RID Spotlight
Who are “IDPs” – and why does it matter?
By David Cantor
| September 3, 2026
Internal displacement is a major societal challenge worldwide, with far-reaching consequences for the tens of millions of people displaced annually as well as for affected communities and society as a whole. As such, the low level of interest in this phenomenon among researchers and policymakers represents a puzzle. A new Handbook of Internal Displacement seeks to change this situation by raising the profile of the issue for researchers, teachers, policymakers, funders, humanitarian workers and development actors and addressing the wide range of dynamics, debates and challenges that internal displacement entails. This groundbreaking publication provides extensive regional analysis of displacement in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, and offers a distinctive global vision of “internal displacement” as an emerging field of research and practice.
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Researching Internal Displacement connects researchers, practitioners, policy-makers, students, artists and people from displacement-affected communities with cutting-edge research, analysis, creative materials and other resources on internal displacement.
The platform is hosted by the Refugee Law Initiative, a unique academic centre at the School of Advanced Study, University of London, promoting interdisciplinary research, teaching and exchange on law, policy and practice in refugee and displacement contexts.
LATEST RESOURCES
From Our Home in Gardi Sugdub and Isberyala: A Community Perspective on Planned Relocation in Panama
By Elliot Brown Rivera (Translated from Spanish by Sarah Koeltzow)
| October 15, 2026
This third article in the miniseries, Towards Dignified Climate Relocation: Community Perspectives from around the Globe, highlights the complexities of the planned relocation of the Guna island community in Panama, as they moved from their island of Gardi Sugdub to the mainland site of Isberyala. The author, an Indigenous leader, community member and trained biologist, played an important role in bridging government assessments and requirements with the Indigenous community’s distinctive worldview, spirituality, and ancestral knowledge—dimensions impossible to capture through externally conducted technical studies.
The Guna experience demonstrates that communities have the capacity to lead complex processes when they receive recognition, resources, and technical assistance. However, a truly successful planned relocation should not be measured by the completion or delivery of houses but by families' ability to adapt and live dignified and sustainable lives in their new homes. Outcomes at the new site must be evaluated over time and across generations.
The series is published in collaboration with the Coalition on Dignified Climate Relocation.
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More Than a Roof: Promises, Practices, and the Realities of Project HARSHAM in Wayanad, India
By Rahmath Beevi Kunnummal and Mohammed Firoz C
| October 8, 2026
This second article in RID's miniseries, Towards Dignified Climate Relocation: Community Perspectives from around the Globe, is an insightful analysis of the challenges faced by community members involved in a planned relocation initiated after the Puthumala landslide of 2019 in Wayanad, Kerala, India. Written by researchers who have worked with this community, the article details the challenges the community faced both during relocation and five years after moving to their new site, including promises made, implementation problems and the difficult realities of everyday life after relocation. Through the account, the authors spotlight important lessons for governments, non-governmental actors, and communities themselves about prioritising a community's shared infrastructure during development, livelihoods and access to employment, and access to grievance and feedback mechanisms. Above all, this article shows that planned relocation processes do not end when a new house is constructed; they require long-term support and monitoring for many years to come.
The series is published in collaboration with the Coalition on Dignified Climate Relocation.
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WHAT IS INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT?
Internally displaced persons (or IDPs) can be understood as:
"persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights or natural or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed an internationally recognized State border."
IDP TRAINING
Our free course in
‘Internal Displacement,
Conflict and Protection’
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ABOUT US
Connecting researchers,
practitioners, policy-makers,
students, artists and IDPs
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IDP TRAINING
Our free course in
‘Internal Displacement,
Conflict and Protection’
Find out more
ABOUT US
Connecting researchers,
practitioners, policy-makers,
students, artists and IDPs
Find out more
CALL FOR PAPERS
NEWS AND EVENTS
New RID Series: “Towards Dignified Climate Relocation: Community Perspectives from around the Globe”
Researching Internal Displacement offers a platform for publishing insightful and engaging short pieces of writing, artistic productions and other research outputs, policy briefings and think pieces on internal displacement from our networks and others in a conversational and informal setting.
HOW TO CONTRIBUTE
Researching Internal Displacement publishes engaging and insightful short pieces of writing, artistic and research outputs, policy briefings and think pieces on internal displacement.
We welcome contributions from academics, practitioners, researchers, officials, artists, poets, writers, musicians, dancers, postgraduate students and people affected by internal displacement.