Morillons P.O. Box 17 1211 Geneva 19

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Cover photo: Since 2019, IOM’s Facilitated Voluntary Movement Programme has supported the voluntary return and relocation of internally displaced persons in Iraq. © IOM 2021 / Aram Hakim Required citation: International Organization for Migration (IOM), 2025. Driving Solutions to Internal Displacement:

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INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT: COMPENDIUM OF PROJECTSACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This publication was prepared by IOM’s Peace, Recovery and Solutions Division (PRSD) within the Department of Humanitarian Response and Recovery (DHRR). The document’s research, drafting and formatting was undertaken by Grace Endrud, under the overall guidance of Siobhan Simojoki.

Special thanks are extended to Louis Hoffmann, Sam Grundy, Giovanni Cassani, Charles Sell and Surabhi Agarwal for their valuable inputs and guidance, as well as to Nora Salitan and Leah Rassam for the editing of this document. Additional appreciation is extended to Aram Hakim for his support in formatting and presentation. Above all, we are grateful for the contributions of staff from IOM Missions around the world, who have generously shared their experiences in implementing programmes supporting the achievement of durable solutions to internal displacement. Without them this compendium would not be possible.

• Afghanistan
• Central African Republic
• Chad • Colombia • Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Ecuador
• Ethiopia
• Iraq
• Mozambique
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Philippines
• Somalia
• South Sudan
• Ukraine • Vanuatu iiiCONTENTS Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................................................................iii List of figures ...............................................................................................................................................................................v Acronyms and abbreviations ..............................................................................................................................................vii

I. Executive summary ........................................................................................................................................................1

II. Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................................3

1. Context ..............................................................................................................................................................................................3

2. A system-wide shift ......................................................................................................................................................................3

3. Defining progress toward solutions .......................................................................................................................................4

Acronyms and abbreviations ..............................................................................................................................................vii

I. Executive summary ........................................................................................................................................................1

II. Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................................3

1. Context ..............................................................................................................................................................................................3

2. A system-wide shift ......................................................................................................................................................................3

3. Defining progress toward solutions .......................................................................................................................................4

4. IOM and durable solutions ........................................................................................................................................................6

5. A compendium of projects .......................................................................................................................................................7

III. Methodology ...................................................................................................................................................................11

IV. Case studies ....................................................................................................................................................................13

1. Area-based response in Afghanistan .................................................................................................................................14

2. Supporting the implementation of the National Solutions Strategy in the Central African Republic ..18

3. Integrating livelihoods and local governance for solutions in Chad .....................................................................22

4. Community engagement for integrated solutions in Colombia ............................................................................26

5. Programming across the nexus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo .....................................................30

6. Private sector solutions in Ecuador ...................................................................................................................................34

7. Sustainable peace for displacement-affected communities in Ethiopia ..............................................................38

8. Facilitated Voluntary Movement Programme in Iraq .................................................................................................42

9. Climate resilient infrastructure and livelihoods in Mozambique ...........................................................................46

10. The Niger Community Cohesion Initiative .................................................................................................................50

11. Government, inter-agency and private sector partnerships for sustainable solutions in Nigeria ........54

12. Transitional Shelter in the Philippines .............................................................................................................................58

13. Danwadaag Durable Solutions Consortium in Somalia .........................................................................................62

14. Community-driven development to promote solutions in South Sudan .......................................................66

15. Joint Analytical Framework in Ukraine ..........................................................................................................................70

16. Preserving cultural heritage and mitigating disaster-induced displacement in Vanuatu ............................74

Annex A .......................................................................................................................................................................................79 ivLIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Eight IASC criteria ...............................................................................................................5 Figure 2. Case studies spanning 16 unique country contexts ...........................................13 Figure 3. Categorization of obstacles to return under IOM’s Facilitated Voluntary Movement Programme in Iraq .....................................................................................43

ivLIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Eight IASC criteria ...............................................................................................................5 Figure 2. Case studies spanning 16 unique country contexts ...........................................13 Figure 3. Categorization of obstacles to return under IOM’s Facilitated Voluntary Movement Programme in Iraq .....................................................................................43 Figure 4. Process for establishing and implementing the Joint Analytical Framework in Ukraine ...................................................................................................................................72 vACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS AAP Accountability to Affected Populations BAA United States Department of State Bureau of African Affairs BHA USAID Bureau of Humanitarian Affairs CAP Community Action Plan CBDRM Community-Based Disaster Risk Management CBP Community-Based Planning CCCM Camp Coordination and Camp Management CERF Central Emergency Response Fund CERRP Climate and Environment Responsive Reconstruction Project (Mozambique) CfW Cash for Work CSO civil society organization DAC Displacement-Affected Community DDRR disengagement, disassociation, reintegration and reconciliation DFA de facto authorities DRR Disaster Risk Reduction DSID Data for Solutions to Internal Displacement DSN Durable Solutions Network DSTF Durable Solutions Task Force DSWG Durable Solutions Working Group DTM Displacement Tracking Matrix (IOM) ECRP Enhancing Community Resilience and Local Governance Project (South Sudan) EDF Enterprise Development Fund EGRISS Expert Group on Refugee, IDP and Statelessness Statistics FAO United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization FARC Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) FCDO Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (United Kingdom) viFGD Focus group discussion FVM Facilitated Voluntary Movement Programme (Iraq) GDP Gross Domestic Product GFDRR Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery GFFO German Federal Foreign Office GRID Global Report on Internal Displacement (IDMC) HDPN Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus HLP housing, land and property IASC Inter-Agency Standing Committee IDMC Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre IDP internally displaced person IDSF Internal Displacement Solutions Fund INGO international non-governmental organization IOM International Organization for Migration

