National Strategy on Internal Displacement Management, 2021

National Strategy on Internal Displacement Management Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh This ‘National Strategy on Internal Displacement Management’ is the best offering of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief in commemorating the centennial birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to ensure a safe and sustainable future for millions of disaster and climate induced displaced persons of Bangladesh. Published by: Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief Goverment of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh Bangladesh Secretariat Dhaka-1000 First Published: January, 2021 Copyright: Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief Design & Print: PATHWAY National Strategy on Internal Displacement Management State Minister Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh MESSAGE In the 21st century, one of the most formidable humanitarian and development challenges the international community faces is the adverse effect of disaster and climate change. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries to global climate change. Due to its geographical location, Bangladesh suffers from regular hazards, including floods, tropical cyclones, storm surges, and droughts. Along with widespread human, material, economic or environmental losses, disaster and climate change cause the displacement of a large number of Bangladeshis. Amidst COVID-19, 2.5 million Bangladeshis had to leave their place of residence due to cyclone Amphan. In 2017, Bangladesh ranked 6th among 135 countries that experienced displacement. It is virtually impossible for the people to withstand the scale of various types of disasters on their own. Acknowledging this, the Government of Bangladesh has put in place a comprehensive disaster management policy and revised and updated the Standing Orders on Disaster (SOD, 2019). Over the last decade, significant normative development has taken place in the international arena to address the protection gaps of disaster and climate change induced displaced persons. Noteworthy among those are the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030; the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and other outcomes of subsidiary bodies of UNFCCC, including the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage Associated with Climate Change Impacts (WIM) and its Task Force on Displacement (TFD); the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants and, following from it, the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) and the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR). I am delighted that out of our deep respect and commitment to these international standards and normative frameworks Bangladesh Government has developed this comprehensive Strategy on internal displacement - National Strategy on Internal Displacement Management 2021. The Strategy is designed based on UN Sendai Framework, UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, 1998, and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Agenda. I am happy to announce that future programmes and actions of my Ministry, the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR), in respect to managing internal displacement will be designed under this Strategy. I also encourage other stakeholders to use this Strategy in developing their response in supporting the displaced population. Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu Dr. Md. Enamur Rahman, MP Secretary Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh MESSAGE Disaster and climate change-induced displacement and migration have become critical issues in any discussion on the adverse effects of climate change. A large number of people are being displaced due to extreme weather conditions around the world. It is incredibly challenging to estimate the number of people who had to move due to constantly occurring displacement. In celebrating the centennial birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the pledge is that no one will remain homeless in the country. The Government is deeply committed to better understand the issue of displacement. The National Strategy has created a scope in that respect. Under the direction of Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, disaster resilient houses are being constructed to resettle the homeless who are adversely affected by cyclones, river erosion, and natural disasters and climate change. The Strategy draws on internationally recognized good practices and adopts a rights-based approach. It is a comprehensive document encompassing all phases of displacement. Prevention measures are suggested from the appreciation of the fact that some forms of displacement can be prevented in Bangladesh. The document recommends some strategic solutions. The protection phase highlights strengthening humanitarian and disaster relief assistance, and post displacement phase identifies three types of durable solutions. The Strategy has also provided a result-oriented framework for evaluation and monitoring for its implementation. I think the Strategy will provide a framework to redress the adverse impacts of climate change induced displacement. We are delighted that, like most other areas of disaster management in developing this Strategy on displacement, Bangladesh is one of the forerunners. Successful implementation of the National Strategy would contribute towards the broader goal of transforming Bangladesh into a developed country by 2041. We thank all relevant persons and organisations who were involved in formulating the Strategy. On behalf of the Ministry, I seek the cooperation of all development partners and national organizations to operationalize the Strategy. Md. Mohsin TABLE OF CONTENTS Acronyms i-iv Introduction 01-12 Prevention of Displacement 13-23 Protection During Displacement 24-28 Durable Solutions 29-36 Institutional Arrangements and Funding 37-39 Monitoring and Evaluation 40 Annex 1 (Glossary) 41-46 i ACRONYMS ABM Agent Based Model BCCSAP Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy Action Plan BCCTF Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund BWDB Bangladesh Water Development Board CCA Climate Change Adaptation CDMP Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme CDSP Char Development Settlement Project CEGIS Centre for Environmental And Geographic Information Services CRA Community Risk Assessment CSO Civil Society Organization DCIID Disaster and Climate Induced Internal Displacement DCIIDPs Disaster and Climate Induced Internally Displaced Persons DDCC District Development Coordination Committee DDM Department of Disaster Management DDMP District Disaster Management Plan DEMO District Employment and Manpower Office DHS Demographic and Health Services DMA Disaster Management Act DMC Disaster Management Committee DMF Displacement Management Framework DoYD Department of Youth Development DRR Disaster Risk Reduction DS Displacement Solutions FGD Focus Group Discussion GED General Economic Division GIS Geographic Information Systems ii GoB Government of Bangladesh GPDRR Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction GPPDEC Guidance on Protecting People from Disasters and Environmental Change HIES Household Income and Expenditure Surveys HLP Housing, Land and Property IASC Inter-Agency Standing Committee IDP Internally Displaced Person IDMC Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre IFRC International Federation of Red Cross ILO International Labour Organization IOM International Organization for Migration IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change LGED Local Government Engineering Department MMC Migration Management Cycle MoA Ministry of Agriculture MoCAT Ministry of Civil Aviation Tourism MoCA Ministry of Cultural Affairs MoDMR Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief MoE Ministry of Education MoEFCC Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change MoEWOE Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Em- ployment MoF Ministry of Finance MoFL Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock MoF Ministry of Food MoHFW Ministry of Health And Family and Welfare MoHA Ministry of Home Affaires MoHPW Ministry of Housing And Public Works MoLE Ministry of Labour and Employment iii MoL Ministry of Land MoLIPA Ministry of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs MoLGRDC Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-Operatives MoP Ministry of Planning MoPME Ministry of Primary And Mass Education MoPEMR Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources MoPA Ministry of Public Administration MoSW Ministry of Social Work MoWR Ministry of Water Resources MoWCA Ministry of Women And Children Affaires NAPA National Adaptation Programmes of Actions NDMAC National Disaster Management Advisory Committee NGO Non-governmental Organizations NID National Identity Card NPDM National Plan for Disaster Management NRP National Resilience Progrmme NSMDCIID National Strategy for the Management of Disaster and Climate Induced Internal Displacement NTFoD National Task Force On Displacement PDD Platform On Disaster Displacement PKSF Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation PMO Prime Minister’s Office RBA Rights Based Approach RMG Ready Made Garments RMMRU Refugee And Migratory Movements Research Unit RRAP Risk Reduction Action Plan SADD Sex, Age And Disability SCMR Sussex Centre for Migration Research SDF Social Development Framework SDGs Sustainable Development Goals iv SLR Sea Level Rise SME Small and Medium Enterprises SOD Standing Orders On Disaster TAC Technical Advisory Committee TCLM Temporary Circular Labour Migration UDMC Union Disaster Management Committee UDMP Union Disaster Management Plan UMIC Upper Middle Income UNCRPD United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNDRR United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNRCO United Nations Resident Coordinator Office UNWOMEN United Nation Women UzDCC Upazila Development Coordination Committee UzDMP Upazila Disaster Management Plan WFP World Food Programme WHO World Health Organisation 1 INTRODUCTION 1. BACKGROUND Bangladesh is progressing with an action plan to transform itself into a middle-income country by 2024, an upper-middle-income country by 2030, and a developed nation by 2041. The Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR) has adopted the National Strategy on Internal Displacement Management 2021 to ensure the inclusion of the displaced population in the development process. Hopefully, implementing this Strategy will help prevent displacement, ensure physical and financial rehabilitation of the displaced and create scope for achieving the targets of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Delta Plan 2100. Bangladesh suffers from regular hazards, including floods, tropical cyclones, storm surges, and droughts due to its unique geographical features. When mixed with vulnerable and exposed social conditions, these hazards lead to loss of life, damage to infrastructure and adversely impact the livelihoods of the people and often displace individuals and communities from their habitual residence. It is perceived, as a result of climate change, all of these natural hazards that are already causing displacement will increase in frequency and intensity in the coming years. Therefore, scholars argue that the most significant impact of climate change might be on human migration/ displacement. Recent estimates suggest that by 2050 one in every 45 people in the world and one in every seven people in Bangladesh will be displaced by climate change. