Internally Displaced Persons

With thousands of individuals displaced in Port-au-Prince, the need for immediate relief is urgent. Supported by USAID, CERF, and ECHO, IOM’s distributions provide life-saving aid that helps families navigate the uncertainty of displacement.

The Port-au-Prince displacement site sits against the picturesque mountains of Haiti, underscoring the stark contrast between the natural beauty of the region and the human suffering caused by violence and displacement. For the families living here, IOM’s support through shelter and emergency assistance is critical to their survival.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) in partnership with NORCAP and with support from Innovation Norway, have embarked on a groundbreaking initiative to establish a sustainable market for clean energy in displacement settings in Mozambique. This transformative project seeks to address the barriers hindering access to essential energy services for displaced populations while also tackling obstacles faced by private actors in entering this overlooked market. In areas where people have been forced to leave their homes, the lack of access to electricity and to alternative to traditional cooking fuel, significantly affects the lives of internally displaced persons (IDPs), leading to increased hardship and risks of gender-based violence. The scarcity of traditional cooking fuel forces women to travel long distances to collect firewood, increasing the risks of assault. In addition, inadequate lighting around the area where IDPs live, makes people feel unsafe at night to walk around and use community services, such as markets and communal latrines. This situation poses a threat to the environmental ecosystem and can also lead to strained relationships with host communities due to increased competition for limited resources and a perceived burden on local infrastructure and services. Despite the humanitarian sector's recognition of sustainable energy access as a priority, according to the State of the Humanitarian Energy Sector Report (2022) approximately 94% of displace

Building support in displaced communities means fostering mental health, trust, dialogue, collaboration, and empowerment. Through creative activities like clay-making, participants find strength in shared moments! IOM is helping to build these connections with mental health services supporting communities affected by displacement.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Mozambique has implemented the Clube da Paz (Peace Club) initiative as part of its efforts to promote peace and social cohesion in conflict-affected areas. These Peace Clubs bring together diverse community members, including youth, women, and local leaders, to engage in dialogue, conflict resolution, and peacebuilding activities. Cabo Delgado, once renowned for its crystal-clear beaches and palm-lined landscapes, underwent a harsh transformation in 2017 when armed conflict erupted. Since then, over 700,000 people have been displaced (IOM DTM, 2024), with countless families losing their homes, access to food, and means of livelihood. The conflict has torn apart the social fabric of communities, deeply impacting community social cohesion, their well-being. Participants in the Clube da Paz learn valuable skills in mediation, non-violent communication, and community problem-solving. The clubs serve as safe spaces for discussing sensitive issues and fostering understanding between different groups within the community. Through regular meetings, workshops, and community projects, the Clube da Paz initiative aims to build resilience against extremism, reduce inter-community tensions, and empower local residents to become active agents of peace in their neighborhoods. This grassroots approach has shown promising results in strengthening social fabric and promoting sustainable peace in areas affected by conflict and displacement i

IOM Mozambique's Legal Identity program works to ensure that vulnerable populations, including displaced persons and host communities, have access to essential identification documents. Through collaboration with the Mozambican government and local partners, the program aims to improve access to legal identity services, reduce the risks associated with statelessness, and promote social inclusion. By providing documentation like birth certificates and national IDs, the program supports individuals' rights to basic services, economic opportunities, and legal protections, fostering long-term resilience and community integration.

IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix staff conducting the Mobility Tracking Assessment in Corrane resettlement site.

As climate change intensifies, competition over dwindling natural resources in Northwestern Nigeria, Katsina State has seen conflicts that often result in displacement and loss of life. In response, IOM is empowering communities to prevent and resolve disputes before they escalate. Through the Community Response Network (CRN) and transhumance tracking tools like the Early Warning and Early Response System, IOM is strengthening local capacity for peacebuilding and providing vital support to displaced persons in the region.

In Katsina State, Northwest Nigeria, the rise in banditry and insecurity has caused widespread displacement of individuals and households. As part of its peacebuilding and social cohesion efforts, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is providing essential mental health and psychosocial support to conflict-affected communities, focusing on survivors of kidnappings and other traumatic events.

IOM is working closely with public authorities in Ukraine to upgrade the heating production units. Old and inefficient compartments are replaced with new and more sustainable systems, securing uninterrupted heating supply to a larger area.

Located in the Lake Chad Basin area of the Diffa region, the commune Gueskerou has been prone to attacks by violent extremist organizations since 2015, resulting in massive community displacement. The Gueskerou site, located near the highway 35 kilometers from Diffa city, hosts over 15,000 displaced persons and Nigerian refugees.

