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The Consolidated Appeals and IDPs: The Degree to Which UN Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeals for the Year 2000 Support Internally Displaced Populations

Francis M. Deng and
Francis M. Deng Former Brookings Expert
James Kunder
JK
James Kunder Senior Resident Fellow

August 1, 2003

The following survey of the Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeals for the year 2000 assesses the degree to which they support internally displaced populations. It is not the intent of this survey to grade or critique individual Appeal documents. Rather, the report seeks to identify general patterns in the approach taken by Country Teams to internal displacement issues, and distill recommendations to enhance the rights of internally displaced persons, families and communities.

In general, any objective reader focused on internal displacement issues would find some cause for optimism in the 2000 Consolidated Inter-agency Appeals. Most Appeals now speak directly to issues of internal displacement, often noting — at least in general terms — the special needs and vulnerabilities of displaced populations. Internal displacement is often noted in the CHAP sections of the documents, indicating an attempt by Country Teams to analyze internal displacement issues within the broader context of humanitarian assistance in the affected countries. Also of positive note, many individual project activities submitted by UN agencies, NGOs or the Red Cross movement target internally displaced persons to a greater or lesser degree.

On the other hand, much work remains to be done. The analysis of and response to internal displacement within Appeal documents can be enhanced. For example, while it is encouraging to find some attention to programmatic activities intended to support the rights of displaced communities at risk of physical attack or assault, the response of the international community, as reflected in the Appeal documents, remains concentrated in the provision of material aid, rather than protection, to such communities. In general, careful reading of the Consolidated Inter-agency Appeals suggests a disconnect between the frequent references to internally displaced persons as program beneficiaries and the relatively limited program initiatives, beyond traditional humanitarian aid, actually targeted to the displaced.