When to intervene

The response to emergencies where displaced persons require assistance cannot be rigidly established due to the exceedingly complex nature of the variables including the national capacity to respond and the social and political contexts. A mechanism, therefore, must be in place to ascertain the need to respond and to guide implementing partners toward coordinated action.

Local and national efforts and resources may be sufficient to deal with circumstances of displacement. In other situations, action by selected international agencies is needed. For example, UNHCR's response is appropriate for protection issues involving refugees. If the concerns involve a population assisted by NGOs through area-based services, those agencies may be in the best position to respond. In some situations, however, a directed collaborative effort may be the only way to meet basic needs.