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) estimates that more than 4.7 million people were displaced due to disasters in Bangladesh between 2008 and 2014. Mid-year figures of 2019 of the same organization estimate that about 1.7 million people were evacuated across 23 districts in Bangladesh, mostly in coastal areas such as Bhola, Khulna, and Patuakhali. According to a projection by RMMRU and SCMR based on population census (2013) estimates that from 2011 to 2050, as many 2 as 16 to 26 million people would move out from their places of origin in Bangladesh due to many climatic hazards. These flows would include both internal displacement and other forms of labour migration predominantly within the country. A study by Displacement Solutions found that the key driver of displacement in the coastal regions of Bangladesh is the increasing tidal water height (leading to tidal flooding), while tropical cyclones and storm surges are found to be secondary causes of displacement in the coastal areas. The research assumes that Sea Level Rise (SLR) from climate change is anticipated to worsen many of these processes and subsume up to 13 percent of Bangladesh’s coastal land by 2080. The most critical and foreseeable impact of SLR is the salinity intrusion of cultivable land, soil and water affecting agro-based livelihoods of the coastal population. This is one of the critical triggers of displacement in the coastal area. On the other hand, riverbank erosion and river flooding are the key drivers of displacement in the mainland regions. Northwestern districts of Bangladesh regularly face drought and it also creates displacement. Bangladesh is highly risk- prone to earthquakes due to its geographical location amongst several active faults. Bangladesh stands on the northeastern corner of the Indian plate. The country’s Seismic risk may be higher than previously recognized due to the presence of an active subduction zone and mega-thrust fault, placing the region at higher risk of an earthquake. Earthquake would also create significant displacement both in the urban and peri-urban areas. The growing realization of the need to address the climate induced displacement issue is evident at the national and international stakeholders’ level. Vanuatu has already produced a policy on disaster and climate-related displacement, and Fiji has adopted new guidelines on resettlement in the context of climate change impacts. The Cancun Adaptation Framework (2010), the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030) and other international instruments, for example, have emphasized the need to tackle this daunting challenge both at the national and international levels. Informed by this growing awareness coupled with its firm commitments to 3 disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA), the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) has developed this National Strategy on the Management of Disaster and Climate Induced Internal Displacement (NSMDCIID) (hereafter called the Strategy). As a National Strategy, it only concentrates on the population internally displaced due to disaster and climate hazards. 1.1. RATIONALE Displacements have grave implications for the rights and entitlements of individuals and communities who experience displacement. Affected persons may face multiple human rights challenges in the aftermath of disasters. For example, their safety and security are compromised; they experience gender-based violence, unequal access to assistance, essential goods and services and discrimination in aid provision; abuse, neglect and exploitation of children, orphans, pregnant women, senior citizens, population with special needs; family separation, particularly for children, older persons, persons with disabilities and other individuals who may rely on family support for their survival; loss/destruction of personal documentation and difficulties to replace them, in particular, due to inadequate birth registration mechanism; inadequate law enforcement mechanism and restricted access to a fair and efficient justice system; lack of effective feedback and complaint mechanisms; unequal access to employment and livelihood opportunities; forced relocation; unsafe or involuntary return or resettlement of persons displaced by the disaster; or lack of property restitution and access to land. The Government of Bangladesh has recently adopted the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 that aims to achieve a ‘safe, climate-resilient and prosperous Delta’ by 2100. This new plan acknowledges the pressure on urbanization arising from migration and displacement due to disaster and climatic hazards. Therefore, it underscores the need to manage such flows in an orderly manner through systematic interventions to reduce the pressure on the cities. However, the GoB is mindful that its National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPA, 2005) has not prescribed any adaptation 4 programmes or projects specifically related to the issue of disaster and climate induced internal displacement (DCIID). The Government’s leading climate change strategic framework, the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP, 2009), did not prescribe any adaptation plan or other action plans for internal migration. Furthermore, the Disaster Management Act (DMA, 2012) has not included two crucial displacement elements, i.e., prevention of displacement and durable solutions. Standing order on Disaster 2019 (SOD 2019) clearly outlines the responsibilities of implementing stakeholders of the Government at the national and regional level. The SOD emphasizes providing shelter during the emergency, and it did not include ‘prevention of displacement and ‘durable solutions’ for the displaced persons. Therefore, as part of the GoB’s broader strategic policy framework, the Government has decided to address displacement through specific legal mandates and dedicated institutional arrangements. To address displacement, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) 2015-2030 and the Nansen Initiative’s Protection Agenda need to be incorporated in the disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation efforts. The Platform on Disaster Displacement (PDD) is currently undertaking this process. The creation of the National Strategy expresses GoB’s accountability towards these international frameworks. Addressing displacement as part of a national DRR and CCA strategy aligns well with the emerging international consensus reflected in the Protection Agenda (PA). 109 States endorsed the Agenda in 2015, and it certifies that displacement in the context of disasters and climate change can to some extent be prevented through effective DRR and CCA actions. Where displacement cannot be prevented, rights-based measures should be in place to protect people during the evacuation and throughout the displacement period until durable solutions such as return, local integration, or resettlement can be facilitated. This approach is compatible with the Summary prepared by Bangladesh as the Co-chair of the 2019 Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR), where it is recognized that governments and the international community must do more to reduce the 5 risk of disaster displacement before disasters strike. Disaster risk reduction strategies and policies should address the drivers and consequences of disaster displacement and contribute to durable solutions. Climate change mitigation policies are necessary towards this end. Climate and disaster risks also need to be considered as factors of migration. Similar language is found in the 2018 Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. The Strategy reflects the global consensus that treats displacement as part of DRR and climate change adaptation. It is indeed a part of GoB’s action to implement the Sendai Framework and its commitment to the Platform on Disaster Displacement. In particular, the Strategy will spell out programmatic interventions to include disaster displacement and human mobility challenges in local, national and regional DRR strategies; to integrate strategies with regional climate change actions; and initiate systematic data collection on disaster displacement as recommended by the Platform on Disaster Displacement. It is believed that this new comprehensive approach to displacement would ensure sustainable outcomes as it is in line with the GoB’s Social Development Framework (SDF) and other national and international DRR, CCA policy frameworks. Most importantly, the GoB is committed to implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The Strategy is an attempt to attain the SDGs concerning disaster and climate-induced internal displacement. 1.2. VISION, GOAL AND OBJECTIVE OF THE STRATEGY The long-term vision of the Strategy is to make vulnerable communities in Bangladesh resilient to climate change and disasters through sustainable management of disasters and climate-induced internal displacement. The goal of the Strategy is to set out a comprehensive and realistic rights- based framework that respects, protects, and ensures the rights of disaster and climate-induced internally displaced persons (DCIIDPs) in different stages of displacement and during the search for durable solutions. Given this goal, the objectives of the Strategy, therefore, are to: 6 i. Create a common and coherent basis for policy directions and action plans at the national and local levels. ii. Adopt both preventive and adaptive measures to minimize the internal displacement caused by climate-related disasters. iii. Guide development of sectoral programmes for the creation of condu- cive environments for safe, voluntary and dignified return/integration or relocation/resettlement of the internally displaced persons; iv. Ensure effective and efficient management and access to entitlements; and v. Promote livelihood opportunities and overall human development of internally displaced persons as part of the inclusive development pro- grammes of the GoB. 1.3. SCOPE OF THE STRATEGY The Strategy focuses solely on internal displacement caused by climate-related disasters and not cross-border displacement issues. The document aims to chalk out a comprehensive strategy covering all three phases of displacements– i. Pre-displacement, ii. During displacement and iii. Post- displacement (Durable Solutions). The multidimensional characteristics of the Strategy require the participation of all relevant ministries with a target to integrate the concerns of disaster and climate-induced internally displaced persons into the existing programmes of all these ministries. Based on the findings of the different studies on disaster and climate- related displacements in Bangladesh, including the national consultations, the Strategy identified the following climate/weather-related hazards that induce displacements in Bangladesh – flood, coastal and riverbank erosion, cyclones and storm surges, droughts, water-logging, salinity, landslide in the hilly region, and earthquake. 