Understanding the conditions in which internally displaced people (IDPs) live in different contexts is essential for more effective, evidence-based policies and programmes to help achieve lasting solutions for the tens of millions of IDPs globally. IDMC conducts severity assessments to compare IDPs’ living conditions to those of their host community or non-displaced communities in the same country, including access to adequate housing, stable income, food security and education, as well as the risk of exposure to conflict or violence, natural hazards and other threats.

To do this, IDMC leverages existing data to assess progress against the key components of the IASC Framework for Durable Solutions Framework Criteria. This assessment supports the objectives of the Secretary-General’s Action Agenda on Internal Displacement and helps government, humanitarian and development actors to identify remaining challenges that require attention for IDPs to progress towards durable solutions.

IDMC's new approach to assessing the severity of displacement conditions uses data from REACH’s Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessments (MSNAs) to provide a national-level picture of displacement conditions in 13 countries. Structured around four dimensions, the assessment builds on lessons from five years of research and analysis. The new quantitative approach provides more reliable and comparable findings to support evidence-based policies and programming.