In Chetimari, located in the Diffa region, in the crisis-hit Lake Chad Basin region, the UN Migration Agency supports the local integration of displaced populations. With funding from the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration of the U.S. Department of State, IOM assisted vulnerable displaced persons and communities with transitional shelters (t-shelters) and income-generating activities (IGA). IGA revenue allows households to improve their t-shelters into a definitive structure and provide for their basic needs (food, education, health etc.).

In Mainé-Soroa, the arrival of internally displaced persons fleeing attacks perpetrated by non-state armed groups has affected the education sector. The primary school's reception capacity was limited, and the facility was obsolete, offering an environment to children from local communities that was not conducive to learning. In 2022, the Niger Community Cohesion Initiative (NCCI) programme renovated and equipped the primary school to improve conditions for learning and reduce the dropout rate. Ramatou, the principal of a primary school in Mainé-Soroa, a commune from the Diffa region at the heart of the Lake Chad Basin region and at the border with Nigeria, recalls what it was like before when classes were held under tents which amplified the high-temperature conditions without water and protective fencing a year before, a contrast to what it is today. Now the school boasts of six classrooms built with permanent materials, a shop, a kitchen, a borehole, four streetlights, an electricity meter, and four fire extinguishers. The school can now decently host 913 students, 475 of which are girls, many of them displaced and the refugee communities. The impact of the rehabilitation of school premises is evident on students' grades and performance, and girls' retention rate with the number of dropouts decreased.

Since 2022, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has collaborated with Cooperazione Internazionale (COOPI) to bring community-based medical care, particularly addressing Gender-Based Violence (GBV), to those fleeing violence by armed groups in the remote communes of the Diffa region in Niger. This includes the village of Toudou Wada, situated in the Mainé Soroa commune, where the mobile clinic operates six days a week. The camp is made up of around 3,100 people, including both Nigeriens and a few Nigerian refugees across 517 households that had to escape the violence at the border with Nigeria during the Lake Chad Basin crisis in 2015. The deployment of mobile clinics alleviates the strain on state health-care facilities, burdened by the influx of people seeking refuge. Operational in the commune of Mainé Soroa since April 2022, the mobile clinic significantly supports the district hospital and the urban integrated health centre, offering medication donations, joint supervision missions, logistical support, and deploying mobile clinics in remote areas.

Operation End of the Migrant Protection Protocols program, through which asylum seekers in the United States had to wait in Mexico for the resolution of their cases, with instructions to return to US territory to attend the hearings.

In Mid-June 2022, Pakistan witnessed extreme flooding which damaged more than 1.14 million houses and over 765,000 houses have been destroyed across the country. An estimated 33 million people across the country have been impacted by the floods.

Ethiopia has one of the world’s largest internally displaced populations, with displacement risks remaining high in 2022. IOM in Ethiopia focuses on supporting crisis-affected populations in Ethiopia, including vulnerable migrants and returnees, addressing immediate humanitarian needs, while undertaking longer-term actions to build resilience and foster sustainable peace and development.

A compilation of visibility products for IOM's 70th Anniversary. For queries, contact avteam@iom.int

Different UN agencies working in Marka Town, Lower Shabelle Region of Somalia conducted a joint visit on June 2021 to Marka hospital, a local NGO supported by the UN, Nuurto Taliyo IDP camp, and other locations. Marka Town of Marka District was recovered from Al Shabaab (extremist group) in March 2017. Certain areas of Marka District are still under Al Shabaab control and are slowly being recovered with the government and AMISOM support. IOM continues to provide community stabilization support to Marka Town and especially newly liberated locations in Marka district and other locations within Lower Shabelle Region.

A joint UN mission was conducted in Galkayo to visit, monitor and assess two IDP camps (Deegan and Somaliweyn ) and a hospital supported by UN agencies. Increase in IDPs population over last 3 months is attributed to armed conflict and drought.

Documentation of IOM programmatic works in Nigeria in the time of COVID-19 pandemic. (Please find more information in the individual photos and videos)

A collection of stories of people who have been internally displaced around the world.

Home to 7.2 million people as well as over 800 spoken languages, Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a country that ranges greatly in traditions, lifestyles, agriculture, transportation, and local markets. One of the country’s strongest traits is that of tradition and the knowledge and values that is passed down from generation to generation. Over the centuries, humans have been faced with various types of hazards, most of which turned into disasters. For many living in the Pacific nation, disasters are simply a fact of life in both natural and man-made varieties. Additionally, PNG ranks in among the top 6 nations worldwide with having the highest percentage of its population exposed to a multitude of hazards. To make matters worse, large swaths of the pacific nation are extremely isolated making access a top issue for locals as well as responders in the event of a disaster.