HDPN Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus HLP housing, land and property IASC Inter-Agency Standing Committee IDMC Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre IDP internally displaced person IDSF Internal Displacement Solutions Fund INGO international non-governmental organization IOM International Organization for Migration IRIS International Recommendations on Internally Displaced Persons Statistics JAF Joint Analytical Framework KfW Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (German Development Bank) KII Key Informant Interview KOICA Korean International Cooperation Agency LGA Local Government Act (South Sudan) MAHSRN Ministry of Humanitarian Action, Solidarity and National Reconciliation (Central African Republic) MHPSS Mental Health and Psychosocial Support MoPIED Ministry of Investment and Economic Development (Somalia) NCCI Niger Community Cohesion Initiative NGO non-governmental organization NNGO national non-governmental organization viiNSAG Non-State Armed Group OTI USAID Office of Transition Initiatives PBF UN Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund PRM US Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration ProPAD Climate Resilient Agriculture and Productivity Enhancement Project (Chad) ReDSS Regional Durable Solutions Secretariat SDG Sustainable Development Goal SIDA Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency SMEs Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises SMI Solutions and Mobility Index STFA Special Trust Fund for Afghanistan UN United Nations UNDP United Nations Development Programme UN-Habitat United Nations Human Settlements Programme UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees USAID United States Agency for International Development VEO Violent Extremist Organization VLSA Village Savings and Loans Association (Democratic Republic of the Congo) WASH Water, Sanitation and Hygiene WPA Women Peace Ambassador viiiCommunity-based planning to inform the development of the territorial action plan for solutions in Cali, Colombia. © IOM 2024I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Since its establishment in the aftermath of World War II, IOM has worked extensively with States and partners to address vulnerabilities and promote the establishment of peaceful, resilient and prosperous societies in areas impacted by human mobility. Globally and across over two dozen

Since its establishment in the aftermath of World War II, IOM has worked extensively with States and partners to address vulnerabilities and promote the establishment of peaceful, resilient and prosperous societies in areas impacted by human mobility. Globally and across over two dozen country-level operations, IOM prioritizes solutions to internal displacement as a central institutional objective and a core part of its programming in over two dozen countries. Internal displacement has reached record levels, with 83.4 million people displaced within their own countries at the end of 2024. A unique and complex form of human mobility, internal displacement is increasingly large-scale and protracted, increasingly urban and increasingly shaped by the compounding and overlapping impacts of conflict, climate, natural hazards and violence. Since 2019, there has been a system-wide shift in efforts to drive solutions to internal displacement. The UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement, the Action Agenda and Joint UN SDG-IASC Guidance on Internal Displacement have all called for a pivot toward nationally-led, development-anchored approaches. As the first convenor of the Solutions Champions Group and Chair of the Internal Displacement Solutions Fund in 2025, IOM plays a leadership role in shaping system-wide responses, while at the same time working directly with governments and partners to translate global commitments into practice on the ground. This document focuses on the latter, seeking to demonstrate how IOM programming has and is currently supporting the achievement of durable solutions for IDPs across a wide variety of sectors and operational contexts. In Niger and Ethiopia, solutions programming incorporates peacebuilding and stabilization components, addressing local tensions and reducing the risk of renewed conflict and displacement. In Vanuatu, solutions are linked to disaster preparedness and prevention efforts, helping communities adapt to natural hazards and changing climate. In the Philippines, solutions considerations are integrated from the very outset of crisis response, linking humanitarian aid with long-term development priorities to ensure that displacement does not become entrenched. Meanwhile, in Iraq, IOM’s facilitated voluntary movement programme has helped thousands of families make informed choices about return and reintegration, backed by tailored legal, housing and

