Internally Displaced People in Burkina Faso

Overall objectives

The main objectives of the activity are:

(i) to develop a methodology that integrates protection monitoring and socio-economic data; and

(ii) to create a solid understanding of the protection environment and living conditions of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host communities in Burkina Faso.

Activity description

A socioeconomic survey will be conducted to complement the protection monitoring instrument already used by P21, a multi-country inter-agency protection monitoring data collection, analysis and dissemination platform launched in mid-2020, and co-led by UNHCR and the Danish Refugee Council (DRC).

The activity will provide complementary data and further the analysis of the socio-economic conditions of IDPs and host communities in Burkina Faso’s southern borders to facilitate the understanding of the socio-economic situation and dynamics of both displaced and non-displaced populations. The Southern regions are not the largest IDP hosting areas in Burkina Faso. However, the Southern Border regions are selected as part of this project because they are the areas of current operation of P21 and where humanitarian access is feasible, and to respond to the operational data needs of the Burkina Faso Country Operation. The proximity of the selected communes to the southern borders will also allow for analysis of factors contributing to the spill-over effects and emerging crisis in the Gulf of Guinea’s coastal countries. The successful completion of this project will facilitate the expansion of this methodology and techniques to the P21 efforts in the Coastal Countries. The results will inform analyses and integrated response by humanitarian and development partners.  

The project will also review and utilize already available data such as the socio-economic variables of the CONASUR database, the WB Living Conditions Surveys, pre-existing P21 data for the region where the project will be implemented, UNHCR Protection Monitoring data, as well as other UNHCR sectoral data (Shelter, food security, Water and sanitation etc.).

Engagement with partners

The activity will build on the presence and capacity of P21 in Burkina Faso, the existing collaborations between UNHCR and the Conseil National de Secours d’Urgence et de Réhabilitation (CONASUR), and the expertise of the Institut National de la Statistique et de la Démographie (INSD) and the World Bank. INSD and CONASUR will participate in planning, implementing and disseminating the project.

P21, which includes the UN Children’s Fund, the UN Population Fund, , the International Organization for Migration, Save the Children, DRC, INTERSOS, the Norwegian Refugee Council and others will help develop the analytical reports. Results will be disseminated through the P21 project partners, an online dashboard, and national and regional briefings.

Background and Context

Since 2019, Burkina Faso has experienced a convergence of crises, including inter-ethnic violence, armed conflict, poverty, inequalities, food insecurity, environmental change, as well as political instability. As a result, more than two million people have fled their homes in search of safety – making the situation one of the fastest-growing displacement and protection crises globally. As the crisis becomes increasingly complex, there is a growing need for more data and analysis. A thorough analysis of socioeconomic and protection needs will result in better coordination and response. The implementation of the socioeconomic survey will link protection monitoring data with socioeconomic and welfare indicators and increase the scope for analysis and identification of the causes of protection risks that stem from forced displacement.

Burkina Faso will be the first country where the socioeconomic and protection data will be collected and analyzed together. P21 has a strong data collection apparatus and a strong protection monitoring team. The links to civil society increase access to areas that may be hard to reach.