Transitional Settlement; Displaced Populations

THIS BOOK DRAWS from extensive consultations with a range of specialist organizations to offer guidelines on developing and implementing settlement and shelter strategies. The aim is to support coordinators and specialists in responding to transitional settlement and shelter needs of displaced populations and their hosts, improving appropriateness, quality and the appropriate degree of sustainability. The book takes a holistic view of shelter for displaced populations, extending beyond refugee camps to consider support for all of the settlement and shelter options open to displaced people. It also considers the response to the wider impacts and options surrounding settlement, the transition to durable solutions, and local development. The guidelines seek to connect professionals from national and international organizations with a common planning tool that links strategy, programmes, projects and technical information as reference for implementation. A searchable CD-ROM, to facilitate the access and use of information in the field, accompanies them. This book may also be useful to other audiences, as many transitional settlement considerations crosscut other sectors and aspects of displaced populations policy and response.

The book is divided into two sections. Part A allows readers to familiarize themselves with the relevant methods and issues relating to transitional settlement. The first chapter provides an overview of transitional settlement (key stakeholders, standards, legal context, etc.) and its impact, and Chapter 2 introduces the planning levels and tools for implementation strategy. Chapter 3 gives a detailed description of the six transitional settlement choices open to displaced people: three of them are “dispersed” settlement options (with host families, rural self-settlement and urban self-settlement); the other three are “grouped” settlements (collective centres, self-settled camps and planned camps).

Part B offers technical information as reference for the implementation of transitional settlement options. Chapter 4 provides a description of current shelter assessment tools, monitoring and evaluation. Chapter 5 offers guidance on the employment of various types of labour (self-help, direct, contracted). Chapter 6 gives advice on site management and building techniques. Chapter 7 addresses questions of logistics in the distribution of non-food items. Detailed information about the physical planning of camps (site selection, transit, camp site and programme planning, community development) is provided in Chapter 8, and Chapter 9 suggests further reference. The CD also contains additional resources and information for reference purposes.