7 1.4. DEFINITION OF DISASTER AND CLIMATE INDUCED INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS (DCIIDPs) In line with the definition laid out in the Peninsula Principles, and by keeping consistency with goals and objectives of the National Strategy, this document defines internally displaced persons as: “Persons, group of persons, households, or an entire community who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence temporarily or permanently or who have been evacuated as a result of disasters caused by sudden and slow-onset climatic events and processes, and who have not crossed an internationally recognized State border.” Rapid onset climate-induced displacement emphasizes recovery strategy, while slow-onset needs to be addressed through preparedness and adaptation. One of the key aspects of this definition is the inclusion of the temporal dimension with recognition of both -temporary and permanent forms of displacement. Making a distinction between temporary and permanent forms of displacement has many practical implications for responding to the protection gaps. However, defining them in concrete terms has long bewildered scholars and practitioners. In general, temporary climate- induced internal displacement may be defined as a form of displacement which is made necessary by a climatic disaster leaving open the possibility of return in the short or medium term. In contrast, displacement with no prospect of return in the long or very long term can be termed permanent. To overcome the definitional quagmire for all practical purposes, the Strategy follows the categorization of the displaced people as outlined in the CDMP- II study on displacement in which internally displaced people have been divided into three categories: i. Temporarily displaced, ii. In-between temporarily and permanently displaced; and iii. Permanently displaced. 8 1.5. TOWARDS AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO DISASTER AND CLIMATE-INDUCED INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT (DCIID) The vision of the GoB is to ensure people’s socio-economic emancipation and achieve the upper-middle-income (UMIC) status by eliminating extreme poverty by 2030 and becoming a prosperous country by 2041. Addressing climate change and disaster management is an integral part of its strategic vision. Towards this end, the GoB has been aligning and developing different social policies, programmes and strategies through its broader Social Development Framework (SDF). This Strategy must be seen as a part of the SDF that forms a broader umbrella incorporating the Government’s a poverty reduction strategy and strategies on education, health, nutrition, population, sanitation and water supply, financial inclusion, women and gender empowerment, social inclusion of ethnic and religious minorities, persons with disability, the extremely poor and floating population, environmental protection, climate change management, disaster management, social security and overall sustainable development. This framework aims to have a comprehensive and consistent set of policies that can help Bangladesh achieve equity and social justice in its development effort. This Strategy builds upon the country’s long history of a resilient community, climate-sensitive interventions and disaster risk reduction efforts. Over time, the GoB has shifted its focus from the conventional response and relief approach to a more comprehensive risk reduction approach in order to make communities more resilient to disaster and climate change by aligning humanitarian and development approaches and action on disaster risk reduction. This shift is also evident in the Sendai Framework for DRR, which adopts a comprehensive approach to disaster risk reduction from prevention to response and reconstruction. The Strategy takes this new disaster management approach into cognizance to make its strategic responses more comprehensive and proactive. Since strategic responses cannot simply be 9 assumed to be neutral activities affecting everyone equally and positively, any viable approach to displacement should be based on human rights principles enshrined in the international and regional human rights instruments. As a State party, Bangladesh has ratified several international and regional human rights instruments. Therefore it is responsible for respecting, protecting, and fulfilling the human rights of its citizens and other persons under its jurisdiction, addressing positive obligations to ensure equality and non-discrimination on grounds such as ethnicity, disability status, age, gender, nationality, political opinion, religious belief and so forth. The rights-based approach (RBA), thus, provides necessary standards for risk reduction interventions, humanitarian assistance, and the search for durable solutions to displacement. The RBA to disaster and climate- induced internal displacement (DCIID) is primarily based on the rights and entitlements of the displaced population as enshrined under national and international human rights instruments, including economic, social and cultural rights and the right to access to information and participation in decision-making. Furthermore, since the poor, floating people, persons with disabilities, ethnic and religious minorities and other marginalized groups generally face disproportionate levels of risk in any internal displacement situation, RBA gives particular attention to prioritizing their needs and ensuring their protection. It also takes due cognizance of the principles of equality and non-discrimination. An integrated approach to DCIID, thus, makes the Strategy more comprehensive and at the same time ensures the protection of rights of the displaced population, whose voices and concerns are often overlooked. Guided by this integrated approach, the Strategy has developed a Displacement Management Framework (DMF) in line with IOM’s Migration Management Cycle (MMC) to identify appropriate responses/interventions during different phases of displacement. The DMF is comprehensive and realistic because it identifies different phases of displacement and spells out strategic responses to deal with it. More 10 importantly, the strategic responses in different phases of displacement are guided by human rights considerations of the displaced population. Thus they aim to protect the rights and entitlements of the displaced in general and the poor and marginalized groups in particular during different phases of displacement. The Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement focus on the different obligations of states to i. Prevent displacement, ii. Protect people during displacement and iii. Facilitate durable solutions. This is the cornerstone of the human rights approach to displacement. It allows for both short-term and more extended-term displacement and highlights that state obligations relating to displacement start well before the imminence of a particular hazard event. Prevention of Displacement Preventing and Preparing (Risk Reduction) Protection during Displacement Managing Displacement (Emergency Response) Durable Solutions Addressing Displacement through Durable Solutions-Return, Local Integration, & Resettlement Diagram 1: Displacement Management Framework Diagram 1 shows that while strategic responses/interventions in the pre-displacement phase generally aim to reduce the risk of long-term 11 displacement, strategic responses/interventions during displacement target to minimize the effects of temporary displacement. On the other hand, strategic responses/interventions during post-displacement consist of durable and sustainable solutions to protected displacement. By using the DMF, the Strategy identifies four strategic responses in this regard and those are: (i) Preventing; (ii) Preparing, (iii) Managing and (iv) Addressing. As far as strategic responses are concerned, PREVENTION aims to stop displacement by reducing vulnerability and enhancing the community’s resilience through disaster management and climate change adaptation. At the same time, the second strategic response is to PREPARE the vulnerable people for potential migration and/or relocation/resettlement in a context when local adaptation and prevention is no longer a viable option, for instance, in the context of projected sea-level rise. Preparation can also relate to the measures taken to ensure effective, rights-based evacuation, including awareness-raising, training of responsible actors, pre-identification of evacuation centres and temporary shelters, development of standard operating procedures by key service providers such as the health sector, police, transport and so forth. The third strategic response is to MANAGE the displacement situation through provision of emergency humanitarian assistance, effective and rights-based management of evacuation centres and temporary shelters, addressing rights to food, shelter, health, education, safety and so forth, service provision to those displaced who are not in shelters amongst other activities. The fourth strategic response is to ADDRESS displacement through durable solutions– i. Return; ii. Local integration; and iii. Resettlement. Since internal displacement is a complex phenomenon, it requires more contextualized interventions targeting different categories of displaced people. As strategic responses, the prevention-preparation and management target the at-risk population in general. On the other hand, durable solutions target 12 three different categories of displaced populations. The “return” targets the temporarily displaced category while “local integration” is more appropriate for the permanently displaced and “resettlement” for those who belong to the category in-between temporarily and permanently displaced. The people belonging to the category in-between temporarily and permanently displaced are the most vulnerable of all the categories of the displaced population. Neither can they return to their original place, nor can they get settled permanently in other safe areas but constantly remain vulnerable to recurrent displacement. However, each displacement situation should be approached as a specific condition requiring locally appropriate solutions. The key to a rights-based approach to durable solutions is inclusive participation of the affected population, taking particular account of the diversity and potentially divergent interests within that population. A sustainable return may be the desired and feasible solution for some people, whereas local integration may be preferred for others. Critically, any solution must be based on the voluntary and informed consent of all people concerned. Since disasters are likely to increase in frequency and intensity, a combination of solutions may be necessary. Solutions should allow the scope of seasonal or temporary movements. Different migration solutions may be used by different members of a family, as when some family members may return to the place of origin (permanently or on a seasonal basis), while others work in another location. Solutions must therefore be flexible and be based on free and informed consent. In responding to displacement issues, authorities concerned must adhere to the principle of non-discrimination since it is a significant barrier to displaced persons in obtaining assistance and support. Authorities must recognize that marginalized/vulnerable groups, such as women-headed households, children, people with disabilities, and older people, have special needs that must be given due attention. Amongst others, such groups will also include ethnic and religious minorities and women and children in general. 