PLANNING CRITERIA: Planning assumptions for resettlement

The following planning criteria are suggested as a basis for considering resettlement efforts by the UN disaster team, national officials, and NGOs:

· The fundamental criteria for intervention on behalf of displaced persons are human need, violation of basic rights and threat to peace. Persons facing direct threat to life, gross violation of human rights, those lacking protection of any state, or those who are in dire need for any other reason, deserve priority. Special attention should be given to any circumstance in which displacement threatens inter- or intra-state peace.

· Displacement occurs in many types of circumstances and has many distinct causes. Distress induced movement of people from their homes, for whatever reasons, are situations likely to require protection and special humanitarian interventions.

· Special actions required on behalf of displaced persons should be appropriate to the particular needs and circumstances of those families who are displaced. Such assistance, however, must be planned and provided in the context of the needs of other persons in that situation. Assistance to displaced persons which is perceived as discriminatory by others can accentuate social conflict and be counterproductive.

· National and local governments have responsibility to ensure that the needs of displaced persons are met. The long term best interests of displaced persons are more likely to be served if they are integrated into national and local systems, thus, international assistance should enhance national and local efforts to protect and assist displaced persons.

· When governments fail to provide essential protection or when government systems collapse, special efforts by the United Nations and partner agencies are necessary to aid displaced persons and others in need and to strengthen systems.

· The principal objectives of assistance with regard to displacement can be thought of as, first, to prevent the harmful causes that result in people being forced to leave their homes, and second, to ensure the well-being and recovery of those people when displacement cannot be prevented.

· Preventative and mitigating interventions and longer-term assistance may all be required. First of all, many displacements can be avoided if the root causes of displacement are addressed. When displacement cannot be prevented, actions can be taken to minimize harm and distress. Emergency assistance is often required during and immediately after the uprooting experience. Short-term assistance may then be required to facilitate maintenance of families on an interim basis. Finally, in some situations, assistance to facilitate full recovery may be beneficial.

· The strategies adopted for prevention, emergency assistance and temporary aid substantially impact recovery. Concern for recovery of "displaced" persons begins when "displacement" occurs, or even before.