Displaced people: the need for an ‘urban first’ approach

Displaced people: the need for an ‘urban first’ approach Comparative research findings on displaced people’s wellbeing and livelihoods in cities and camps In brief The ‘Protracted displacement in an urban world’ project set out to establish whether life is better for displaced people in cities rather than in camps, to identify displaced people’s unmet needs, and to engage with municipal authoritie. [...] Between 2020 and 2024, IIED led a The project focused on two main themes: consortium of partners in Afghanistan, wellbeing, and the economies and enterprises Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, the UK and the of displaced people. [...] We found that: USA in a mixed-methods research study of the different experiences of refugees and • Displaced people have better health and internally displaced people (IDPs) living in greater food security in urban areas compared cities, compared with those living in camps. [...] In urban areas, many displaced people feel they lack representation, are denied their rights and are limited in terms of the life they want to lead by the costs of rent and transport. [...] Particular progress was made in Addis Ababa and Nairobi, where the discussions helped draw attention to the potential role for municipal authorities to respond to the needs of urban refugees and IDPs.