Category Five Hurricane Dorian was the worst disaster to ever hit landfall in the Bahamas. The storm struck in August 2019 and affected more than 70,000 people. As residents of the hurricane-struck island of Abaco begin to return and rebuild their homes, IOM is working with the government and partners to help remove debris, assess and track the needs of affected populations and search for dignified housing solutions for the displaced.

South Sudan Shelter and Non-Food Items (S-NFI) Cluster partners International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Polish Humanitarian Action (PAH), together with IOM Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programming worked hand in hand during a joint distribution of S-NFI and WASH materials in Pieri payam, Uror County in Jonglei State, South Sudan. The response was conducted from 14 – 21 September 2018 and reached a total of 500 households from five bomas within Pieri. Both S-NFI and WASH items were distributed including blanket, mosquito net, sleeping mat and kanga for S-NFIs; and bucket with tap, bucket without tap, collapsible jerry can, soap, and hygiene kit for WASH items. The distribution ran for two days dedicating the first day to able-bodied beneficiaries and the second day to people with disabilities and/ or heightened vulnerabilities. Staff were deployed to assist beneficiaries of the second day to transport items back home. In S-NFI Cluster efforts to mainstream AAP and enhance protection, the team on ground aimed to identify beneficiaries with heightened vulnerabilities unable to physically go to distribution point to transport SNFI and WASH items to their homes. AAP centered rapid monitoring was also conducted to collect beneficiary feedback during distribution and the day after.

At 16, Mariam suffered a marriage arranged by her family following the death of her father. "When I left home, newly married, I was only a child who was afraid." Mariam left her country, Sierra Leone, to follow her husband who wanted to leave for Mauritania. After 16 years, she decided to go back in Sierra Leone with her two daughters.

Lost in Mauritania, a small group of unaccompanied minors returned to their home country ‘Sierra Leone’. IOM country offices in Mauritania and Sierra Leone collaborated under a family-tracing program to locate the children’s’ families whereabouts. After a long journey by plane, by boat and by bus the children were able to rejoin their families accompanied by IOM workers. Their return was possible thanks to the efforts of diplomats and consulates from the both countries.

The exhibition marks the 20th anniversary of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (GP20) and features personal stories from displaced people. ‘Holding On’ exhibition showcases the stories of internally displaced people by asking them to reflect on their most cherished possessions. The items that displaced people carry with them when they have to leave their homes often become physical representations of a world that has since disappeared. For many, they represent a promise of return. A key, a shirt or a photo can now serve both as a symbol of struggle and a beacon of hope. Using virtual reality technology, attendees will be able to enter the “makeshift” homes and communities of internally displaced individuals to watch them share their story of displacement and the significance of the possession they are holding on to. These stories of people displaced within the borders of their own countries, collected by IOM staff around the world, will serve to raise awareness of the plight of internally displaced persons and celebrate their courage, tenacity and resilience of spirit, while ensuring that their voices are front and centre..

From April-June 2018, some 970,000 people were internally displaced in Ethiopia's Gedeo Zone (SNNPR Region) and West Guji (Oromia Region) due to inter-communal conflict.

Locals and IDPs in Pulka enjoy a brief but much needed spell of rain at the tail end of the harmatan season. IDPs here in Bakassi and Pulka come from surrounding villages razed by Boko Haram.

IOM S/NFI team, in coordination with CCCM and WaSH, implemented a comprehensive rehabilitation of Wau PoC site with the objective of enhancing the site with more equitable access to services, balanced dispersion of IDPs, and reduce congestion of makeshift shelters. Shelter designs were adapted considering specific situations and space availability. IOM S/NFI team has given special attention to ensure structural quality and to prolong life span of shelters. A total of 622 communal shelters were constructed benefiting of 35,303 individuals in Wau PoC Site.