considerations are integrated from the very outset of crisis response, linking humanitarian aid with long-term development priorities to ensure that displacement does not become entrenched. Meanwhile, in Iraq, IOM’s facilitated voluntary movement programme has helped thousands of families make informed choices about return and reintegration, backed by tailored legal, housing and livelihoods support. Other cases highlight the importance of government leadership and embedding solutions in institutional frameworks. In Colombia, community-based planning has been central to shaping a national durable solutions strategy, ensuring that displaced and host populations alike can participate in decisionmaking. In the Central African Republic, IOM and partners have supported the Government to operationalize its national strategy, complemented with joint UN support in pilot areas. Across all contexts, IOM’s approach is characterized by an emphasis on government-led, developmentanchored and community-driven approaches. Moreover, the Organization prioritizes solutions from the start and leverages sustainable financing and data for solutions are additional priorities. IOM’s work spans sectors and the Humanitarian–Development–Peace Nexus and is highly collabourative, engaging with governments, UN agencies, NGOs, civil society and IDPs themselves to design, own and drive meaningful progress toward solutions. Driving Solutions to Internal Displacement: Compendium of Projects 1II. INTRODUCTION 1 IDMC, 2025 Global Report on Internal Displacement (2025). 2 Ferris, E., “When refugee displacement drags on, is self-reliance the answer?”, The Brookings Institution (2018). 3 Admasu et al., A Multi-Country Analysis of Multidimensional Poverty in Contexts of Forced Displacement , Policy Research Working Paper 9826 (Washington, D.C., World Bank Group, October 2021). 4 Hillal et al., Policy Brief: Financing solutions to internal displacement. Bridging humanitarian aid and development finance (Geneva, IOM, 2024).

1. CONTEXT Over the last decade, the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) has more than doubled.

According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), at the end of 2024, an estimated

1. CONTEXT Over the last decade, the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) has more than doubled.

According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), at the end of 2024, an estimated 83.4 million people across 117 countries and territories were displaced within their own countries, the highest number ever recorded. Of these, 73.5 million people were displaced by conflict and violence, while 9.8 million people were displaced by disasters.1 Internal displacement is increasingly large and protracted. The number of IDPs has risen each year, with the number more than doubling since 2018. Moreover, many IDPs become trapped in protracted displacement, often for over a decade,2 remaining dependent on humanitarian assistance and vulnerable to protection risks. At the same time, displacement is increasingly urban in nature, with over 50 per cent of IDPs now living in urban centres,3 placing them among the most vulnerable urban populations and intensify pressures on housing, infrastructure and labour markets. The drivers of displacement are also increasingly intertwined and compounding. Conflict and violence are intersecting with natural hazards, environmental degradation and economic shocks, while climate change acts as a risk multiplier that exacerbates existing vulnerabilities. These overlapping pressures make displacement harder to resolve and increase the likelihood of protracted or secondary displacement. For affected countries, internal displacement imposes a significant economic burden, with global costs estimated at USD 30 billion per year in 2023 alone – as a result, displacement can impede progress toward sustainable development and increase vulnerability to future crises.4

2. A SYSTEM-WIDE SHIFT In view of the above trends, there has been a system-wide shift in the global approach to internal displacement. In 2019, the UN Secretary-General established a High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement, which produced the landmark 2021 report, Shining a Light on Internal Displacement: A Vision for the Future. This report underscored the urgent need to move beyond short-term humanitarian responses and toward government-led, development-anchored solutions that address both the causes and consequences of displacement, working across the

Displacement: A Vision for the Future. This report underscored the urgent need to move beyond short-term humanitarian responses and toward government-led, development-anchored solutions that address both the causes and consequences of displacement, working across the humanitarian–development–peace nexus (HDPN).

T o put necessary changes into effect, the UN Secretary-General launched the Action Agenda on Internal Displacement in June 2022, outlining 31 system-wide UN commitments to resolve, prevent, and address internal displacement more effectively and appointing a Special Adviser, Robert Piper, to lead these efforts across 15 pilot countries. When the Special Adviser’s mandate concluded Driving Solutions to Internal Displacement: Compendium of Projects 3in December 2024, the UN Executive Committee endorsed new institutional arrangements5 to carry the agenda forward, bringing together the Principals of six UN entities, including IOM, 6 to sustain momentum toward solutions.

3. DEFINING PROGRESS TOWARD SOLUTIONS The following section draws upon the 2010 IASC Framework on Durable Solutions, the SecretaryGeneral’s Action Agenda and analysis of leading data actors to illustrate how progress toward durable solutions is defined and measured. These frameworks provide the common terminology, criteria and benchmarks that guide solutions programming by actors and partners, including IOM.

