Ignored Displaced Persons: the plight of IDPs in urban areas

There exist a number of obstacles to finding solutions for urban IDPs. 1. the difficulty in identifying this group hinders accurate data collection, thorough research and effective policy making. 2. the dynamics of displacement are particularly complex and interconnected, and can have many phases. 3. urban IDPs have specific and often unidentified capacities and needs. 4. their situation is complicated by political concerns regarding sovereignty and international jurisdiction. Urban IDPs have therefore been categorized as a ‘messy’ beneficiary; receiving little attention from donors and international aid agencies preferring to focus initiatives on more visible and attainable targets. This paper seeks to provide information about this group.