Geneva – Efforts to provide solutions to the tens of millions of people displaced within their own countries by conflict and disasters will be enhanced by the new partnership announced today between the UN Migration Agency (IOM) and the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC).

The number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) has nearly doubled since 2000, increasing sharply over the last five years. In addition to the estimated 40 million people internally displaced by conflict, a further 18.8 million people were internally displaced in 2017 due to climate-related disasters and natural hazards, according to IDMC.

The partnership links IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), the world’s largest source of primary data on internal displacement, and IDMC’s leading expertise in internal displacement data analysis, research and policy development. 

Ultimately, the two organizations endeavour to advance national and global policies to improve the lives of internally displaced persons across the world. 

“IOM’s interventions in favor of IDPs, in support of our Member States, make up a significant share of our work globally. This partnership will take us to new levels of quality and consistency and allow us to mobilize attention on an issue that has not been given sufficient consideration,” said António Vitorino, IOM’s Director General.

“IDMC has been a long-standing partner of IOM’s and we are delighted to be formalizing and expanding the breadth of this collaboration,” he added.

Internal displacement continues to grow, driven by instability, conflict and disasters, even as the international community marks the 20th anniversary of the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement.

“There are still many gaps in how we understand and address this issue,” said Alexandra Bilak, Director of IDMC. “The challenges and opportunities of the current global landscape of internal displacement require a strategic approach, and this partnership provides us with the political leverage we need to scale up our work, to develop new approaches and to help governments find lasting solutions to this issue.”

Moving forward, IOM and IDMC will develop a joint resource mobilization strategy to finance their mutual efforts, and work hand-in-hand to achieve more comprehensive approaches, across the entire continuum of displacement.

For more information, please contact Angela Wells at IOM Headquarters in Geneva, Tel: +41 7940 35365, Email: awells@iom.int

Frankie Parrish, Interim Head of Communications, IDMC, Tel: +41 22 552 36 45, Email: frankie.parrish@IDMC.ch