Resource information
The Sahel region has seen the forcible
displacement of more than million persons as a result of
conflict. Tackling displacement in the Sahel is critical for
both poverty alleviation and stabilization, and only a
development response will be adequate to the task. A
development response to forced displacement in the Sahel
requires a regional approach. Such an approach would have
the benefits of being able to overcome challenges relating
to cross-border movements, obtain commitments by host
governments to support the prospects of displaced from
neighboring countries, and facilitate common approaches,
shared conceptualization and learning. The purpose of this
scoping study on forced displacement is to contribute
towards the formulation of a regional policy framework for
sustainable solutions to displacement and towards the
substantiation of a development response. The main
challenges for the displaced populations include: i)
livelihoods; ii) relations with host communities; iii)
cohesion; iv) depletion of services; and v) governance.
Measures to be taken to address the needs of these
communities are: 1) improving the monitoring of population
movement and knowledge on the locations, profiles and needs
of the displaced, their host and return communities; 2)
ensuring that the displaced and those affected by them can
benefit from ongoing wider development investments in the
region by designing 'displacement-sensitive'
interventions; 3) strengthening services in affected areas
through targeted regional investment programs; 4) employment
creation and livelihood generation for those displaced; 5)
delivering resources for the displaced in such a way that
important outcomes are achieved; and 6) exploring the
creative use of new technologies to extent information and
development benefits to the displaced.