Three solutions “options” The 2010 IASC Framework on Durable Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons was a landmark document designed to both provide clarity to UN implementing agencies, and to operationalize the concept of durable solutions. The Framework is grounded in the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (28-30), which acknowledge the right of IDPs to a durable solution and the responsibilities of national authorities, as well as humanitarian and development actors. According to the Framework, a durable solution can be achieved through: • Sustainable reintegration at the place of origin (return) • Sustainable local integration in areas where IDPs take refuge (local integration) • Sustainable integration in another part of the country (relocation elsewhere in the country) Across its operations, IOM supports IDPs to return, locally integrate or relocate and

• Sustainable reintegration at the place of origin (return) • Sustainable local integration in areas where IDPs take refuge (local integration) • Sustainable integration in another part of the country (relocation elsewhere in the country) Across its operations, IOM supports IDPs to return, locally integrate or relocate and ensures such movements are voluntary, safe and dignified.

Eight IASC criteria The 2010 IASC Framework stipulates that a durable solution is achieved when internally displaced persons no longer have any specific assistance and protection needs linked to their displacement and can enjoy their human rights without discrimination on account of their displacement. There are eight IASC criteria used to determine to what extent a durable solution has been achieved: (i) safety and security; (ii) adequate standard of living; (iii) access to livelihoods; (iv) restoration of housing; (v) access to documentation; (vi) family reunification; (vii) participation in public affairs; and (viii) access to effective remedies and justice. Within these eight criteria, the The Expert Group on Refugees, IDP and Statelessness Statistics (EGRISS) in March 2020 published the International Recommendations on Internally Displaced Persons Statistics (IRIS), identifying corresponding sub-criteria. IOM programming principally span criteria one through five, seven and eight. 5 The six Principals are convened on a rotational basis by the first three Internal Displacement Solutions Champions: IOM (2025), UNDP (2026) and UNHCR (2027). Their role includes chairing the Global Solutions Working Group and the Internal Displacement Solutions Fund. Day-to-day engagement on solutions is exercised by the Solutions Hub and at the country level by the Resident Coordinators, with support from the agencies on the ground. 6 IOM, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Emergency Relief Coordinator, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons and the Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support.

II. Introduction4The more recent Data for Solutions to Internal Displacement (DSID) Recommendations builds

Emergency Relief Coordinator, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons and the Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support.

II. Introduction4The more recent Data for Solutions to Internal Displacement (DSID) Recommendations builds on this definition by citing the IRIS recommendations that stipulate “an IDP is deemed to have overcome displacement related vulnerabilities when the household that they belong to performs on par, or better than, the national average or local host population across five of the eight IASC criteria.” In practice, this means progress is measured by assessing IDP conditions against the situation of non-displaced communities.

Solutions pathways The concept of “solutions pathways” sees durable solutions treated as a process with many intermediate steps, encouraging a more practical understanding of displacement situations and how progress toward solutions can be measured. The framework developed by the DSID Taskforce recommends that “solutions pathways” begin when IDPs move to (or are in) the location of their chosen solutions, but are yet to overcome their displacement-related vulnerabilities. This may take three different forms: return to location of origin; relocation to a new part of the country, in which the IDP intends to settle; or a decision or intention to integrate in the area of displacement. Data and analysis, like in IOM’s Periodic Global Report on the State of Solutions to Internal Displacement (PROGRESS 2024), provides critical insight into the factors that play a role Driving Solutions to Internal Displacement: Compendium of Projects 5 Figure 1: Eight IASC criteriain IDPs deciding to pursue specific solutions pathways, and their progress along these pathways. Three overarching “goals” of the action agenda The Secretary General’s Action Agenda sets out three interlinked goals for the UN system to better address the global crisis of internal displacement: (1) prevent displacement; (2) provide better assistance and protection during displacement, taking meaningful steps to reduce the length of displacement; and, (3) support governments to lead solutions efforts, leveraging development approaches and long-term financing. Across its advocacy, interagency leadership and operations, IOM works to advance all three

assistance and protection during displacement, taking meaningful steps to reduce the length of displacement; and, (3) support governments to lead solutions efforts, leveraging development approaches and long-term financing. Across its advocacy, interagency leadership and operations, IOM works to advance all three goals of the Action Agenda.

4. IOM AND DURABLE SOLUTIONS Solutions as an institutional priority IOM has been at the forefront of solutions efforts, identifying Driving solutions to displacement as a top institutional priority and the second objective of its Strategic Plan 2024–2028.

T o continue to drive the system-level change envisaged in the SG’s Action Agenda and 2025 UNSDG-IASC Guidance on Solutions, IOM is serving as the inaugural convenor of the “Solutions Champions Group”7 and Chair of the Internal Displacement Solutions Fund (IDSF).8 Moreover, IOM continues to co-chair the global DSID Working Group.9 Alongside its global leadership role, IOM continues to scale up and strengthen its programming at the country level. In 2024, IOM: • Supported governments to develop national strategies and/or financing frameworks in 28 countries; • Provided surge support to strengthen the UN’s collective response to internal displacement in eight countries; and • Co-led Durable Solutions Working Groups (DSW