[The following report was issued by the Humanitarian Policy Group of the Overseas Development Institute.]
Sanctuary in the City? Urban Displacement and Vulnerability in the Gaza Strip
Introduction
In recent decades, many cities and towns around the world have seen dramatic population growth, with significant inflows from rural areas. A prominent feature of this global trend of urbanisation is forced displacement triggered by armed conflict, violence and political instability, and slow- and sudden-onset disasters, or a combination of these factors. Many of those forcibly displaced have moved to urban areas in search of greater security; a degree of anonymity, better access to basic services, and greater economic opportunities. Today, approximately half of the world’s estimated 10.5 million refugees and at least 13 million internally displaced people (IDPs) are thought to live in urban areas (UNHCR, 2009; IDMC, 2010).
While a number of studies in recent years have sought to analyse urban livelihoods and urban governance, there remains little understanding of how the displaced negotiate their way in the urban environment, their relationships with the host community and governance institutions, and what their specific vulnerabilities are compared with other urban poor. In addition, the role of humanitarian and development actors in supporting these populations, and the strategies and approaches that are best suited to address the assistance and protection needs of urban IDPs, are still poorly understood.
Since 2010, the Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG) at the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) has been carrying out a series of studies on urban displacement. This multi-year research project, supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, explores the phenomenon of displacement in the urban environment and the implications and challenges it poses for humanitarian action. Through field research in eight urban centres in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, the study aims to consider the reality of life for displaced populations in urban areas, investigate the policy and operational challenges that confront national and international stakeholders when responding to the needs of urban IDPs and refugees, and offer recommendations for strengthening support to these populations.
This study is part of a larger body of work undertaken by HPG on urban vulnerability, including a DFID-funded research study on urbanisation in Sudan ("City Limits: Urbanisation and Vulnerability in Sudan," published in January 2011) and a study of urban refugees in Nairobi conducted jointly by HPG and the International Rescue Committee (IRC), in partnership with the Refugee Consortium Kenya (RCK) (Pavanello et al., 2010).
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