Dec 18 2025
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Amy Pope
IOM Director General
Foreword
The East, Horn, and Southern Africa (EHSA) region reflects the global crisis of internal displacement. Over the past decade, overlapping conflicts and climate extremes have uprooted millions, leaving the region with one of the world’s largest populations of displaced people. From protracted conflicts in South Sudan and Somalia to recurrent droughts and cyclones in Mozambique and Madagascar, the drivers of displacement are diverse and compounding. These shocks have led to immense human suffering and placed extraordinary demands on governments and communities seeking solutions. With global displacement reaching 84 million in 2024, the urgency for action is clear.
Yet amid these challenges, what’s happening in EHSA offers reason for hope. Governments across the region are demonstrating leadership in addressing displacement. Somalia, for example, has advanced policies and data systems to support internally displaced persons (IDPs). Such national ownership is essential, because durable solutions require government commitment and local engagement. Communities have also shown resilience and solidarity, from Ethiopian families hosting displaced neighbors to civil society groups in Burundi fostering social cohesion. These efforts are supported by international and regional partners and are aligned with the UN Secretary-General’s Action Agenda on Internal Displacement, which calls for government-led, development-anchored change.
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A key lesson from previous PROGRESS reports is that responses must be data-driven and people-centered. Under the auspices of the Special Adviser on Solutions to Internal Displacement, IOM, in collaboration with Georgetown University, Governments, and other UN agencies and actors from civil society, launched the PROGRESS series in 2023 to build an evidence base for action. This third edition focuses on the East, Horn, and Southern Africa region, drawing on household surveys and interviews from countries including Burundi and South Sudan. It examines the conditions that enable or hinder durable solutions, with a focus on local integration. Importantly, it amplifies the voices of IDPs, many of whom—especially those displaced for extended periods—express a desire to settle and rebuild where they are. Policies and programs must reflect these aspirations, enabling informed choices about return, relocation, or integration
Climate resilience is now central to displacement responses. In EHSA, climate issues are ever-present, as floods, droughts, and storms constantly displace families. Disasters account for a growing share of new displacements, often affecting communities already weakened by conflict. Building resilience, through early warning systems, climate-smart infrastructure, and environmental rehabilitation, is critical to reducing future displacement. Durable solutions must be climate-resilient, integrating disaster risk reduction and adaptation. Investments in housing, livelihoods, and natural resource management can help communities withstand shocks and avoid repeated displacement.
This report is more than analysis—it is a call to action. Policymakers and practitioners must use these findings to drive bold, coordinated responses that support government-led action. National strategies should empower displaced people, and area-based programs must invest in both IDPs and host communities. Success requires a whole-of-society approach, with governments, partners, civil society, and displaced communities working together. Continued investment in long-term, data-driven solutions—including those that build climate resilience—is essential. Predictable, multi-year development financing and innovative funding mechanisms are needed to sustain impact.
Despite the scale of the challenge, there is cause for optimism. The leadership and commitment across EHSA give us hope. Let us translate this evidence into action and deliver durable solutions for millions of displaced people across the region.
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IOM's Periodic Global Report on the State of Solutions to Internal Displacement 2025
The IOM's Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) and Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of International Migration (ISIM) collaborated on the third edition of the Periodic Global Report on the State of Solutions to Internal Displacement (PROGRESS). PROGRESS25 aims to dive deeper into countries in the East, Horn and Southern Africa (EHSA) region to understand the factors associated with IDP’s intentions to pursue durable solutions. It also examines outcomes related to durable solutions, including livelihoods, housing, and access to education, health care and other essential services.
