Listening to the Voices of the Displaced: Lessons Learned

Internally displaced persons (IDPs) are the best placed to articulate their needs and evaluate the national, regional and international responses to those needs,1 but most decisions on situations of internal displacement still do not sufficiently reflect their thinking.
The purpose of this report is to make better known how IDPs view the major issues affecting them. Listening to their voices is important because:

The special needs of IDPs are often different from those of other war affected populations.

Heeding what IDPs have to say can correct misinformation about their priorities in emergencies.

Information from IDPs helps bring to light human rights and humanitarian abuses in a country that need to be aired.

IDP Information enables governments, international organizations and NGOs to design responsive policies.