Why gender matters to internal displacement

 

The search for durable solutions is at the heart of policy debates on internal displacement, but gender is still frequently sidelined from those conversations. Displacement affects all aspects of life – security, access to services, housing, social and political engagement – with implications felt in distinctive ways by people of different genders. With the establishment of the High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement and increased focus on humanitarian development efforts, there is renewed focus on durable solutions. However, this will not be possible without understanding and addressing gendered inequalities.

Our expert panel explores these issues, challenges assumptions about what internal displacement means for men, women and gender minorities, and addresses how humanitarian actors should respond.

 

• Megan Daigle – Senior Research Fellow, Humanitarian Policy Group, ODI

• Maria Al Abdeh @WomenNowForDev – Executive Director, Women Now for Development
• Beth Ferris @beth_ferris – Research Professor, Institute for the Study of International Migration, Georgetown University
• Sima Samar @DrSimasamar – Special Envoy of the President, State Minister for Human Rights and International Affairs in Afghanistan and Member of the High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement