Durable solutions
Short answer
Durable solutions are the recognised routes out of displacement. For refugees these are voluntary repatriation, local integration in the host country, and resettlement to a third country. For internally displaced people they are return, local integration, and settlement elsewhere in the country.
The wording it comes from
A durable solution is achieved when internally displaced persons no longer have any specific assistance and protection needs that are linked to their displacement and can enjoy their human rights without discrimination on account of their displacement.
IASC Framework on Durable Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons
In plain terms
- A solution is judged by whether displacement related needs have ended, not by whether a person has physically moved.
- Returning to a destroyed home is a movement, not a solution, which is why return figures and solution figures differ.
- Solutions are assessed against criteria including safety, housing, livelihoods, documentation and access to services.
Commonly confused with
Return
Return is one possible route to a durable solution, and only counts as one when it is voluntary, safe and sustained.
Protracted displacement
Protracted displacement is what persists when no durable solution is reached.
Why the distinction matters
- Governments and donors frequently report return figures as evidence that a crisis is ending, which the framework does not support on its own.
- Measuring solutions requires follow up over time, which is far more expensive than counting arrivals.
- The distinction determines when humanitarian response should hand over to development programming.