The Institute for the Study of International Migration is delighted to host a roundtable discussion on the recent report of the International Committee of the Red Cross entitled Displaced in Cities: Experiencing and Responding to Internal Displacement outside Camps. The lead author of the report, Catherine-Lune Grayson, will present insights from the report and short comments will be offered by Uwe Brandes, an expert in urban planning at Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies and Mark Yarnell, a senior policy analyst at Refugees International. Following their brief remarks, participants will discuss the implications of the report’s findings for work with internally displaced persons living in urban areas and for the cities that host them. The event will be moderated by Elizabeth Ferris, Research Professor at the Institute.
Summary of the report: Internal displacement is more and more urban, in part because increasingly populated cities are the theatre of armed conflict and violence, but also because people flee from rural to urban areas, reflecting global urbanization trends. Yet, little is known about people’s experience of displacement in urban settings and outside camps. And, despite humanitarian organizations’ efforts to develop better responses in urban settings in recent years, important improvements are still required to sustainably address the needs of internally displaced people and host communities.
In light of this, the ICRC has recently carried out a research on urban internal displacement, with a focus on four cities – Baidoa in Somalia, Maiduguri in Nigeria, Mosul in Iraq and San Pedro Sula in Honduras. The findings of the study are presented in Displaced in cities: Experiencing and Responding to Urban Internal Displacement outside Camps. The report explores the experiences of people internally displaced in urban settings, outside camps, and their hosts. It also examines the humanitarian response, identifying promising approaches and challenges, and reflects on more effective ways of meeting the needs and expectations of people affected. The full report can be accessed here.
Speakers:
Dr. Catherine-Lune Grayson, Policy Advisor, ICRC:
Catherine-Lune Grayson joined the ICRC as a Policy Advisor in 2016. She focuses on the experience of populations affected by armed conflict and violence and humanitarian practices, notably in the context of migration and internal displacement. Prior to that, Catherine-Lune has worked in East and Central Africa for several years for the Danish Refugee Council, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. She is trained in Political Science (Sciences Po, Paris) and International Law (Université de Montreal), and holds a Ph.D in anthropology (Université de Montreal).
