IOM welcomed the report, produced by its partner, the Internal Mobility Monitoring Center (IDMC), calling it a valuable tool for organizations, humanitarians and governments, in supporting support communities affected by natural disasters and other crises.
“Understanding, managing and adapting to human mobility trends is critical to ensuring humanitarian assistance and essential services reach people where they are,” said the United Nations agency. the most neccesary. speak.
Run away from disaster
Over the past 15 years, the majority of internal displacement has been caused by natural disasters, with annual numbers slightly higher than those related to conflict and violence.
Last year was no exception, according to the report. Weather-related events such as floods, storms and cyclones have resulted in approximately 23.7 million domestic displacements in 2021, mainly in the Asia-Pacific region.
The IOM warned that with the expected impacts of climate change and without ambitious climate action, the number is likely to rise in the coming years.
Conflict and violence
Meanwhile, conflict and violence caused 14.4 million internal displacements in 2021, an increase of nearly 50% from the previous year.
Much of it took place in Africa, particularly Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while Afghanistan and Myanmar saw unprecedented amounts of displacement.
Young life is affected
The report also focuses specifically on children and young people, who accounted for more than 40% of all internally displaced people last year.
It looks at the impacts of relocation on their well-being now and in the future, and fills in the data and knowledge gaps that are critical to finding lasting solutions.
The IOM added that gaps remain in understanding and addressing the internal change in the conflict.
Driven by data
The agency has partnered with IDMC – part of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) – to provide reliable and accurate data through the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), the primary data source. world’s largest in terms of internal displacement.
The two organizations signed an agreement four years ago to join forces to improve data and accelerate policymaking and action.
IOM has also co-chaired the International Data Alliance on Moving Children (IDAC) since 2020.
This coalition brings together governments, international and regional organisations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), think tanks, academia and civil society, to improve statistics and data on migrant and forced children.