The ongoing crisis in South Sudan is in its fifth year with no clear signs of abating, resulting in protracted or multiple displacement with communities receiving aid several times. Thus, IOM explored other modalities of assistance beyond in-kind interventions. As a response modality, a resilience-based approach centered on community participation through CBI was implemented in 2017. As part of this, the installation of shelter upgrades project was implemented in Wau Protection of Civilians (PoC) site involving the community, including local traders, following with gender-responsive skills training and using locally available sources. A total of 800 communal shelters were upgraded by beneficiaries and benefitted 22,579 individuals

The ongoing crisis in South Sudan is in its fifth year with no clear signs of abating, resulting in protracted or multiple displacement with communities receiving aid several times. Thus, IOM explored other modalities of assistance beyond in-kind interventions. As a response modality, a resilience-based approach cantered on community participation through CBI was implemented in 2017. As part of this, the construction of Fuel-Efficient Stoves (FES) project was implemented in Bentiu Protection of Civilians (PoC) site in South Sudan involving the community, including local traders, following with gender-responsive skills training and using locally available sources. A total of 11,180 stoves were constructed by beneficiaries and benefitted 100,620 individuals. This Project was 59% less expensive than distributing imported FES. At project closure, 76,120 USD were injected into the local economy.

After months of devastating conflict, Marawi’s displaced families finally return home.

In 2013, the whole country had watched as an armed group attacked Zamboanga City. The resulting fighting between the group and government forces lasted for almost three weeks with more than 200 of the group killed and the rest detained. The Zamboanga siege also displaced more than 100,000 residents, creating a humanitarian crisis that has taken years to address. At the onset of the siege, the elementary school in Barangay Santa Barbara was taken over by the armed group which made it its base during the siege. The school became the place where they slept, ate and hid. Shockingly, it also became a killing ground. At first glance, you would never think this building was once part of a school. A safe space where children learn, play and pray. Now, the rooms before us bore nothing but brutal reminders of the siege. Clearly visible pockmarks where bullets and mortars had pierced through walls, blackboards and roofs abruptly stopped us in our tracks. I couldn’t help but imagine the horrors that had been perpetrated within this space. (Text from "When a School is Turned into a War Zone" [https://medium.com/@UNmigration/when-a-school-is-turned-into-a-war-zone-ca114222e88c])

Half of the displaced Iraqis at Haj and Qayara emergency sites are under the age of 17. They did not have enough recreational spaces to release stress and frustration caused by displacement. Thanks to our US-based partner, IOM Iraq was able to construct playgrounds at both sites that include football and volleyball pitches. At the inauguration on 10 September 2017, little girls played obstacle races while boys played football.

“The war has prevented us from loving (ourselves)” – LGBTI conflict victim During the armed conflict, armed groups targeted specific populations because of personal characteristics like age, ethnicity, class, and gender. This was especially the case for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community. Their rights unrecognized, LGBTI people were targeted by both legal and illegal armed actors. Sexual orientation and gender identity were impetuses for violence. LGBTI people have been denied the possibility to openly love their partners and express themselves because of the fear that they would be killed. Under the civil war’s violence, LGBTI people have been the targets of symbolic violence, torture, sexual violence, threats, physical aggression, and murder. Violence committed by paramilitary groups, guerrillas, the armed forces, the police, and others have forced LGBTI people to hide themselves and keep their identities invisible. Discourses by armed actors and society itself against the LGBTI community have justified the violence and perpetrated imaginaries of patriarchy and social control. In the face of this violence, members of the LGBTI community have come together to resist and to survive.

IOM's psychosocial centers organize recreational activities to help the displaced Iraqis cope with their new lives, alleviate stress and help IDP children to increase their resilience.

IOM Director General William Lacy Swing spent three days meeting with some of the internally displaced at camps and in communities in the hardest hit areas of Borno state, the epicentre of the conflict, now in its eighth year.

People of West Mosul has suffered serious injuries. But it is not the injuries that shock, but their stories before reaching safety. Many of these Iraqis from West Mosul are being cared for at IOM's field hospital in Hammam al-Alil town, south east of Mosul where dozens of trauma cases are being treated every week.

The military crisis may be over in Mosul city, but the humanitarian calamity continues. To help people return, the city needs tremendous humanitarian assistance. Massive destruction meets the eye across West Mosul

Hammam Al-Alil Transition Zone, south east of Mosul city, became a major hub for displaced Iraqis from Mosul as the Iraqi forces pushed deeper into West Mosul. IDPs would be brought here by buses where they went through screening and receiving primary assistance such as health care support, food and water. They would then be transported in buses toother areas around the city that could shelter them, be it a camp, and emergency site, or other safe areas in the liberated East Mosul where the IDPs had relatives that could take them in.

IOM activities and operations within Maiduguri, Nigeria

IOM provides medical care to IDPs at a temporary clinic in South Sudan

British photographer Ben Robinson visited Zhytomyr with IOM’s team to meet the IDPs and tell the world their story. Here are the results of this project.