WRRC Webinar: Restoring Livelihoods: Solutions for Disaster-Induced Displacement and Resilient Recovery

Ahead of the World Resilient Recovery Conference, this preparatory webinar organized by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), explored sustainable strategies for livelihood restoration and resilience-building in disaster-displaced populations and their host communities. It provided a platform to share good practices, highlight innovative interventions and foster collaboration among policymakers, the private sector, practitioners and other stakeholders. 

The event brought together over 200 participants around an interactive discussion moderated by Dr. Kerrie Holloway, Research Fellow with the Humanitarian Policy Group at ODI Global, and the following experts: 

• Professor Dilanthi Amaratunga, affiliate professor at the University of Huddersfield and Head of their Global Disaster Resilience Centre. She is also Joint Editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, and a member of numerous expert and advisory groups.
• Mr. Najib Abdi, Technical Lead for Disaster Risk Management for the Council of Governors in Kenya. He has represented Kenya counties in formulating the National Disaster Management Bill in 2024 and led Kenya's participation in the Making Cities Resilient 2030 Initiative.
• Dr. Julia Smith-Omomo, Livelihoods Programme Manager for IOM Regional Office in Nairobi and a behavioural economist with extensive experience in the international development and humanitarian sector, in East and West Africa and Iraq. 

This preliminary discussion was intended to inform the Technical Session 4 “Restoring Livelihood: Solutions for Disaster-Induced displacement and resilient recovery” which will be held on 3 June 2025 in Geneva. The speakers shared their insights and experiences facing some of the main difficulties and barriers that countries and communities face in terms of designing and properly implementing livelihood restoration strategies, but also good practices and recommendations to help identify opportunities for change and inspire potential solutions.

Session takeaways

• Integrate livelihood restoration into disaster recovery policies: Emphasize inclusive, locally grounded, and multi-faceted approaches, combining immediate financial support with long-term resilience building.
• Strengthen traditional safety nets and tenure security: Support displaced families by bolstering existing community support systems, ensuring land tenure, and culturally appropriate resilience strategies.
• Leverage private sector engagement & technology : Good practices from Kenya and Somalia show that public-private partnerships, technology innovations like mobile platforms (e.g. Onkout and SAUTI), and private sector engagement (e.g. Safaricom) enhance displaced people's access to markets and finance.
• Promote community engagement and inclusive planning: Examples from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Turkey highlight the impact of involving affected communities—particularly women—in livelihood restoration initiatives, ensuring ownership and sustainability.
• Adopt integrated governance and evidence-based planning: Experts recommended robust coordination, pre-disaster policy frameworks, investment in risk data systems, and “building back better” principles to achieve long-term resilient recovery.

During the panel discussion, speakers illuminated the complex barriers internally displaced persons (IDPs) encounter when rebuilding their livelihoods and the systemic shifts needed to overcome them. Polling of online participants echoed the panel’s assessment: perceived or actual marginalisation topped the list of challenges (40 per cent), followed by limited social networks, legal hurdles and scarce financing, while lack of skills barely registered (2 per cent). Mr Abdi showed how droughts and floods in Kenya erode both rural and urban income streams—damaging infrastructure, throttling trade and even triggering early marriage as a coping mechanism—while Ms Smith-Omomo reminded the audience that displacement is the “last resort” once household resilience is exhausted. Together, they highlighted the importance of reinforcing traditional safety nets, securing tenure and recognising that “resilience” can mean different things across cultures and genders. 

Looking ahead, the speakers converged on a set of good practices. Professor Amaratunga urged governments to embed livelihood restoration in disaster-recovery policy, backed by strong political support, data-driven planning and the principle of “building back better.” Multi-faceted interventions—cash transfers, vouchers, diversification of value chains and investment in sustainable jobs—must be co-designed with affected communities to ensure relevance and inclusion. Concrete examples ranged from public-private collaborations in Kenya that pair micro-insurance with training for women entrepreneurs, to mobile platforms in Somalia that give informal businesses the transaction data banks need to offer credit. Audience contributions highlighted additional grassroots successes: WhatsApp networks linking 180 women-led cooperatives in Mauritania, FAO’s KORE database of agriculture-based resilience initiatives, and a Bangladesh project that trains women in climate-vulnerable districts while strengthening their market access. Across all cases, the message was clear: coordinated action, empowered communities and smart use of technology can turn recovery into a springboard for long-term, equitable growth.

Watch the recording