DRIVERS FOR ONWARD MIGRATION: THE CASE OF IRAQI IDPS IN THE KURDISTAN REGION LEAVING THE COUNTRY

Project Description

Context

The Kurdistan region of Iraq presents a complex scenario in terms of displacement patterns. While it hosts a significant population of refugees from Syria and a considerable presence of Internally Displaced People (IDPs), estimated at around 1.5 million IDPs, the region is also an important point of departure for onward migration of IDPs wishing to leave Iraq. This collaborative project between MERI, Qandil and the Joint Crisis Coordination Centre seeks to unravel the extent to which and under what conditions internal displacement becomes onward migration outside the country. In particular, it aims at: a) assessing at what stage of the displacement process the decision to leave the country is made; b) determining which factors motivate the decision to leave the country, and c) identifying measures and sectors of intervention that can help address the challenges and issues faced by IDPs contributing to their decision of leaving. By adopting a mixed-methods approach with extensive on the ground data collection by means of a household survey and semi-structured interviews, the proposed analysis intends to provide the necessary evidence to better address displacement within and from fragile and conflict-affected settings and turn this evidence into policy recommendations for local and international policy-makers.