Globally, over 70 million people have been forced to leave their homes and places of habitual residence due to disasters to become internally displaced persons (IDPs) and migrants. It is estimated that about 60% to 80% of people who are displaced, especially IDPs, end up in urban informal settlements. Additionally, a good number of Southeast Asia countries are prone to natural hazards which may result in sudden-onset disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, and floods. It is only the consequence that the people living on the frontlines will be much more vulnerable to being internally displaced or forced to migrate from their original residence. The situation is becoming more dire, and the number of IDPs is projected to increase in the next few years as disaster-related challenges are worsened due to climate change, rapid urbanisation, and uncontrolled and unsustainable national resource utilisation (IOM, 2023).

Noticing the adverse impacts of disasters and the often neglected rights of the displaced communities, RDI has been making steady strides to advocate the issue. RDI is a member of the Global Network of Civil Society Organization for Disaster Reduction (GNDR). RDI and GNDR jointly implemented the Making Displacement Safer (MDS) project which seeks to devise locally led disaster risk reduction (DRR) solutions for challenges faced by IDPs settling in urban areas. We have worked in Garut, West Java, Indonesia against the flash flood 2016 backdrop which rendered communities displaced. By utilising a View From the Frontline (VFL) lite, we have developed a quick overview of the threats that displaced communities are facing in their settlements. It was found that the displaced communities in the selected areas rarely have access to timely and usable information as well as access to basic facilities. To combat this, IDPs must be involved in participatory consultations and political discussions to ensure their rights are properly heard and recognized. 

Equally important is how to address the policy gap in displacement and migration caused by slow-onset disasters due to climate change such as sea level rise, drought, increased temperature, desertification, loss of biodiversity, salinization, as well as land and forest degradation. ASEAN is particularly affected by the impacts of climate change that could induce human mobility such as forced displacement, migration, and planned relocation. Despite the commitment to climate action by ASEAN Member States, climate change has been creating negative spillovers to slow-onset disasters such as flooding, drought, and environmental degradation; forcing people out of their livelihood and economic security. 

Aside from developing research on climate mobility in Southeast Asia, RDI alongside IOM Indonesia has been developing a model on human mobility due to the slow-onset environment and climate change events. This measure is done in order to identify the key socio-economic determinants of community and individuals’ climate adaptation strategies, including migration as there is a need for more data-driven action and greater attention to the links between climate change and human mobility. Policy on how to address climate change adaptation and migration has been done to some extent but remains suboptimal and desynchronized. Additionally, climate migration is a novel issue that is still poorly understood, making it hard to create a policy that may address the facilitation of safe, orderly, and regular migration. Hence, the result of this collaborative project will be delivered and advocated to both key national and local government agencies in Indonesia as policy recommendations.