CITIES AS HOME: Describing the Regulatory Landscape Around COVID-19 and its Implications for the Local Integration of IDPs in Urban Areas of Iraq

With the onset of COVID-19 in Iraq, cities face particularly high risk of virus transmission given their relatively dense populations. This is especially true for those urban locations hosting large shares of the remaining 1.4 million internally displaced persons (IDPs). The current situation thus makes it necessary to better understand the policy and regulatory landscape that surrounds IDPs in relation to the public health crisis, which may help or hinder their ability to pursue local integration as a durable solution to displacement.

Following from the IASC Framework on Durable Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons, this analysis focuses specifically on localised regulations in response to COVID-19 as they relate to movement, healthcare, employment, housing, and education.