Humanitarian responses by local actors: Lessons learned from managing the transit of migrants and refugees through Croatia

The Croatian government managed the transit of 650,000 migrants and refugees in late 2015 and early 2016 by coordinating the activities of an extensive number of international, national and local stakeholders to ensure quick and appropriate responses to these people’s needs.

The levels to which small local governments and communities were affected by the crisis and able to respond effectively were influenced by several factors. These included the rapid mobility of people in need of humanitarian assistance, the competency of local organizations that responded, and the central government’s decisions about how to coordinate assistance. The response relied on local resources and communities in a major way, but it spared local governments from bearing significant direct costs.

Available from:

http://pubs.iied.org/10795IIED/?k=urban

This working paper is accompanied by a 4-page briefing, available from:

http://pubs.iied.org/17371IIED/?k=urban