Forced Displacement, Go Figure! Shaking the Box of Profiling IDP Situations

This publication reviews the successes and calls for updates of the international guidance on profiling internally displaced persons (IDPs). The current Guidance on IDP Profiling, published by OCHA and NRC-IDMC in 2008, promotes the importance both of protection in data collection, and of collaboration with relevant actors. Building on this, the publication highlights eight areas in need of revision:

• Whether IDP profiling is only about IDPs
• The problem of precise population figures
• The importance of a diversity lens
• The need to promote qualitative research methods
• The need for practical guidance on collaboration and consensus building
• The role of profiling in emergencies
• The role of profiling in durable solutions
• The need for more guidance on methodologies

This publication is a joint effort by JIPS and the Feinstein International Center. It is based on seven years of JIPS’ operational experience supporting profiling exercises in IDP and refugee contexts globally.