The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) recently unveiled The Global Report on Internal Displacement 2023 (GRID-2023). This report is an authoritative source of data and analysis on internal displacement worldwide, providing quality information to inform policy and operational decisions aimed at mitigating future displacement risks. The GRID-2023 disclosed that the number of people displaced by disasters rose by 40% in 2022 in comparison with the previous year.
Key Findings from GRID-2023
The total number of individuals living in internal displacement reached a record high of 71.1 million across 110 countries and territories. Out of these, 62.5 million were displaced due to conflict and violence, and 8.7 million as a result of disasters. Countries like Pakistan, Nigeria, and Brazil saw record levels of flood displacement. By the end of 2021, disasters had resulted in 30.7 million new displacements. In 2022, about 150 countries/territories registered cases of displacement.
A Country-Wise Overview of Displacement
In 2022, Pakistan reported the highest number of disaster-related displacements globally, at 8.16 million. Millions were displaced due to floods, accounting for a quarter of the total global disaster displacements. Following Pakistan, the Philippines reported 5.44 million displacements, while China ranked third with 3.63 million displacements. India came fourth with 2.5 million displacements, and Nigeria fifth with 2.4 million.
Reasons for Displacement
Disaster-related displacement mainly increased due to weather-related events effected by the “triple-dip” La Niña that prevailed for three consecutive years. Alongside this, the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022 resulted in a displacement of 16.9 million people— “the highest figure ever recorded for any country”. The number of displacements related to conflict and violence nearly doubled to 28.3 million.
Implications of Displacement
The continuous conflict, disasters, and displacement exacerbated Global Food Security in 2022. This crisis was already a concern given the slow and uneven recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. Low-income countries, many grappling with internal displacement, were most affected, due to their reliance on food and fertilizer imports and international humanitarian aid. Approximately 75% of the countries facing crisis levels of food security have IDPs.
The Scenario in India
India witnessed significant numbers of internal displacement due to both conflict and violence (631,000) and disaster (2.5 million) in 2022. Flooding began even before the usual monsoon season, particularly affecting Assam with floods in May 2022 that recurred in June. By the end of the monsoon season, 2.1 million displacements had been recorded across India, a noticeable decrease from the five million that occurred during the 2021 season.
An Overview of Internal Displacement
Internal displacement describes the circumstances of individuals forced to leave their homes but who remain within their country’s borders. This displacement occurs due to several factors including conflict, violence, development projects, disasters, and climate change. Unlike refugees, internally displaced people do not cross international borders.
Recommendations
To address the challenges faced by displaced individuals, there is a pressing need for robust conflict resolution, peacebuilding, disaster risk reduction, climate resilience, food security, and poverty reduction strategies. Additionally, investments must be directed towards anticipatory action and risk reduction measures that strengthen displaced communities’ resilience. Developing the livelihoods and skills of IDPs would help to facilitate durable solutions by increasing their food security and self-reliance, thereby bolstering their communities’ and countries’ resilience as a whole.