13 2. PREVENTION OF DISPLACEMENT Examples of Relevant Rights: Non-discrimination and equality, ‘right to safety’, ‘right to life’ and ‘right to development’, ‘right to shelter’, ‘right to work’, ‘right to participation’, ‘right to information’. Objective: To recognize the rights mentioned above, the foremost objective of the State is to protect vulnerable people through enhancing climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction/management. Strategic Response: Preventing displacement while also ensuring that migration/displacement that takes place is managed. Despite investment in prevention measures, some displacement still occurs, exposing populations to risks of severe hazards. In the wake of displacement, relocation is a survival strategy. If relocation is not possible, it can lead to significant human loss. In such cases, the vulnerable population should be prepared to meet the challenge of impending hazards in order to minimize human suffering and the loss of livelihoods. In the context of environmental degradation, such as sea-level rise or desertification, which can render some areas uninhabitable, it also means preparing for relocation/resettlement. Major Policy Areas: Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation. Major Activities (Prevention & Preparedness): Activities targeted towards prevention and preparedness can be divided into five types of interventions. These are: i. Activities related to understanding the risk; ii. Adequate investment in DRR and CCA; iii. Strengthening disaster risk governance; iv. Creation of employment/alternative employment/decent livelihood options through promoting and encouraging decentralization of urban growth centres, and 14 v. climate-disaster risk responsive land use planning with identifying high- ly vulnerable zones and restriction of human settlement in unprotected or highly vulnerable areas taking due account of the potential human rights impacts of such restrictions. 2.1. Understanding the Risk and Decision Making Support 2.1.1. Collate and update periodically field-level data on displacement in Bangladesh under the guidance of the MoDMR and through local level committees/institutional arrangements, i.e., the Disaster Management Committee (DMCs) at all levels with a particular focus on Union Disaster Management Committee (UDMC) and Ward Disaster Management Committee (WDMC). Establish an intelligent data management system, including the GIS/Remote sensing system for data management. The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) with the Department of Disaster Management (DDM) will prepare a follow-up response plan, decision- making, and response actions. 2.1.2. Disaggregate data by sex, age, disability (SADD), and other vital indicators so that the specific needs of particular groups of IDPs, such as women heads of household, unaccompanied minors, the elderly, persons with disabilities, and ethnic minorities, can be adequately addressed and their rights are adequately protected. 2.1.3. Include displacement/migration questions in the national census; Household Income and Expenditure Surveys (HIES), Climate Environment Compendium, Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), the variety of risk and vulnerability assessments (structural and non-structural) required under the Standing Orders on Disaster, to minimize the cost of data collection on displacement. 2.1.4. Based on the six hotspots identified by Delta Plan 2100, develop better forecasting mechanisms, risk & vulnerability mapping for displacement. Reliable forecasting of displacement can be made by projecting future 15 scenarios and conducting socio-economic and physical, including hydro- meteorological trend analysis; and system dynamics modeling and/or agent-based modeling. These models can simulate the impacts of different climatic hazards such as floods, droughts, storm surges, and sea-level rise on displacement and simulate what would happen when different measures are implemented to prevent, mitigate, or respond to displacement. An Agent-Based Model (ABM) also provides an opportunity to investigate the sensitivity of drivers of displacement/migration to climate and disasters and the thresholds and ranges of climate conditions that lead to migration. Prepare a displacement hotspot map for Bangladesh. 2.1.5. Conduct the Community-Risk Assessment (CRA) for preparing Risk Reduction Action Plan (RRAP) in displacement hotspots following the guidelines developed by the CDMP II. The CRA needs to be periodically conducted in order to analyze and evaluate the risk, vulnerability and priorities of different groups of the community concerned, including persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups. Knowledge and actions generated by local communities to reduce risks have to be systemically documented. 2.1.6. As part of early preparedness, various measures of displacement prevention should be integrated into the primary and secondary education curriculum. Through courtyard meetings, miking, local cultural events, and radio, television, and religious institutions, early prevention measures should be continuously disseminated at the local level. 2.1.7. Seek international cooperation and support in case internal relocation is not possible. This would require strategic policy decisions, dialogue, negotiations in the international forum and prior institutional arrangements to handle such cases. Good practices identified in the Protection Agenda can be drawn upon and tailored to the particular circumstances. 2.2. Strengthening climate/disaster risk governance 2.2.1. In line with SDGs and Sendai Framework, create a comprehensive institutional framework (developing specialized laws, rules, regulations, 16 policies, institutions and programmes and integrating displacement into existing frameworks) for displaced persons and to respond effectively when displacement occurs. 2.2.2. Make necessary amendments in the Disaster Management Act (DMA), 2012 for legal recognition of the rights of the displaced population and responsibilities of the Government in managing the displacement issue. Section 17 of the Act needs to provide a legal basis for forming a national committee on displacement. Similarly, amend the Overseas Employment Act 2013 to provide the legal basis for recruiting labour migrants from climate-vulnerable areas for overseas employment. 2.2.3. Include/develop specific provisions for the displacement issue in the relevant policies/Plans of the GoB, such as the National Plan for Disaster Management 2021-2025 and the Five-year Plans. Similarly, local- level plans such as District Disaster Management Plan (DDMP), Upazila Disaster Management Plan (UzDMP), Union Disaster Management Plan (UDMP), Pourshabha/City Corporation Disaster Management Plan, and local adaptation plan need to incorporate provisions for the context-specific management of displacement. 2.2.4. Ensure that gender and disability issues and the needs of vulnerable groups are adequately taken into account in disaster risk reduction legislation and planning at the national and local levels. 2.2.5. Integrate climate-induced disaster risk reduction and seismic risk reduction while planning and budgeting process of all relevant public and private sectors. The involvement of the private sectors should be to encourage the creation of new employment in potential growth hubs in all districts of Bangladesh. This, in the long run, will help the displaced persons with new/alternative livelihood opportunities. 2.2.6. Make provision in national and sub-national frameworks for participatory planned relocation as a strategy of last resort for avoiding displacement, following international guidance, such as the Guidance on Protecting People from Disasters and Environmental Change (GPPDEC) 17 through Planned Relocation. 2.3. Investing in DRR and CCA Both Government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have been making inroads in enhancing the resilience of the vulnerable population due to climate change and disasters. To prevent or retard future displacement through DRR and CCA programmes, the GoB needs to: 2.3.1. Strengthen early warning system for rapid onset events such as floods, erosion and cyclones and slow-onset climate-related hazards such as drought. The system should be supported by effective action based on commitment, political will and response mechanism. 2.3.2. Promote effective community communication using social media platforms for public awareness regarding early warning. This eases better preparation of at-risk communities and public officials to deal with the consequences. Increase awareness-raising initiatives in the government programmes supported under the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund (BCCTF). Ensure fund allocation in order to prepare the public about displacement better. 2.3.3. Increase the resilience of the people vulnerable to displacement through livelihood diversification, including off-farm livelihoods and SMEs and better access to social security. A special provision should be included in the government’s social security policy to ensure social protection for these people to continue enjoying social security even after displacement. 2.3.4. Increase the resilience of the agricultural practices through adoption/ up-scaling of hazard-resistant agricultural practices (e.g., flood, salinity, drought-tolerant crop varieties, soil and water conservation methods, cropping patterns geared to low or variable rainfall) for food security. Introduce crop insurance as a risk management tool for farmers to reduce the loss of agricultural production in Bangladesh due to climate-related hazards. A new model of weather index-based crop insurance has the 18 potential for greater resilience. 2.3.5. Establish similar insurance schemes for other purposes like shelters, livestock, and or any other form of property. Such schemes can directly improve the welfare of risk-averse families and their creditworthiness. Provide training in partnership with the private sector. 2.3.6. Facilitate skills training of vulnerable households for off-farm livelihoods, taking into account international and national labour market needs through Public-Private partnership. 2.3.7. Recognize income diversification through remittances as an essential element of adaptation to climate change and create opportunities for international short-term labour migration by one or a few family members from displacement hotspots. It will help the households to meet various risks disaster risks. 2.3.8. Facilitate temporary and circular international labour migration to diversify livelihood of the marginalized and vulnerable community in partnership with ILO, IOM, UNHCR, UNDP, WFP, UNFPA, WHO, UNWOMEN, UNRCO, IFRC and other national and international organizations. The Colombian model of “Temporary and Circular Labour Migration (TCLM)” supported by IOM between Colombia and Spain may inform a model adapted to the Bangladeshi context. 2.3.9. Make specific provisions for migration service-providing agencies such as the District Employment and Manpower Office (DEMO), Expatriate Welfare Bank and NGOs to open their branches in climate-vulnerable areas. 2.3.10. In order to ease the adaptation to climate change in vulnerable areas, disseminate information among those Bangladeshis working abroad about financial products such as ‘Wage Earners’ Bonds, ‘Diaspora bonds,’ etc., and encourage them to invest in those products. Apart from adaptation, it will generate other benefits, including developing a mindset for savings among the migrants. It will also encourage migrants to transfer more resources to 19 Bangladesh. 2.3.11. In partnership with the private sector, create scope of employment for people from displacement hotspots in the Ready-made Garments (RMG) and other manufacturing industries. Creating an online job portal for the people of vulnerable areas is required for suitable job matching. Ministry of Social Welfare, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs and Department of Youth Development (DoYD) should take necessary programmes and actions in this regard. 