Durable Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons in Syria
Six-month study (Nov 2017 – Apr 2018) on local integration as a durable solution for protracted IDPs.
Case Details
Type: Publication
Year: 2018
Themes: Displacement, Local Integration, IDPs
Region: Syria (multi-area)
Status: Available on request
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The Story
With over five million Syrians having fled the country and 6.5 million remaining displaced internally, durable solutions for IDPs have become increasingly central to humanitarian planning. MECS conducted this study to widen the conversation beyond return and resettlement, examining local integration as a viable third pathway for protracted IDPs.
Conducted between November 2017 and April 2018, the research surfaced the profiles, needs, intentions and the push and pull factors shaping integration outcomes for both IDPs and host community members — and produced practical guidance for programmes seeking to address both populations together rather than separately.
What MECS Did
MECS designed a six-month, multi-method study spanning quantitative household surveys with both IDP and host populations, qualitative interviews with community leaders, and stakeholder consultations with humanitarian actors operating across the affected geographies.
The analysis focused on the complex process of local integration in conditions of protracted displacement: how length of displacement, household composition, livelihood opportunity and social ties shape an IDP’s preference for integration, return or onward movement.
Findings disaggregated push and pull factors at household level, allowing programmes to target the underlying drivers of integration rather than treating IDP and host populations as separate caseloads. Particular emphasis was placed on female-headed households and on the documentation barriers that constrain access to services.
The Results
The output informed humanitarian programming across multiple agencies, with practical recommendations on housing, livelihoods and social cohesion designed to be applied jointly to integrating IDP and host community members.