PROGRESS25 consists of four components:
- Quantitative analysis based on household surveys collected by IOM
- Country case studies for Burundi, Mozambique and South Sudan
- A spotlight chapter on durable solutions in Somalia
- Qualitative analysis drawn from key informant interviews
In collaboration with
Objectives
Assess the status of progress toward solutions to support efforts by governments and other stakeholders to end displacement
- Review existing datasets to determine their utility in measuring progress toward solutions for IDPs
- Test a limited number of hypotheses about factors that may affect solutions for IDPs based on existing humanitarian datasets on IDPs, returnees and host communities
- Provide initial evidence to national authorities and other stakeholders on steps they can take to effectively support solutions
Identify key gaps in data needed to measure progress toward solutions and develop ways of addressing these gaps
- Operationalize the robust sets of indicators for solutions, particularly those used in the International Recommendations on IDP Statistics (IRIS) and Data for Solutions to Internal Displacement (DSID) recommendations, and seek ways to implement them in future data collection initiatives
- Set out a plan for future PROGRESS reports that addresses some of the limitations in existing data
Engage national governments and UN system actors to take measures which will facilitate solutions for IDPs
- Contribute to better understanding of how, where, and when solutions to displacement begin
UN Action Agenda
The annual report is part of IOM’s contribution to the UN Action Agenda on Internal Displacement
The PROGRESS report provides a people-centred and operationally-relevant contribution to the UN Action Agenda on Internal Displacement through actionable data analysis. It provides a data-driven understanding of the experiences of IDPs - their profiles, vulnerabilities, and progress towards durable solutions - based on the criteria outlined in the International Recommendations on IDP Statistics (IRIS) and the Proposal for improving data for solutions to internal displacement released under the leadership of the Office of the UN Secretary General’s Special Adviser on Solutions to Internal Displacement.
In February 2025, the revised Data for Solutions to Internal Displacement (DSID) Initiative was launched. Building on the original proposal, DSID 2.0 incorporates lessons learned from country case studies and consultations, introduces statistical tools, and outlines a coordination approach to harmonise the collection and use of data among humanitarian, development and government actors. Building on these global developments, the PROGRESS initiative aims to advance this UN-system wide approach through the production of a biennial report on the state of displacement solutions.
Highlights from PROGRESS25 Report
PROGRESS 2025 presents comprehensive regional and country-level findings derived from the analysis of 92,549 households across three population groups: internally displaced persons (IDPs), IDP returnees, and host community households. Household level data collection was conducted between 2022 and 2024 by IOM. The report examines both displacement-related and general vulnerabilities in line with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) criteria and identifies differences between areas with high IDP concentrations and those with lower IDP presence.
Displacement in East, Horn, and Southern Africa is ongoing and recurrent, driven by both climate events and conflict, but the intentions of internally displaced persons (IDPs) regarding durable solutions vary between and within countries. Across five countries, 42 per cent of IDP households intend to remain in their current location, yet preferences differ: local integration is most common in Burundi and Somalia, while in Mozambique, over half of IDPs report having no plan, and in South Sudan, return is the preferred solution for majority. Sub-national analysis reveals that within countries, IDPs living in areas with a higher proportion of displaced persons often face greater challenges in service provision and access, and their intentions regarding solutions can differ from those in areas with fewer IDPs.
For example, in South Sudan, states with a higher share of IDPs report better access to healthcare (71%) than those with a lower share (62%), but IDPs in high-displacement areas may also experience more strain on resources and different solutions preferences. PROGRESS25 findings underscore the importance of sub-national, context-sensitive analysis for understanding the diverse realities of displacement and for designing effective, locally tailored durable solutions strategies and policies.
IDP households' durable solution preferences by perception of relationship with the host community in Burundi
Note: Significance test assess differences between "good" and "average" and between "good" and "bad" (*p < 0.01).
Households with at least one member who has health needs and the extent to which those were met in Mozambique
Note: Significance tests assess the differences between IDP and host community and IDP and returnees within Cabo Delgado and within other Provinces (*p < 0.01) and the differences between each population group across Cabo Delgado and other Provinces (^p < 0.01).
Type of shelter for South Sudanese IDP, host and returnee households: 2022 - 2024
Tukuls are traditional round houses built with mud and clay walls and a thatched roof, these shelters are considered well-suited to the local climate and provide shelter from the elements. A Rakooba, is a traditional veranda structure made of wood, typically without walls that provides shade. Other types of shelter include those who reside in community buildings and those with no shelter. Significance tests assess the difference between IDP and other population groups (* p < 0.01).