2.3.12. Repair and rehabilitate the existing physical infrastructure in displacement hotspots following universal guidelines and Sendai Framework. Ensure robust monitoring of repair and maintenance of existing flood embankments. To understand the efficacy of embankments in medium- to-major floods, establish coordination between the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) and the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB). Where necessary, construct new embankments or river dredging to control flood, protect river erosion, install sluice gates to protect from saline water, and improve the drainage system. Resuscitation of rivers and khals and river training need the massive mobilization of funds, coordinated action across sectors and geographical areas. Assess the structural and non-structural risks of an earthquake in urban and semi-urban contexts and incorporate preparedness and risk reduction plan including developing and simulation of contingency plan. 2.3.13. Mobilize funds to create an adequate number of gender-sensitive cyclone and flood shelters based on population density for emergency evacuation during disasters. 2.3.14. Ensure multipurpose use of embankments, shelters and polders. Create scopes of in-situ solutions to resettle potentially displaced people by integrating settlement sites close to those infrastructures. This will allow the displaced to resettle near their places of origin. Educational institutions and health care services can be designed on embankments and polders or 20 disaster shelters. Initiate robust programmes on climate-resilient habitat for the vulnerable population organized under cluster villages. 2.3.15. Improve the existing physical structures. Construct cross dams and water control structures as necessary for enhanced adaptation to droughts. More specific interventions include re-excavation of canals and ponds, installing deep tube wells, and ensuring improved surface water augmentation. 2.3.16. Increase the resilience of physical infrastructure at the household and community levels through proper planning and programmatic actions. Ensure that strategies take into account traditional knowledge and coping mechanisms of both indigenous and local communities. 2.3.17. Transform homesteads into safe places through planning; raising plinth height of homesteads and institutions like schools, district/upazila/ union complex. As there is no housing policy for rural areas, ensure and implement the hazard-specific housing code for rural areas and adopt disaster-resilient (floating house, salinity resilient house, etc.) house building. Take necessary measures to remove the likely adverse effects on the poor and marginalized people. 2.3.18. Design and develop disaster resilient cluster housing for the vulnerable landless people with land tenure security and market access through Public-Private NGO partnership. This setup shall have adequate space for access to land, ensure personal privacy, and have the provisions for cattle and poultry shelter and seedbeds. Resettlement sites should be close to livelihood places, schools, health care services, and good communication facilities. If necessary, initiate pilot projects on this. 2.3.19. Encourage relevant stakeholders for building model housing and multi-storied climate-resilient housing in rural areas. Facilitate the availability of bank loans on easy terms. Include such resettlement programmes for the displaced within the government’s election pledge ‘My Village My Town.’ 21 2.3.20. Prohibit the arbitrary displacement of people from their home or place of habitual residence when evacuation plans are prepared unless justified by compelling and overriding public interests. 2.4. Creation of Employment through Encouraging Decentralization of Urban Growth Centres 2.4.1. Through public-private partnerships, generate a sizeable number of employment opportunities nearer to the areas where displacement may occur due to climate change and disaster. 2.4.2. Create urban growth centres through public-private partnership at the regional, district or upazila level to generate formal avenues for employment and income. This will reduce the pressure of displaced persons on the megacities of Dhaka and Chittagong. Space for service providers can be created in peri-urban areas with low-cost housing, educational institutions, health care facilities, access to safe drinking water, sanitation and electricity. Urban centres should be selected regionally. 2.4.3. In order to reduce the population pressure in central urban locations, enhance qualitative and quantitative standards of the transportation services. Priorities need to be given in establishing mass commuter trains instead of road transportation. Encourage the displaced migrants to reside in the peri-urban locations and commute to the workplace by reducing commuting costs. Discourage migration towards the megacities by creating secondary cities. 2.4.4. To reduce the scope of permanent migration to urban areas and decentralize growth centres, create a nationwide commuter train network. This will allow the displaced population to stay at their places of origin, commute to work, and return to their residence at the end of the business day. 2.4.5. In order to adapt to the slow-onset climate change, many of the migrants gradually move to urban locations. Undertake housing projects 22 for these victims in urban and peri-urban locations. Construct multi-storied buildings and keep the ground floors for the grocery market, pharmacy, doctors’ chambers, saloons, daycare centers, skill training centres etc. This will keep the street free from vendors. Create scopes for self-employment of family members of the displaced population by renting out these places at a low cost. Create low-cost contractual rental arrangements for the displaced people on the top floors. Keep the housing ownership with the government and employ NGOs and private sectors in construction, maintenance, and managing rental and cleaning services. 2.5. Climate-disaster Risk Responsive Land Use Plan and Programme 2.5.1. Prepare climate-disaster risk responsive land use plan. 2.5.2. Identification of highly vulnerable zones and restrict construction of human settlements in unprotected or highly vulnerable areas. 2.5.3. Integrate displaced persons in the GoB’s development plans, such as economic zones in coastal and seaport areas. Develop satellite towns or create planned low-cost housing with civic facilities near those areas. 2.5.4. Ensure that comprehensive land policy and land zoning regulations are in place. Adaptation and DRR against cyclone and storm surges can be enhanced through land-use planning. Allocate resources for afforestation. Strengthen institutional capacity of forest officials for afforestation of char land and coastal areas, including embankment areas. Permanent Green Belt should be adequately maintained in the coastal areas. No further development should be allowed in marginal abandoned land. 2.5.5. Prepare city plans for significant destination areas for migrants’ housing, located away from environmentally vulnerable regions to avoid being trapped in marginal locations. In order to ensure the rights of displaced persons, design the land use policy to permit speedy updated identification of all public/Khas land by zones and mouzas. On a priority basis, Khas 23 land needs to be allocated for cluster-based climate resilient housing and livelihoods for potentially displaced people. In addition, instead of providing land ownership, arrange low-cost rental opportunities for the migrants to establish climate resilient housing. 2.5.6. Create a legally binding institutional structure for collective use of Common Pool Resources such as land or water body to provide access to poor, marginal and displaced persons for productive purposes and sustainable use and practice. The benefits will be shared among the people who get engaged. The creation of common-pool resources may reduce the scope of grabbing of these resources by elite groups. 24 3. PROTECTION DURING DISPLACEMENT Objective: The objective of this phase is to ensure in providing of the essential components of living and rights-based humanitarian assistance to the affected people. Strategic Response: When displacement occurs, it is crucial to intervene quickly and decisively to manage it, address urgent humanitarian needs, and ensure adequate protection. In general, climate and disaster-induced internal displacement should be managed along with affected people. Protection of livestock is also essential that is provided under emergency guidelines and standards for livestock. Major Policy Areas: Humanitarian and Disaster Relief Assistance Major Activities (Management of Responses: Emergency response) 3.1. Strengthening Humanitarian and Disaster Relief Assistance During the emergency phase based on the type and nature of disasters and related displacement services that MoDMR will provide, with the assistance of relevant line ministries, agencies and the humanitarian community: 3.1.1. Assess the needs of the displaced population and organize the appropriate response following the Sphere Standards, which cover four primary life-saving areas of humanitarian aid: water supply, sanitation and hygiene promotion; food security and nutrition; shelter, settlement and non- food items; and health action. Other international rights-based standards, in particular the 1998 UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, as well as the IASC Operational Guidelines on the Protection of Persons in Situations of Natural Disasters, the IASC Guidelines for Integrating Gender-Based Violence Interventions in Humanitarian Action and the Comprehensive Guide for Planning Mass Evacuations in Natural Disasters (the MEND Guide) can also be operationalized under the leadership of MoDMR to ensure effective disaster risk management. 25 3.1.2. Ensure that evacuations occur in satisfactory safety, nutrition, health and hygiene conditions and family members are not separated. Special care should be taken to ensure the safety and security of persons with disabilities. 3.1.3. Take necessary actions to shift vulnerable people to the nearest shelter sites. If required, provide the vulnerable people with transport to come to the designated shelter area. Ensure adequate safe spaces for women, pregnant mothers, children, orphans, adolescents, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and special needs within shelter areas. 3.1.4. Develop a national displacement tracking system and ensure that displaced families and individuals are registered once displacement occurs. Such registration will help relief and rehabilitation process and tracking of missing persons. 3.1.5. Ensure that storage systems, including relief warehouses, are built at district and Upazila levels to effectively dispatch material resources for relief. Emergency efforts must include the arrangement of alternative communication systems such as waterways and airways for easy access to conducting rescue and relief activities. 3.1.6. Provide an adequate supply of drinking water and water purifiers, set up mobile toilets for emergency needs (with separate toilets for women), and prepare and dispatch medical teams for emergency health treatment. 3.1.7. Make necessary arrangements to promptly re-issue valuable personal documents of displaced persons such as national identity (NID) cards, birth certificates, passports, and marriage licenses. Ensure that the displaced persons are not deprived of fundamental rights and entitlements due to the loss or destruction of documents during the disaster. 3.1.8. Take measures to prevent and respond to the safety-related risks faced by vulnerable groups such as children, women, pregnant mothers, orphan and adolescents, the elderly, and persons with disabilities. Adopt measures for differential needs assessments. 26 3.1.9. Ensure the safety and security of displaced persons and the personnel of humanitarian and development agencies. Arrange and facilitate the passage of humanitarian assistance and assistance providers for rapid and unimpeded access to the affected locations. Include local volunteers and people’s representatives in emergency operations. 3.1.10. Make necessary arrangements with the financial sector to facilitate and ensure inward remittance flows to the vulnerable households from home and abroad during disasters. If critical personal documents get lost during disasters, requirements of producing those documents for receiving remittances may be relaxed in the aftermath of disasters. 3.1.11. Initiate the preparation of a comprehensive policy on recovery and reconstruction, focusing on the housing sector in disaster recovery. 3.1.12. Take steps to sensitize, and regularly update government stakeholders at various administrative levels regarding the responsibilities laid out in the Standing Orders on Disaster provisions. Keep grassroots committees created under SOD functional. 3.2. Protecting fundamental rights of displaced persons during displacement Objective: Protection of the constitutional rights and entitlements of the displaced persons. Main Activities: 3.2.1. Ensure the security and safety of the persons in displacements. Establish and operate control rooms at all levels of administration. If required, introduce special measures (e.g., 24-hour hotline numbers and special police patrolling). 3.2.2. Ensure that no person will be forcefully evacuated and unlawfully forced to return to or remain within a specific territory of the country. 27 3.2.3. Ensure access to adequate housing and shelter for displaced persons based on the types and nature of the disaster. Displaced persons should be temporarily provided with adequate shelters until permanent and safe habitats are managed. 3.2.4. Identify available Khas land in consultation with the Ministry of Land and in line with the National Land Use Policy (2001) to ensure access to such land and create more common pool resources for the displaced homeless persons legally. Create scopes for emergency and transitional shelters for displaced homeless persons, if necessary, with support from humanitarian assistance providers. Implement the livelihood support programmes that can be managed under public-private partnerships. 3.2.5. Ensure the rights of displaced persons to water, food, clothes, sanitation and medical treatment. Emphasize on the unique needs of persons with disabilities, children, orphans, elderly/senior citizens, pregnant mothers and adolescent girls. 3.2.6. Ensure the rights to education of the Displaced Persons, especially children and youths. According to Article 26 of DMA 2012, take necessary steps for acquiring premises to continue educational activities. Not to deny access to education if displaced children or adolescents fail to show or produce previous school records. 3.2.7. Ensure that schools do everything possible to accommodate the needs of children with disabilities from displaced households. In urban centres, ensuring the rights of displaced children to participate in mainstream education and local children. Create awareness to encourage parents of displaced households to enroll their children in school, and refrain from harmful traditional practices such as early child marriage. 3.2.8. Make appropriate arrangements for training and educational activities for people in disaster risk areas to enhance their employment opportunities at home and abroad to ensure the right to livelihood. 28 3.2.9. Take measures to provide necessary training and create scope in consultation with the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment (MoEWOE), the Ministry of Labour and Employment, and the private sector to participate in short-term international contract labour migration from internally displaced families as well as for domestic job market. Prepare a job portal for internally displaced people. 3.2.10. Before introducing vocational training and livelihood development programmes, undertake proper assessments and market analysis to ensure that there will be jobs for those who graduate from such programmes. 3.2.11. Encourage the large manufacturing sectors of the country to recruit Displaced persons as workers. The private sector should be encouraged to hire Displaced Persons as part of their corporate social responsibility. Special referrals for Displaced Persons should be arranged by the local authorities concerned. 3.2.12. Guarantee that there will not be any type of direct or indirect pressure on the use and exercise of one’s property against their will and interests. 3.2.13. Involve Displaced Persons in the programmes relating to subsidized loans and provisions should be made to assist them in purchasing land. 3.2.14. Put particular emphasis on ensuring integrated and gender-sensitive health and nutrition services to all Displaced Persons, particularly the poorest, to ensure their rights to healthcare. Support mobile clinics in remote areas where Displaced Persons are unable to access health facilities easily. 3.2.15. Ensure the right to continue receiving social allowances for displaced people enrolled in social security programmes. 3.2.16. Ensure participatory rights of the Displaced persons, including the right to vote. Allow all Displaced Persons, including and other marginalized social groups, to take part in the decision-making about their return, integration, and rehabilitation/resettlement. 29 4. DURABLE SOLUTIONS Objective: The main objective of the State is to rehabilitate the affected people/to ensure durable solutions to displacement with dignity and in line with the IASC Framework on Durable Solutions, a durable solution is only achieved when displaced persons no longer require any specific assistance and protection needs that are connected with their displacement. Strategic Response: Displacement needs to be addressed to avoid protracted situations through three types of durable solutions – a) Return to the place of origin after the disaster is over; b) When return to the place of origin is not possible local integration in the place of self-relocation; c) Where none of the above-mentioned solutions are feasible, in those cases planned relocation to a third location under a government initiative. After the disaster, return to the place of origin is the most acceptable solution. If the return is not feasible or expected, there can be other solutions like relocation or resettlement. Major Policy Areas: Rehabilitation/Resettlement; Urban Development (The National Urban Sector Policy, 2014 Draft); Rural Development (National Rural Development Policy, 2001)); Land Policy (The National Land Use Policy, 2001); Housing Policy (The National Housing Policy, 2016); Major Activity (Durable Solutions) Displaced Persons should choose the durable solution – return to their original place, local integration, or resettlement – voluntarily, safely, and with dignity. In principle, the Displaced Persons should choose where to live while being displaced and voluntarily reassess such decisions once the reasons for their displacement or barriers to their voluntary return have 30 ceased to exist. There should be information sharing and a consultation process, which is truly representative, participatory and inclusive. The IASC Framework on Durable Solutions identifies eight elements that together underpin a durable solution. These include: 1) Safety and security; 2) Adequate standard of living; 3) Access to livelihoods; 4) Restoration of housing, land, and property; 5) Access to essential documents 6) Family reunification; 7) Participation in public affairs; 8) Access to effective remedies and justice. However, all of the elements will probably not be relevant in any given displacement context, but the Framework can help structure the approach taken by responsible actors at the national and sub-national levels. 4.1. Return: The concerned authorities must ensure that such return is sustainable in the long run through the following interventions: 4.1.1. Assess the safety, security, and stability in the area of origin of displaced persons in order to determine if the return is a safe option for the displaced. 4.1.2. Provide relevant and accurate information to displaced persons on the situation in their places of origin so that they can assess the situation by themselves before any voluntary return takes place. In such a case, facilitate the process to visit their places of origin. 4.1.3. Ensure protection measures for saving ecosystems and ecosystem services and restoring returnees’ housing, land, and property (HLP) or appropriate compensation, including acceptable HLP alternatives. 31 4.1.4. Assist with the reconstruction of homes, provision of water, and essential services in the area of return to ensure an adequate standard of living and access to essential services for returnees. 4.1.5. Facilitate low-cost disaster and climate resilient housing for displaced persons who returned to their places of origin after the disaster but have lost their homes through public-private-NGO-INGO partnerships. Design low-cost housing for different types of hazard-prone areas. Assist the landless to acquire land in accordance with the provisions of the National Land Policy. Adopting land allocation programmes after ensuring that the allocated land has access to potable water and other basic infra-structural amenities, labour markets and livelihood opportunities, and access to basic services such as health care and education. Such programmes should utilize local knowledge (such as drinking water management, elevated tube-wells and latrines, diversified salt and flood and salinity tolerant crop varieties, floating agriculture, caged fish culture etc.). 4.1.6. Ensure loan facilities for the reconstruction of housing units and making farm and off-farm livelihoods. Different vulnerable groups, including women, persons with disability, ethnic and religious minorities and extreme poor who do not have access to income, people who are not receiving social safety benefits, need to be considered to bring under loan facilities. 4.1.7. Re-establish livelihoods or introduce alternative livelihood options in the areas of return. 4.1.8. Special care should be taken to ensure access of women, persons with disabilities, ethnic and religious minorities, and extremely poor to relevant training and job market. Facilitate the provisions for possible labour migration for members of displaced families to diversify the livelihood of returnee displaced persons. Coordinating with the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment and Expatriates’ Welfare Bank, facilitate access of members of displaced families to migration loans to take up employment to the Middle East or Southeast Asian countries. 32 4.2. Local Integration: There may be certain situations in which environmental conditions are degraded in such a way that it is impossible to continue living in affected areas, or when displaced persons cannot return to their original areas because of adverse environmental situations, such as riverbank erosion and salinity intrusion due to sea-level rise. In those situations, these permanently displaced people may need to rebuild their lives in the destination areas where they have moved. This is a process referred to as ‘local integration’. The following points will promote a rights- based approach to local integration. 