Internal displacement and solutions in Somalia
Among Somalia’s 3.86 million IDPs, more than 80 per cent have fled from rural areas to urban centres in search of safety and services. The root causes of displacement – state fragility, marginalization and poverty – have combined with disasters and conflict, uprooting families from their homes. Mostly originating from rural agro-pastoralist communities, families are typically displaced to urban centres based on family and community ties, coupled with perceptions of safety and livelihoods opportunities.
On average IDPs are 35 per cent worse off than the host community IDPs face higher barriers to accessing livelihoods and are less likely to achieve economic stability. Displaced households also face significant inequalities in terms of adequate standard of living through access to basic services and housing, land and property (HLP), often facing higher risks of eviction than the non-displaced.
Advancing Durable Solutions Through Integrated Urban Planning, Development and Inclusive Governance in Somalia.
By prioritizing local ownership, trust-building, and sustainable economic development, IOM in Somalia has sought to establish a self-reinforcing, self-regulating governance model that bridges the gap between short-term stabilization and long-term resilience. IOM leverages the core features of its Co-Funding System (CFS) to build a platform for district-level Public Financial Management (PFM). The CF2PFM model strengthens critical country systems to enable on-budget, on-treasury intergovernmental fiscal transfers from the federal government.
The Federal Government of Somalia’s (FGS) Ministry of Planning, Investment and Economic Development (MoPIED) is leading the implementation of the Durable Solutions Progress (DSP) Survey. The survey is implemented in coordination with Federal Member States (FMSs), local authorities, IOM and partners and aims to support the implementation of the National Durable Solutions Strategy (NDSS). The survey aligns with the Solutions Pathways Action Plan, launched in September 2024.
Key informant interviews
As part of the PROGRESS25 edition, interviews were conducted with 21 key informants—16 representing state institutions and 5 representing NGOs—providing insights into the durable solutions landscape in the region. The key informants, at regional and country level (Burundi, Somalia, and South Sudan), provided feedback on the states of solutions as well as lessons learned and good practices on the short- and long-term responses to displacement within the EHSA region.
Inclusion of all groups in displacement-affected communities: Key informants recommended that host communities be included in assistance programs, as this has shown to have a positive impact on the community social cohesion in the past.
Durable solutions in the humanitarian response: Key informants called for greater flexibility in adapting humanitarian funding to support the smooth transition from emergency responses to integrated humanitarian- development-peace programs.
Eliminate housing, land and property (HLP) barriers to durable solutions: Key informants emphasized that access to land for cultivation and housing remains limited due to systematic issues in EHSA countries undermining durable solutions and recovery efforts.
Mitigation strategies for climate-induced displacement: The interconnected nature of displacement drivers underscores the need for stronger preventive measures and risk mitigation strategies to reduce the negative impacts of displacement.
PROGRESS Annual Cycle
The third edition of the PROGRESS report builds on findings from the first two editions and focuses on the EHSA region. It follows a series of operational adjustments that started in December 2023 to collect solutions-specific data across a variety of country contexts. The operational adjustments include the roll-out of various tools, such as the Displacement and Demographic Calculator (DDC) and surveys to measure progress toward durable solutions. These tools facilitate the collection of granular demographic data on IDPs and IDP returnees, including information on displacement history and intentions, as well as progress IDPs made across the IASC criteria for durable solutions. Adjustments to the methodology were also done to further align data collection with the International Recommendations on IDP Statistics (IRIS) and the revised guidance from the Data for Solutions to Internal Displacement (DSID) working group.
Spotlight on
- Analysis of over 93,000 household surveys on factors influencing durable solutions intentions
- Voices from communities on the impact of duration and multiple displacements on vulnerabilities and social ties
- Insights from Migration Governance Indicators (MGI) data
- Government and partner contributions
Spotlight on
- 15 countries prioritized by the UN Action Agenda
- Comparative analysis of IDP and host community vulnerabilities across different settlement types (camp/no-camp) and the impact of gender differences
- Effect of displacement on host communities, IDPs and returnees
- Partner contributions