4.2.1. Ensure that Displaced persons living in the informal settlements in urban areas benefit from the provisions detailed in the Draft National Urban Sector Policy, 2014 regarding in-situ upgrading and improvement of slums, resettlement of slum dwellers, and ensure tenure security of urban poor. 4.2.2. Ensure proper rehabilitation of slum dwellers and floating people in case of an eviction. Facilitate low-cost housing for such displaced persons in partnership with the private sector and NGOs. Explore options, which grant the displaced person’s security of tenure, including through usufruct schemes. 4.2.3. Explore community-based initiatives to lend, rent or sell land in areas where displaced persons have settled. Encourage community-based farming and ensure access to loan facilities for such interventions. 4.2.4. Support local integration through livelihood projects and improvement of services. Ensure access of the marginalized groups, especially women, persons with disabilities, ethnic and religious minorities, impoverished to the local job market. Facilitate short-term international labour migration for selected members of the families to diversify the livelihood of displaced persons. Make special arrangements for the recruitment of displaced persons in the local level job sectors. 4.2.5. Make members of host communities a part of local integration interventions. Expected benefits should also reach the poorer section of 33 local communities to avoid conflict with the locals. 4.2.6. Make necessary institutional arrangements to reconcile any disputes that may arise between displaced persons and local people through local administration and local government institutions. 4.2.7. Support measures that promote the participation of displaced persons in the new community’s cultural, social, and political and public life. 4.2.8. Ensure any relevant documentation is restored, thus facilitating unimpeded access to core services non-discriminatory for the displaced persons. 4.2.9. Make provision to facilitate family reunification, particularly regarding the situation of dependent members, including children, members with disabilities and older people. 4.2.10. Take necessary steps to register the displaced population with Election Commission. Ensure that displaced persons receive National ID (NID) cards in their new residence. Ensure that the displaced population can exercise their right to participate in elections as candidates and as voters like other Bangladeshi citizens. 4.3. Resettlement: In case of return and local integration are not suitable options, the displaced should be resettled in a safer place. Resettlement as a durable solution targets those who neither can return to their original place nor can get settled permanently in some other safer areas but constantly remain vulnerable to recurrent displacement. Identifying new land, housing, access to livelihood and financial resources lies at the core of the bundle of durable solutions. Equally important is the social, cultural, and political space in the resettlement site. 4.3.1. Ensure meaningful participation of and partnership with affected communities in all resettlement actions. Such participation should be inclusive. No persons of the affected community should be discriminated 34 on the grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth, and disability. 4.3.2. Ensure that resettlement should also include preserving existing social and cultural institutions, rebuilding social networks, and promoting livelihoods in resettled communities. Using participatory planning processes, developing monitoring mechanisms and grievance procedures, providing compensation for lost assets, maintaining housing and land tenure for resettled residents, and ensuring that resettlement sites are environmentally healthy and robust in the face of climate change. 4.3.3. Identify suitable places/land for future resettlements in consultation with different ministries, especially the Ministry of Land, Ministry of Housing and Public Works, the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives, and the real estate sector. Identify government Khas land in areas that are not exposed to disasters, mark those for resettlement projects and discourage the distribution of those lands to others. 4.3.4. Review public land holdings and select possible long-term resettlement sites separated from the land market through land set-aside programmes. By analyzing the experiences of land reclamation programmes in Singapore and the Maldives, Bangladesh can create such landmasses. It can meaningfully resettle the displaced in those areas by establishing new economic zones. It can also develop resettlement programmes on the newly emerging Chars on the sea and different riverbeds by ensuring all necessary environmental protection measures. The learning from Char Development Settlement Project (CDSP) can come handy in this respect. 4.3.5. Establish a Khas Land Bank to preserve all types of records on Khas land by types, locations, distribution status, the status of dispute resolution, and so on. It is crucial because Khas lands are regarded as a stable source of resettlement sites for displaced persons. 4.3.6. Create and encourage the use of community land trust. Community land trusts ensure that land remains held in common over time. This, in turn, ensures that land allocated for disaster and climate-induced displaced 35 persons (DCIIDPs) will be available for use by newly displaced persons from earlier periods eventually move to new locations elsewhere. 4.3.7. Provide families, who become landless, displaced, and shelter- less due to river erosion with shelter within a short time on a priority basis and rehabilitate them in the nearest government Ashrayan/Adarsha Gram project areas in line with the National Rural Development Policy (2001). Through public-private-NGO partnership, make arrangements for low-cost social housing schemes in resettlement sites. 4.3.8. Making provisions for livelihood support activities in the resettlement sites. Special care should be taken to ensure access of marginalized groups, especially women, persons with disabilities, ethnic and religious minorities, extremely poor to relevant job/labour markets in the resettlement sites and beyond. Facilitate diversification of livelihoods through internal and international labour migration of the displaced persons. 4.3.9. Ensure participation of the private sector in developing and maintaining the rehabilitation sites. At the local, regional and national levels, the private sector should also be encouraged to hire from people who experience displacement. 4.3.10. Self-contained community living spaces can be created under public ownership in peri-urban locations. The lower floors should be designed as a marketplace, child care centre, doctors’ chamber, pharmacy, barbershop, etc, and the upper floors for renting out small units for the displaced people so that the footway of urban locations can be kept free. Create employment opportunities for the displaced families through renting the shops at low costs. Provide low-cost accommodation facilities to the displaced persons on the upper floors. The ownership should remain with the government; the private sector should be involved in construction and maintenance, and the NGOs can be involved in managing the self-contained communities. 4.3.11. Make sure resettlement measures are consistent with the international norms. Forced relocations should be avoided; instead, ensure alternative 36 housing and land in consultation with displaced people. Such relocation/ resettlement, if properly managed, can be a good adaptation strategy for the affected people. 4.3.12. Ensure that the participatory process of selecting a resettlement site includes conducting risk assessment and that the findings of the assessment guide all planning and consultation. 37 5. INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS AND FUNDING Disaster management activities are currently being implemented efficiently at national, regional and local levels through a participatory approach while embedding all ministries and agencies of the current government. The following steps should be taken to align actions with the current institutional setup of disaster management at different levels to implement the Strategy. 5.1. Make arrangements to include the disaster and climate-induced internal displacement issue as an important regular agenda for meetings in the National Disaster Management Council, the Inter-Ministerial Disaster Management Coordination Committee, and the National Disaster Management Advisory Committee (NDMAC). 5.2. Create a common multi-stakeholder platform where GoB, NGOs, private organizations, researchers, volunteers, technical persons, and policymakers can jointly pursue the implementation of the Strategy. 5.3. Establish a National Task Force on Displacement (NTFoD). The NTFoD will be the highest decision-making body concerning internal displacement caused by disasters and climate hazards. The NTFoD will review the strategy’s implementation, follow up with line ministries and government departments regarding their implementation plans and efforts, and recommend suggestions for concerned ministries, agencies, and organizations. In order to make the system participatory, a system of grassroots involvement should be involved in the system. 5.4. Establish a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) within the MoDMR to suggest innovative technical solutions. As a higher body, the NTFoD can approve those suggestions or otherwise. 5.5. Design and form the National Task Force on Displacement (NTFoD) to be an inter-ministerial and inter-agency body. It should include 38 all relevant ministries i.e. Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR), Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment (MoEWOE), Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co- operatives (MoLGRDC), Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE), Ministry of Land (MoL), Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MoWCA), Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), Ministry of Food (MoF), Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock (MoFL), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR), Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources (MoPEMR), Ministry of Primary and Mass Education (MoPME), Ministry of Education (MoE), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Ministry of Housing and Public Works (MoHPW), Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges (MoRTB), Ministry of Social Welfare (MoSW), Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs (MoCHTA), Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism (MoCAT), Ministry of Cultural Affairs (MoCA), Ministry of Public Administration (MoPA), Ministry of Finance (MoF), Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA), Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affair (MoLJPA), Ministry of Planning (MoP), and representatives of other GO/NGO/INGOs departments and agencies. Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR) needs to perform the coordinating role. The Secretary of MoDMR will be the chair of the Task Force and secretaries of other ministries will be members. The Director General of the Department of Disaster Management will be the Member Secretary. 5.6. Ensure that the local level institutions such as District Development Coordination Committee (DDCC) and Upazila Development Coordination Committee (UzDCC) include displacement in their agenda for discussion and ensure representation. They should provide the guidelines, maintain statistics, and monitor any displacement in or out of their respective locality. 5.7. Prepare an action plan at the local level by incorporating the displacement agenda in the regular meetings of Union, Upazila, and district level committees. Take required steps to implement the action plan. 39 5.8. Make necessary arrangements for the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief and the Department of Disaster Management to coordinate the displacement-related programmes with other line ministries and agencies. 5.9. Coordinate with Ministry of Land to mark aside concerned Khas lands for the displaced 5.10. Create a “Displacement Trust Fund” to sustainably finance the implementation of the Strategy from the national budget. Additionally, it may also draw funds from the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund (BCCTF). The lesson learned from the management of the BCCTF can guide the establishment of this fund. 5.11. Explore more funding options through the international process-led opportunities such as loss-and-damage, Adaptation Funds, Green Climate Fund, etc. For this purpose, a fund collection and expenditure management committee formation including experts from relevant fields. 5.12. Establishing a network to seek financial and technical support to implement the strategy under SOD 2019 with MoDMR in the lead and different multilateral and bilateral development partners of Bangladesh as members. Seek cooperation from all relevant international bodies, including UNDRR and PDD to help this network. 40 6. MONITORING AND EVALUATION 6.1. MoDMR will have a separate sub-department for monitoring and evaluation of implementation of the National Strategy. Under that sub- department, an oversight/evaluation committee will be established. Relevant national and international stakeholders will be invited to participate in the oversight committee. 6.2. To develop an action plan to implement the short, medium and long term targets of the strategy and based on the SDGs, it will monitor and evaluate Bangladesh’s transition to a middle-income country by 2021, developed country by 2041, reach the pinnacle of prosperity by 2071 and safe Delta by 2100. 6.3. Create specific provisions for the participation of relevant CSOs, INGOs, NGOs and the media to make the process more transparent and accountable. 6.4. Develop a monitoring and evaluation matrix with appropriate benchmarks and indicators against which implementation of the strategy will be measured. 6.5. Prepare an Annual and Five-Year public report indicating the progress made and obstacles to implementation and lessons learned. *This strategy has the original version in Bengali. In the event of conflict between the Bengali and the English text, the Bengali text shall prevail. 41 ANNEX 1 GLOSSARY CDMP II, January 2010- December 2015 The goal of CDMP-II was to further reduce the country’s vulnerability to adverse natural and anthropogenic events – including cyclones, floods, tidal surges, earthquakes, climate change and variability – through technical assistance in risk reduction and comprehensive disaster management activities. The approach of CDMP II was to channel support through government and development partners, civil society and NGOs into people-oriented disaster management and risk reduction partnership. That partnership promoted cooperation, provide coordination, rank priority programmes and projects, and allocate resources to disaster management activities, risk reduction activities and climate change adaptation activities in Bangladesh. Adaptation (Linked To Migration) In human systems, the process of adjusting to actual or expected climate and its effects seeks to moderate harm or exploit beneficial opportunities. Migration and mobility are adaptation strategies as a last resort in all regions of the world that experience climate variability. Climate Change A change of climate, which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to other natural climate variability that has been observed over comparable periods. Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) The concept and practice of reducing disaster risks through systematic efforts to analyse and manage the causal factors of disasters, including through reduced exposure to hazards, lessened vulnerability of people and property, wise management of land and the environment, and improved 42 preparedness for adverse events. Displacement A forced shifting of people from their places of origin to different locations within the country or places outside the country (Internally Displaced Persons or IDPs). This Strategy paper is adopted mainly for the displaced persons within the country. Environmental Migrants Persons or groups of persons who, for compelling reasons of sudden or progressive changes in the environment that adversely affect their lives or living conditions, are obliged to leave their homes or choose to do so, either temporarily or permanently, and who move either within their country or abroad. Displacement/ Displacment Period Immediately following the natural disaster, when the affected people evacuate or leave the place of origin to take shelter or to search for livelihoods elsewhere. This is the phase when actual displacement takes place. Internally Displaced Person (IDP) Persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights or natural or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed an internationally recognized State border. Disaster and Climate Induced Internally Displaced Persons (DCIIDPs) Persons, group of persons, households, or an entire community who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence temporarily or permanently or who have been evacuated as a result of disasters caused by sudden and slow-onset climatic events and processes, and who have shifted to different locations within the State border. 43 Evacuation Evacuation is the rapid transfer of people away from the immediate threat or impact of a disaster to a safer place of shelter. It is commonly characterized by a short time frame, from hours to weeks, within which emergency procedures need to be enacted in order to save lives and minimize exposure to harm. Migration The movement of a person or a group of persons, either across an international border, or within a State. It is a population movement, encompassing any kind of movement of people, whatever its length, composition and causes; it includes migration of refugees, displaced persons, economic migrants, and persons moving for other purposes, including family reunification. Forced Migration A migratory movement in which an element of coercion exists, including threats to life and livelihood, whether arising from natural or manmade causes (e.g., movements of refugees and internally displaced persons as well as people displaced by natural or environmental disasters, chemical or nuclear disasters, famine, or development projects). Protection According to the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), protection is defined as: “all activities aimed at obtaining full respect for the rights of the individual in accordance with the letter and the spirit of the relevant bodies of law (i.e., HR law, IHL, refugee law)”. The IASC includes UN and other agencies that deal with humanitarian emergencies. Resilience The ability of a system and its parts to anticipate absorbs, accommodate, or recover from the effects of a hazardous event in a timely and efficient manner, including through ensuring the preservation, restoration, or improvement of its essential basic structures, identity and functions, while also maintaining the capacity for adaptation, learning and transformation. 44 Trapped Populations Populations who do not migrate are situated in areas under threat and at risk of becoming ‘trapped’ [or having to stay behind], where they will be more vulnerable to environmental shocks and impoverishment. This applies particularly to poorer households who may not have the resources to move and whose livelihoods are affected by environmental change. Vulnerability The propensity or predisposition to be adversely affected, vulnerability encompasses a variety of concepts including sensitivity or susceptibility to harm and lack of capacity to cope and adapt. Platform on Disaster Displacement The Platform on Disaster Displacement is a state-led initiative working towards better protection for people displaced across borders in the context of disasters and climate change. In 2018-2019, Bangladesh was its co-chair. The UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement The UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement is the most widely recognized normative framework for dealing with internal displacement. It enumerates that internally displaced persons shall enjoy, in full equality, the same rights and freedoms under international and domestic law as do other persons in their country. They shall not be discriminated against in the enjoyment of any rights and freedoms on the ground that they are internally displaced. It, thus, provides a set of legal norms to states in shaping national laws and policies and clarifies how they may apply to internal displacement settings. This normative framework follows a distinctive approach of restating and tailoring the international human rights norms and guarantees relevant to displaced persons’ protections. Nansen Principles Building upon Nansen’s legacy, the Nansen Principles stress that states have a primary duty to protect their populations and give particular attention to 45 the unique needs of the people most vulnerable to and most affected by climate change and other environmental hazards, including the displaced, hosting communities and those at risk of displacement. It further focuses on the strengthening of prevention and resilience at all levels, mainly through adequate resources. It also highlights that national and international policies and responses, including planned relocation, need to be implemented based on non-discrimination, consent, empowerment, participation and partnerships with those directly affected, with due sensitivity to age, gender and diversity aspects. The voices of the displaced or those threatened with displacement, loss of home or livelihood must be heard and taken into account, without neglecting those who may choose to remain. The Peninsula Principles The Principles provide a comprehensive normative framework, based on principles of international law, human rights obligations and good practice, within which the rights of climate displaced persons within States can be addressed. The Principles set out protection and assistance provisions, consistent with the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (upon which they build and contextualise), to be applied to climate displaced persons. Sphere Standards The Sphere standards are principles and minimum humanitarian standards in four technical areas of humanitarian response: water supply, sanitation and hygiene promotion (WASH), food security and nutrition, shelter and settlement. The Sphere standards are the most widely recognized humanitarian standards across the globe. Usufruct According to a person or party, a usufruct is a legal right that confers the temporary right to use and derive income or benefit from someone else’s property. It is a limited real right that can be found in many mixed and civil law jurisdictions. 46 The MEND Guide This Comprehensive Guide for Planning Mass Evacuations in Natural Disasters – the MEND Guide – came to life at the request of several countries and national disaster management authorities to address this gap and provide a quick reference document containing practical guidance. It also attempts to bring together emergency planning needs and humanitarian considerations that are complementary in many ways. 47 48